Station L Rowing Club

Members and interested parties are invited to join us for the 2023 annual meeting of Station L Rowing Club at from 3-5pm on Sunday January 29th. We will meet upstairs at the Lucky Lab in Multnomah Village. The club will provide pizza and salad. There’s a no-host bar as well. We will preview the coming year and hear from some special guests. We have some improvements and changes under way and we can’t wait to share them with you. Elections for the Board of Directors will close at midnight on the 29th–and members have already received voting instructions by email. We hope to see you on Sunday. A Zoom link and the meeting slide deck will be sent out shortly before the meeting begins on Sunday.

In 1972, the Willamette River cleanup was underway–inspired by Governor Tom McCall. In Portland, recreational use of the river was on the minds of some forward thinking rowers. Join us at Revolution Hall on September 10 to honor their vision and the 50th anniversary of Station L Rowing Club. Purchase tickets at this link

It’s spring at Station L and that means getting our 120+ members back on the river, shaking off the dust and planning for some great rows, formidable competition and good times together. We welcome new members with rowing experience to join at any time of the year. For new rowers, our classes will begin in April, with registration opening later in March. We are also planning some erg fitness classes in April, now that working out indoors looks to be safer.

The winter season is upon us, but it doesn’t lack for activity. We are rowing on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, both sweep and scull. There are up to 7 available erg sessions per week, running at a reduced capacity in our indoor facility. On MWF mornings there’s a zoom erg session for those with machines at home. Winter workouts have been published for members.

Our sweep rowers are busy preparing for the San Diego Crew Classic, scheduled for late March.

New members with rowing experience are welcome to join at any time this winter. Dues are a one time fee of $112, good through Feb. 28, 2022. Our learn to row class schedule begins around April 1, with registration opening in February.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our members, our friends and their families.

It might sound trite, but in the rowing world we have a lot to be thankful for.   We started the year rowing singles in the pandemic, and we ended the year with a fully vaccinated membership, rowing team boats and attending regattas (still in a pandemic).

We suffered some losses with the warehouse roof collapse in February, but with the help of insurance and generous member donations we fixed the damaged 2x’s, purchased a new 8+, new 4x, new 2x and two new 1x’s.

Our coaches adapted to longer hours retrieving and returning launches to a dock that’s nearly a mile from the boatyard.  Our members adapted to changing schedules and welcomed many new teammates as our paid membership increased to over 160 people. We rolled out new initiatives to share our sport with more people and expect to do more of this in 2022.

Like other non-profits, this is also the time of year where we remind our supporters that if you are able and so inclined, the club is happy to accept your financial support.  Donations can be made via the website or by check to our mailing address, PO Box 14171 Portland OR 97293.

We are standing up a brokerage account to accept donation of appreciated stock.  If this option interests you, please contact Peter.

Thank you all for another great year of challenge and growth.

We are happy to see 2021, and hope that the year is a better one for everyone. For our members, the year will feature a single scull only program beginning soon, with added team boat programs when conditions allow. We plan to support the single scull program all year, and it will be fun to watch everyone further develop their new skills in a small boat.

For experienced rowers, please join! Your membership gives you 3 coached rowing sessions per week, on a schedule of your choosing. With our singles program, we run a sign up schedule system for a week at a time. When we add back out team boat programs, you can do both, or switch your membership into a team boat program. We will offer sculling and sweep team boat rowing once it is safe to do so. If you have questions about membership, please contact our registrar

For those new to the sport, we offer classes in single person boats beginning in April, with sign ups open soon. Our team boat classes should return later in 2021. If you have questions about classes, please contact our registrar

• Annual Membership Meeting Jan. 29 3pm

  Members and interested parties are invited to join us for the 2023 annual meeting of Station L Rowing Club at from 3-5pm on Sunday January 29th. We will meet upstairs at the Lucky Lab in Multnomah Village. The club will provide pizza and salad. There’s a no-host bar as well. We will preview the coming year and hear from some special guests. We have some improvements and changes under way and we can’t wait to share them with you. Elections for the Board of Directors will close at midnight on the 29th–and members have already received voting instructions by email. We hope to see you on Sunday. A Zoom link and the meeting slide deck will be sent out shortly before the meeting begins on Sunday.

• 1972-2022–Celebrating 50 years of Station L

  In 1972, the Willamette River cleanup was underway–inspired by Governor Tom McCall. In Portland, recreational use of the river was on the minds of some forward thinking rowers. Join us at Revolution Hall on September 10 to honor their vision and the 50th anniversary of Station L Rowing Club. Purchase tickets at this link

• Spring on the water

  It’s spring at Station L and that means getting our 120+ members back on the river, shaking off the dust and planning for some great rows, formidable competition and good times together. We welcome new members with rowing experience to join at any time of the year. For new rowers, our classes will begin in April, with registration opening later in March. We are also planning some erg fitness classes in April, now that working out indoors looks to be safer.

• Winter at Station L

  The winter season is upon us, but it doesn’t lack for activity. We are rowing on Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting, both sweep and scull. There are up to 7 available erg sessions per week, running at a reduced capacity in our indoor facility. On MWF mornings there’s a zoom erg session for those with machines at home. Winter workouts have been published for members.

  Our sweep rowers are busy preparing for the San Diego Crew Classic, scheduled for late March.
  
  New members with rowing experience are welcome to join at any time this winter. Dues are a one time fee of $112, good through Feb. 28, 2022. Our learn to row class schedule begins around April 1, with registration opening in February.

• Thank you.

  Happy Thanksgiving to all our members, our friends and their families.
  
  It might sound trite, but in the rowing world we have a lot to be thankful for.   We started the year rowing singles in the pandemic, and we ended the year with a fully vaccinated membership, rowing team boats and attending regattas (still in a pandemic).
  
  We suffered some losses with the warehouse roof collapse in February, but with the help of insurance and generous member donations we fixed the damaged 2x’s, purchased a new 8+, new 4x, new 2x and two new 1x’s.
  
  Our coaches adapted to longer hours retrieving and returning launches to a dock that’s nearly a mile from the boatyard.  Our members adapted to changing schedules and welcomed many new teammates as our paid membership increased to over 160 people. We rolled out new initiatives to share our sport with more people and expect to do more of this in 2022.
  
  Like other non-profits, this is also the time of year where we remind our supporters that if you are able and so inclined, the club is happy to accept your financial support.  Donations can be made via the website or by check to our mailing address, PO Box 14171 Portland OR 97293.
  
  We are standing up a brokerage account to accept donation of appreciated stock.  If this option interests you, please contact Peter.
  
  Thank you all for another great year of challenge and growth.

Dear Members and Friends of Station L Rowing Club,

We are writing to acknowledge the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Breonna Taylor, Keith Scott, and so many others, as well as to acknowledge threats like those made to Christian Cooper.  We acknowledge the tremendous impact that these events, and the systemic racism that caused them, have had on the Black community and other communities of color.  Acknowledgement is necessary, but not sufficient, and we are eager to work together to make sure that we also act.

The love of rowing can be a meaningful common ground with the power to cut across all backgrounds.  We must also recognize that systemic racism and privilege exists in rowing, with roots in elitism, exclusivity, and unequal access.  The sport of rowing and this Club are best served by welcoming and reflecting all people, regardless of race, national origin, gender, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status.  We acknowledge, respect, and honor the work our members and others have been doing to identify and address systemic racism, marginalization, and oppression faced by communities of color.   

Recognizing that we sit at the intersection of a long history of exclusion and an urgent need for action, Station L is committed to identifying ways to increase diversity, inclusion, and equity within the sport of rowing and our Club.  For those looking to take immediate action, Station L strongly encourages members to volunteer their time or make a donation to Rose City Rowing Club’s outreach program directed at underserved communities.  All hours volunteered with RCRC’s outreach program will count towards a member’s volunteer hours with Station L.  Contact RCRC for more information or visit www.rosecityrowing.org/about/contacts.php.  Station L also encourages members to donate to other rowing organizations that address inequitable access to the sport.  Such organizations include RowNewYork (rownewyork.org); Chicago Community Rowing (www.rowchicago.com); Philadelphia City Rowing (philadelphiacityrowing.org); and RowLA (rowla.org).

In the coming weeks, the Board will be undertaking a review of Club policies and bylaws to identify exclusionary language or practices, as well as ways to address potential barriers to access.  Your input is welcome.  Please send your ideas to your team captains, who will compile feedback and share it with the Board.  We have members with lived experience of the effects of racism and other systems of oppression.  We have members who are actively working to promote justice and anti-racism.  It is by listening to the experiences of others with appreciation, open hearts and minds, and objectively evaluating our practices that we can maintain, expand, and reflect our core values.

For those looking to center voices from people and communities of color in rowing, we encourage members to visit the podcast, Rowing in Color (https://linktr.ee/rowingincolor).  Row New York has also developed a resource list (https://linktr.ee/rownewyork) for ways to act in solidarity with Black Lives Matter.  For those interested in connecting more with each other at Station L, team leadership has compiled a list of resources designed to help learn from each other, support one another, and keep acting together. Team captains will be hosting a presentation of those resources in the near future. 

The exclusionary history of rowing institutions will require dedicated focus and attention to ensure its past is not its future.  We believe strongly in the capability of our Station L community to pull together, bringing the benefit of experiences, thoughtfulness, and resources into making sure that people of color are able to better access this amazing sport and to feel safe, included, and respected in doing so.  We are committed to making both our Club and sport more inclusive and diverse.

Thank you for your support.

The Station L Board of Directors

Station L Rowing Club, in consultation with the other organizations at Portland Boathouse, is restarting member operations effective Thursday May 14. Members have received (many) emails with detailed instructions and safety rules. More to come.

Our operations are substantially changed–as we are rowing only in singles, and in limited numbers. Our club has access to over 55 single sculling boats.

Our Learn to Row classes will also be conducted in single person boats, which allows for greater social distance. Learn to Row classes are filled for 2020.