Join the Crew Club for burgers @ Brion's!

As many of you may be aware, Brion's Grill at University Mall offers a special on Tuesday evenings-- half off all burgers after 6 pm. Last semester, the Crew Club began informally attending as a team, to bolster our bodies with some of that good, American, muscle-building grease. If you are a) looking to get to know our team better, b) interested in rowing, c) poor, or d) all of the above, feel free to join us! We usually meet at Brion's at around 7:30; it's a quick walk from campus if you don't have a car. There is always at least a handful of club members there every Tuesday of the semester, and this is an excellent opportunity to learn more about our sport and our team outside of practice. Be there!

Welcome Back!

As the summer months come to an end, the Mason Crew Club would like to welcome you to the 2010-2011 academic year. We hope your summer went well and your semester kicks off to a great start. As always, the club is continuously looking to make the upcoming semester more successful than the last and introduce new members to our sport. With that, there are a number of events going on during the first few weeks of school which will allow students to get an idea of what the crew club is all about.

Look for crew club members as they assist students with move-in on Thursday 8/26, Friday 8/27, and Saturday 8/29. Come talk to us at the Welcome Week Connection Carnival/Organization Fair on Wednesday 9/1 from 11AM-3PM on the Johnson Center North Plaza. We will also be at the "Taste of Fitness" activities expo in the Aquatic and Fitness Center and Recreation and Athletic Complex from 5-8PM on Wednesday 9/1 and Thursday 9/2. In addition, we will conduct two interest meetings: Wednesday 9/8 at 2PM and Thursday 9/9 at 2PM, both in the Field House Racquet Ball Court #4. We look forward to meeting prospective rowers and coxswains!

Activities Summary 2009-2010

The George Mason University Crew Club's 2009-2010 Season had all the characteristics of a successful one. The crew club was able to compete at a noteworthy 11 regattas, while rowing to 13 first place finishes and 8 second place finishes. Club practices were held on the Occoquan Reservoir four days each week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 2-4PM, and Saturday 9-11AM. After taking 1st at the Head of the Occoquan in the fall, the club returned to the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, where the varsity 8+ raced past 31 crews to place 15th of 46 crews in the Club 8+ Event. In addition, the club traveled to the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) National Championship Regatta in Oklahoma City this spring, where the club made it to the grand final for the second year in a row, this time in the Heavyweight Varsity 4+ event. Mason posted the 4th fastest time in the trials, rowing away from Alabama, University of Michigan and the U.S. Military Academy before posting the 2nd fastest time overall in semifinals, on the path to the grand final. Spring 2010 also marked the GMU Crew Club’s first year participating in various homecoming activities and competitions which presented an opportunity to win monetary prizes, valuable promotional exposure and have fun in the process. Club members participated and took 1st place in a lip syncing contest, outperforming various Greek, sports and other student organizations on their way to a 2nd place overall finish in the 2010 “Unmasque your spirit” team homecoming competition. The 2009-2010 crew seasons presented a challenge which was more than met by the Mason Crew Club. As the fall season draws near, the club continues to actively recruit new members for the 2010-2011 seasons and spread throughout the George Mason University community, the camaraderie, determination and dependability that go concurrently with the sport of rowing.

2010 Dad Vail

The Mason Crew Club's Varsity 8+, our top boat, raced in the 75th Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia on Friday, May 7. The Dad Vail is the largest collegiate regatta in the United States. In a heat against Grand Valley, Marietta, Ohio State, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and Rollins Mason took 4th place, sending them to reps, from which only the top 2 boats out of 6 advance to semifinals. Unfortunately, Mason was edged out by the University of Florida by just over 1 second, and had to settle for 3rd. Despite the narrow loss, our varsity 8+ rowed one of their finest races this year, and we are extremely proud of the work they have done. This marked the end of the 2010 spring season for most of Masons rowers and coxswains. A handful, however, will continue to train over the next 2 weeks for the American Collegiate Rowing Association's Nationals in Oklahoma on May 24, where Mason has entered a varsity 4+ and a varsity pair. Good luck to all those who will be traveling to Oklahoma!

Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships

The Mason Crew Club hosted the 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships on Sunday, May 2 at Sandy Run. Enduring unseasonably high temperatures, our boats proved their skill against several schools from the Mid-Atlantic area. In the varsity pair race, Mason's B pair finished 2nd overall with a time of 8:19.15. The A pair finished 4th with a time of 8:25.9. In the JV 8+ race Mason came up from behind in the first 1,000 meters to take 2nd with a time of 7:09.26. Finally, the men's varsity 8+ rowed a spectacular race against long-time rival Loyola, beating them for 1st by a boatlength with a time of 6:25.7. This was the first time in 5 years that Mason has taken the championship away from Loyola. Congratulations to all Mason rowers and a special thank you to all volunteers who helped make this regatta a success.

Alumni Regatta

The Mason Crew Club hosted our annual Alumni Regatta and picnic this morning, April 25th, 2010. A possibly record-setting 11 former Mason oarsman and 1 coxswain turned out to relive their past glory on the Occoquan. One 1k, one 500, a few power ten's and a lot of trash-talking later the three Mason 8's on the water once again agreed to peace terms and racked their boats. Immediately following this spectacle were the senior recognitions by both the mens' and womens' teams. Special thanks to everyone who donated food for the picnic and also to all the alumni who made this morning so enjoyable! Our last home regatta of the season will be the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships next Sunday, May 2, at Sandy Run Regional Park (see below if you are interested/know someone interested in volunteering).

Volunteers Needed for Mid-Atlantics

The Mason Crew Club will be hosting the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships, our last home regatta of the season, on Sunday, May 2 at Sandy Run Regional Park. This is a fairly large regatta and requires a number of helping hands to ensure that it goes smoothly. We need volunteers for the following jobs:
-Launch Drivers
-Dock Masters
-Medal Distributors
-Marshals
-Shirt Sales
-Concessions
Excepting launch drivers and marshals, all of the above duties require no rowing knowledge or nautical skills. Volunteers will need to be at the park by 8:00 am; races should be over by 2:30 pm. Free parking and lunch will be provided. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact President Danny Lewis at dlewisd@gmu.edu or Head Coach Bob Spousta at rspousta@gmu.edu.
For those with Facebook, an event page has been made for the regatta. It can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=108725082500320&ref=ts

Come out and get involved in the collegiate rowing community!