The Tony Fooks Regatta 2010 - sunny day and races for everybody at the DRC

5.30am the Masters Team of the DRC launches ... workout for the World Masters Regatta in a few weeks. Passing the dock in the morning light ... and the first movement in our Club. The beginning of the Tony Fooks Regatta 2010. The first umpirers showing up, the bakery delivering breat and sweets. Christina running and organizing the Pogue room and outside the benches lonley in the lawn.

7.45am. The last Masters boat docking again ... exhausted and the boathouse is filled. Nine rowing clubs around Don bringing the Novice, their Rec, and their first timers to the TONY FOOKS REGATTA 2010.

The sun, already in victory over the last morning clouds, heats up the place infront of the bays of the DRC and the rowers from near and far starting to get warm.

The splendid organization of our volunteers handeling the first coaches meeting, the motorboats in the water and the official RC umpires launching. Like the storm troopers in Star Wars our Credit River in their hand the first race get called and (probably) a last time the Don Coaches Crew beats their apprentices the Don Youth Crew by 0.6 sc (a secure victory ... of course they played with their opponents)

The regatta begun. The speaker on the patio of our boathouse commentated every race like it would be the last race he would see in his live. The pearls of sweat compined with the sweat of the heat of the wonderful morning showed the impressing wet tshirt of Gert (what a pitty of this unclear picture)

The races followed by the secure hands of our Junior volunteers coming down our Credit River and some amusements at the spectators when our novice boats driting all over the river ... but nearly all of them have been welcomed at the finish line.

At 12.00 ... high noon, the BBQ already burning red, the food find their place in the stomaches of our participants and all over smiling and pictures of the wonderful atmosphere during the morning.

But the second part of the regatta would bring the climax of the regatta. When will be the course record will be set. At 1.15pm the Composite Crew from Don, Guelph and Baysite (DGB) brings our Empacher to the water. The slicing sound of the water when the yellow hull breaks the Credit River already fears the spectators. Gert, our speaker, also suddenly silent, watches the crew launching ... like the non sound of a devotion ... the crew launches and rows down, not one splash, to the starting line. Darth Gilda in her uniform shocked but able to line up the two crews which want to beat the day record, which was set at 11.20 in the morning.

No sound ... no goose, no neighbour, no wave break and then Darth Gilda (deep dark breathing) (1.50 pm) Attention ... Go

and the DGB-boat with the perfect start. Eight muscles working in perfection together and the Ernst Peters, in his old age, has to show that the hull will resist the power. Stroke by stroke. 40. The first landmark the train bridge. The GO-train on top. Visible..the breathing of the travelers in the windows, the noses pressed into the glass and our eight is passing the brigde, the passenger running to the other side of the train following the path of our eight. Boat 2 already far behind, stopping to see the perfect run ... seeing their opponents passing the dock of the Canoe Club .... ohhhh ... struggeling ... the body swing start to get out of perfection, but just 280m to go ... tick tack ... the spectators yelling ... yelling the boat over the finish line ... exhaustion ... what is the time ... 3 minutes deadly waiting .... then 3:04.1 course record

A wonderful day, a wonderful regatta finishes and the DRC will welcome everybody next year again to compete and celebrate rowing. Thank to be part of our rowing family

Find the result list attached (down in this page)

Find more pictures here (if you have more picture, send them and we will put them on our website):

http://www.donrowingclub.com/gallery?g2_itemId=20952

MORE PICTURES HERE:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=194262&id=554403171&l=63ca603cc7

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=194272&id=554403171&l=e2c263bfcd

http://picasaweb.google.ca/yatescam/TonyFooks?authkey=Gv1sRgCKHm1M2u7J6K...

THE DRC IS PROUD AND CONGRATULATES MIKE HAROWICZ TO HIS PERFORMANCE

Today ... besides the Tony Fooks regatta ... the comp-team of DRC is going thru the RADAR process - and today the long awaited 2k test. In the morning already most of our comp members could impress with new personal bests ... Dan beat easy the 6:30 and finished 6.25.7 and Laura beats now easily 7:30, her finidhing time 7.27.5

But the biggest step for the DRC did Mike. Constant training brought him this year to the top single rowers of Ontario and today was his day to beat 6 min on the C2-erg ... and he did it. Together with Peter he started at 1pm and 5.59.7 minutes later the DRC can declare ... Yes, we can do it.

Congratulations to Mike  .... and further up you can see 2 unclear pictures of his work today