Saturday 4 February was the first day on the water for the new class of scullers! It was a gorgeous day and everyone went home exhilarated - and tired. Special shout-out to the volunteers for making the day awesome!

Enjoy an unforgettably fun, plentiful and mouth-watering dinner of lobster, shrimp, sausage and vegetables. Help support Delta Sculling Center, which promotes the inclusive sport of sculling to military veterans, those with physical and cognitive challenges, as well as able-bodied participants. Join the fun on June 24th at the American Legion Hall in Lodi; social hour begins at 4:30, and dinner is at 6. Tickets ($100) to this fundraiser are limited and sold out in 2016; get yours at Eventzilla (http://bit.ly/2i3hRUh),www.deltasculling.org, or call Theresa at 209-608-2301.

​Kurt Johnson competed in his first sprint races at the River City Rebellion hosted by the River City Rowing Club in West Sacramento on July 10th. He was accompanied by Coaches Pat Tirone and Bob Oprandy and assisted by Bob Lee. Bob O also sculled in all three rounds of the regatta, in which singles and doubles compete against one another. Kurt and Bob managed to race successfully through the turbulent water in the center of the course, called “the washing machine” by RCRC members, and later enjoyed the post-regatta BBQ to refuel within a half hour of their last race, one of the tips shared by Sarah Koszyk at the Sports Nutrition talk in Stockton the day before. 

​Ultra-runner and dietitian/nutritionist Sarah Koszyk, M.A., RDN, gave an excellent presentation to 22 DSC scullers on July 9th. Chock full of ideas about pre-, during and post-workout fueling and hydration, Sarah offered tips about food combining of use to all who attended. She had well-informed answers to a host of questions, and many in the audience have already begun changing their eating habits as a result of what they learned from Sarah. Thanks to Dorbea Cary and DSC’s Events Committee for arranging this special event.  

DSC was well represented at this year’s Gold Rush Masters Regatta at Lake Natoma. All four events generated much excitement. Bob Oprandy waited his turn at the starting line till the other five older racers were off, and with a strong push in the second half he passed three of his competitors. In his first non-novice race, Bob Lee bested Bob O’s time by quite a bit in a later race, finishing behind three of the fastest Masters scullers in his age category in the U.S.! In a Women’s Novice 1x race, only 5.6 seconds separated all four entrants and Linda Payne, in her first race ever, finished less than 2 seconds behind the winner and just ahead of Shari Lowen, former DSC Board member who finished in third place. Rebecca Abreu would have been right in the mix if an equipment failure hadn’t forced her out of the race, but she later sculled alongside Rachel Tappero in the TA (Trunk and Arms) race. Mario Gonzales raced in a 2x with Renaldo Abreu in bow in the LTA category, finishing in 5:35. Rachel and Mario continue to be para rowing pioneers in Central California regattas. A host of DSC volunteers helped make the day a great success. 

What an amazing day it was at the Gold Rush Regatta at Lake Natoma on May 10th! At the forefront were two Delta Sculling Center athletes, R. and Valdez, who finally rowed in their first regatta. The drama began at the dock they were about to launch from when it was announced that their race might be cancelled because of the 16-17 mile-an-hour winds and even stronger gusts that whipped up the water. Many elite single rowers were giving accounts of how challenging it was to row on the choppy lake and threatening to “scratch” in their own events. After those agonizing moments of uncertainty, Coach Pat Tirone in consultation with launch driver Toby Johnson and Regatta Organizer DeDe Birch decided to give it a try, fully understanding that they may have to abort the event if the winds proved too difficult. The race was on and adaptive scullers R. and Valdez rowed strongly down their lanes. The cheers from those on the shore were an indication of how historic an event this was at the annual Gold Rush Regatta, perhaps the first time adaptive single scullers raced in California’s Central Valley.

While R. and Valdez were at the forefront, those behind the scenes insured that the event could take place. Duke, his wife Denise and Bob L. were incredible at helping to get the boats and all the equipment loaded at the boathouse in Stockton the evening before the regatta, going over Coach Pat’s detailed list of items needed for the race. Pat and husband Bob arrived for the coaches’ meeting at 7 a.m. and to ready boats and oars for the scullers. A couple of hours later Duke, Denise, and Bob L. arrived at the lake and unloaded more equipment. After R. and Valdez and friends and family members arrived, volunteers Andre, Jeanine, Angela, Anne and Theresa showed up to lend their hands to launch the scullers. Bob L. and Andre, who had both rowed in sweep boats in prior regattas, sculled for the first time in a regatta that windy day, providing solid pacing and competition for Richard and Valdez.

Not to be forgotten was the incredible support of regatta organizer DeDe Birch, starter Eric Weir, the regatta launch drivers (including Toby Johnson), and the Sac State Aquatic Center under Brian Dulgar’s direction. They not only allowed adaptive scullers to participate in this year’s Gold Rush but also provided two single sculls and oars for Bob L. and Andre to race alongside Valdez and Richard, respectively.

Finally, Carol Coddington & Linda Acton, volunteer assistant coaches and Coach Steve Mayo provided many months of dedicated commitment to help ready R. and Valdez for this first regatta.  Always at practice without fail, always providing encouragement, support and challenge, these folks traveled the long road with our athletes to their first regatta.  Never has the saying about “It takes a village…” been more appropriate than on that windy day in May!