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Sculling Updates – Station L

By 2014/05/11July 23rd, 2014No Comments

Hello scullers, both members and non-members.  Here is a quick update and reminder of the sculling program at Station L.  If you are not currently up to date on your membership, please join up.

LEVEL 4 Sculling

  • Starting Monday, May 12th Level 4 sculling will be starting with Sam Taylor as the coach
    • If you don’t know if you meet the requirements for Level 4 please talk to Peter or Brad.
    • Generally the Level 4 rowers have passed the 1x captain’s test, plan to race competitively, and looking for those little improvements to be more competitive.
  • Level 4 sculling meets at 5am on M/W until the Head of the Dog race.

LEVEL 3 Sculling

  • Level 3 sculling continues to meet on Friday @ 5am and Sunday at 7am.
    • If you don’t know if you meet the requirements for Level 3 please talk to Peter or Brad.
    • They can coordinate taking the 2x or 1x captain’s tests.  The goal is to have tests once a month.

Level 2 Sculling

  • There has been 1 Level 2 sculling class so far with a few folks passing the 2x captain’s test.
  • Keep an eye open for any future sculling classes.

Sculling Regattas

  • There are many regattas throughout the year some, here is the run-down for sculling regattas that Station L will be participating in.  Sign-up sheets for Regionals will be coming out shortly.
  • NW Masters Regionals – June 20th – 22nd
    • 3 day regatta, up to 4 events can be entered
    • Vancouver Lake hosts the race this year
    • Station L rows both sweep and sculling boats
  • Cascadian Masters Championships – July 18th – 20th
    • 3 day regatta, this year includes the Canadian Nationals
    • Burnaby Lake in Vancouver, BC
    • Station L rows both sweep and sculling, but looks at this as our primary sculling sprint race of the year.
  • Portland Ross Island Race – August 2nd
    • New regatta this year, race around Ross Island
    • Based out of Oaks Park
    • Race includes 1x & 2x, starts and ends at Oaks Park.  The race goes around Ross Island.
  • Other Head Races in the fall
    • Row for the Cure
    • Portland Fall Classic
    • Head of the Dog

 

Info Station L

Info Station L

Rowing has a long history in Portland, and competitive rowing was a popular local spectator sport in the 19th century. For several decades beginning in the 1930's there were no active rowing clubs in Portland, and Willamette River was deemed by many as too dirty for water sports. Station L Rowing Club was founded in 1972 by a group of former college rowers who were surprised to find a great setting for rowing on the newly cleaned up Willamette, but very few active rowers. At the club's 2008 gala and auction, a plaque was unveiled honoring the 28 founding members of Station L Rowing Club. The original boathouse was built on a used wood chip barge donated by Shaver Transportation. In early 1973, it was moored adjacent to Portland General Electric's Station L generating plant, the current home of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry [OMSI]. The moorage site is now occupied by the submarine USS Blueback, which is open for tours. In 1975, the boathouse structure and its contents burned in a fire. The boathouse was rebuilt and additional boats obtained. Into the 1980's, the boathouse operated as a cooperative between Lewis and Clark College, Reed College and Station L Rowing Club. Station L emphasized teaching rowing to the public and hundreds of Portlanders learned to row at the club. OMSI's acquisition of the PGE site in 1986 necessitated a move for Station L. Now estranged from the colleges, Station L moved the barge/boathouse to a moorage site near the Fremont Bridge at the beginning of 1987. New equipment was added and the club grew quickly. Competitive Station L crews became a regular sight at Northwest regattas. Lewis and Clark College Crew returned to the boathouse as a partner of Station L Rowing Club in 1989 in a deal brokered by then LC head coach Charlie Brown. A pump failure led to a temporary sinking of the barge soon after, which was raised using high capacity pumps. Under the leadership of Station L President Ian Townshend, the club began a search for a permanent home, as the Fremont location lacked permits and safe access. A home was found just 300 meters upstream, and Station L moved its barge again in 1994 to the Westar Electric site. Club membership grew to over 100, class offerings proliferated and the boathouse reached capacity with 5 8+'s, 6 4+'s and numerous small boats. In February 1996, a significant flood on the Willamette threatened Station L. The boathouse was saved by members who stayed aboard the barge nearly 24 hours a day for 3 days. However the flood left silt which settled in the moorage area around the barge. Extreme low water in October 1997 caused the barge to tip and fill with water, ending its 24 year history as the base for Station L's operations. Club boats were split between boathouses at Riverplace Marina and Oaks Park starting in 1998. In December 2004, Station L moved to the new Portland Boathouse on the eastbank of the Willamette River near the Hawthorne Bridge. The new boathouse is only about 500 meters north of the original 1973 Station L site.