BATES ROWING

psteenst@bates.edu - Office: 207.786.6363 - http://batesrowing.blogspot.com

January 28, 2011

Dear Friends & Family of Bates Rowing,

Snow has finally blanketed the Androscoggin River Valley. The river is frozen and the
boathouse sits quietly waiting for spring. Meanwhile, the oarsmen and women of Bates are hard
at work in the classroom and training on their own in the weight room and on the dreaded
ergometer. This is the time of year when the rower feeds the competitive animal within by
dreaming of victory over rival crews and earns the opportunity make that dream a reality.

Plans have been laid for the annual Spring Training Camp to Austin, Texas, and if all
indicators ring true we’ll be hitting Lady Bird Lake with a record number of athletes. More than
60 oarsmen and women are currently on the roster and we fully anticipate every one of them to
attend the camp. In addition to our usual 30 hours of water time the women have been invited to
“brush” with the Division – I and two-time Big 12 Champion University of Texas Women’s
Rowing. This interaction should give us a taste of “Division-I speed” and what to expect when
we arrive in San Diego in April for the Crew Classic.

Fund Raising Report

I would like to send out a belated Thank-you to the Falvey Family because back in 2006 Don &
Cyndy Falvey (Jeanethe ’07) commissioned local Maine artist John Gable to paint On the
Androscoggin, a depiction of the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin annual spring regatta known as the
President’s Cup. The original hangs in the rowing office in Alumni Gymnasium but 450 prints
were made to sell as a means to raise funds for Rowing. On the team blog you will find the
information necessary to order a print and the proceeds will go to the Bates Rowing Fund.

Since 2009, we have been very fortunate to purchase much needed equipment. We have spent
more than $100,000 in total to acquire the following: 2 Eights, 2 Fours, 3 Sets of Oars, 2
Pair/Double converter Kits, 4 Ergometers, and 1 Coaching/Safety Launch. Every bit of this
equipment is top-of-the-line and was made possible through the generosity of Friends like you.
Last year, when you were presented with the goal of $130,000 over two years for equipment
upgrade, you responded and I am happy to say that this goal has been reached. So, once again,
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH for your continued support of Bates College Rowing!

NOW… the boathouse is overflowing with excellent equipment, which leads us to the obvious
next big step - Boathouse Improvement. We have grown out of our boathouse, and it is time to
start discussing with earnest the need to improve or otherwise upgrade our boat storage facility.
A few Friends have already made significant contributions that will help us to get the boat
rowing but before we can move forward a number of steps must be taken institutionally. We’ll
keep you informed as things progress with the plans for this major project and how you can help.
FALL 2010 – SPRING 2011

Quinsigamond Snake Regatta - The MV8 did well finishing 2nd behind Holy Cross, now a
Sprint’s program, and a number of fellow NERC competitors. By taking second, the men
matched their best-ever result from 2007. The WV8 took first, beating out Wellesley, Holy
Cross, and 21 other crews. The women’s eight has now won the event in three of the
regatta’s first four years.

46th Head of the Charles Regatta – The MV4+ consisting of the top three freshmen and
senior Harry Chung finished 10th in the collegiate four to set a demanding standard for future
crews. The MV8 continued to improve upon recent results by taking 10th in the collegiate
eight, their second best result since finishing 9th in 2007. Following an off-year in 2009, the
WV8 finished with the third fastest time in the collegiate eight, returning them to the Top 5
for the third time in four years. Only seniors Rebecca Waldo and Nora Collins, who were
studying abroad during the 2009 Charles, have been in all three crews that have finished in
the Top 5.

After the 2009 Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Chase was cancelled due to a collision, the 2010 race
went off without a hitch. The WF8 finished 2nd among all women’s crews and the MV8 won
the men’s event extending their winning streak that dates back to 2005.

The MF/N8 had a good showing at The Green Monster (Hanover, NH) finishing 6th ahead
of Holy Cross and just behind the host Dartmouth lightweights. The race attracts freshman
crews from the Ivy League as well as a number of our fellow competitors from D-III.

In the 3rd annual fall intrasquad regatta, the WF8 won the coveted Bobcat Cup in
commanding fashion. The convincing win, made even more impressive by besting record
setting performances by the WV8 and the MV8, suggests another tremendous spring is in the
making.

As mentioned earlier in this letter, the spring season of 2011 will mark yet another first for Bates
Rowing: the first-ever appearance at the San Diego Crew Classic! The season will begin with a
cross country trip to what is widely considered to be the regatta that marks the opening of the
sprint racing season. At the Classic, both crews will compete against the other half of the
American rowing scene. See more details on the SDCC website at www.crewclassic.org.

GO BOBCATS!

April 2-3 38th San Diego Crew Classic San Diego, CA

April 9 Tufts w/ Wesleyan, UNH (men) and Wellesley Malden, MA
April 10 WPI w/ URI (men) and Mt. Holyoke Worcester, MA
April 16 Trinity w/ UNH Worcester, MA
April 17 CBB President’s Cup Greene, ME
April 23 Williams w/ Ithaca, Marist, and USCGA Pittsfield, MA
April 30 New England Championships Worcester, MA
May 8 ECAC National Invitational Championship Worcester, MA
May 28-30 NCAA Championships Sacramento, CA