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glrfcentral

Survey on Rowing Diversity Equity and Inclusion

By glrfcentral, in News,

USRowing is running a survey on retention and experiences/perspectives with regard to diversity and inclusion.
 
The survey is being run independently by Truclusion and all survey responses will be viewed by them and not USRowing. Truclusion will then provide a summary of the findings to USRowing with suggestions on how USRowing can become more diverse, inclusive, and sustainable.
 
You don't have to be a member of USRowing to take the survey!
 
Click this link to take the survey.
glrfcentral
By Brian Todd and John Olbrys
 
The United States is undergoing a marked shift in its political ideology as individual states enact a number of laws affecting both the LGBTQ+ community and the broader population.
 
Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” bill, more commonly referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, took effect on 01 July 2022. At least a dozen states proposed similar legislation: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
 
An 08 July 2022 article in the New York Times examines the explosive rise in book bans across the United States, mostly targeted at LGBTQ+-themed books. The article cites challenges and protests in New Jersey, Arkansas, Illinois, California, Virginia, and North Carolina. At least five states have passed laws that support removing books (that have received complaints) from libraries.
 
Bans on transgender youth sports participation are codified in eighteen states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas , Utah, and West Virginia.
 
These issues point to a geographic landscape that is becoming less and less friendly towards the LGBTQ+ rowers, coaches, and their families who travel to the biggest rowing venues around the East Coast, South, and Mid-West of the United States.
 
In response, the DC Strokes Rowing Club called for a boycott of the USRowing Masters Nationals Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota County, Florida due to the recently passed “Don’t Say Gay” law. They also implied that USRowing should avoid holding major national regattas, to include championships and trials events, in states with laws unfriendly to LGBTQ+ people to help guarantee their safety and comfort during these events. Boycotting or avoiding holding a regatta in one state, such as Florida, with anti-LGBTQ+ laws would necessitate corollary similar actions for all other states listed above. This would mean that USRowing would not host events in or on: Oakridge, TN; Chattanooga, TN; Harsha Lake, OH; Sarasota, FL; Oklahoma City, OK; and Austin, TX.
 
A multi-state boycott is a problem for a few reasons. First: USRowing would no longer hold races on the only purpose-built, World Rowing class A course in the country, Nathan Benderson Park. Second: the untenable position would alienate rowers in all those states affected by the boycott. Third, even as a boycott may steer money away from state coffers, it also deprives local LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ+ friendly organizations from revenue they might otherwise receive from the regatta-associated tourism. These businesses are on the front line in local communities, helping to support and promote LGBTQ+ visibility.
 
A boycott also hands the conservative agenda a victory by removing the presence of LGBTQ+ rowers and supportive rowing community allies at local regattas. It is our view that having a visible presence in a repressive cultural environment challenges people to confront their personal bias and hatred as they interact and discover that the LGBTQ+ rowing community and their allies are their friends, neighbors, and respected, valued members of the larger community.
 
As an international individual membership organization, the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation (GLRF) currently counts 1,747 members in 43 countries of which 1,012 members are located in the United States. Those members live in 46 states and the District of Columbia. While GLRF respects the right of every member to support the DC Strokes call for a boycott, we as an organization must reflect our broader membership by supporting the rowers where they row. Acceptance and inclusion are the most important issues that LGBTQ+ rowers face at clubs, programs, and at regattas. LGBTQ+ youth in particular needs visible examples of their futures selves at rowing venues across the country.
 
h_umpire

2022 Eurogames Rowing Event Nijmegen (NED)

By h_umpire, in News,

https://eurogames2022.eu/sports/rowing/

ROWING TOURNAMENT

The match will be a board to board race over a distance of 750 metres. One on one races according to a knock-out system; if you win, you progress to the next round, but if you lose, you are out of the tournament. There are two lanes for the match and a uprowing-area. Thursday 28 July 13:00-15:00 Time trials 750m all disciplines 15:30-17:00 Knock-out 1st round 750m all disciplines Friday 29 July 9:00-16:30 Knock-out 750m all disciplines Saturday 30 July 9:00-12:30 Knock-out 750m all disciplines 13:30-15:00 Finals 750m all disciplines 15:00-17:00 Open rowing event

​https://eurogames2022.eu/sports/rowing/
ROWING TOURNAMENT
The match will be a board to board race over a distance of 750 metres. One on one races according to a knock-out system; if you win, you progress to the next round, but if you lose, you are out of the tournament. There are two lanes for the match and a uprowing-area. Thursday 28 July 13:00-15:00 Time trials 750m all disciplines 15:30-17:00 Knock-out 1st round 750m all disciplines Friday 29 July 9:00-16:30 Knock-out 750m all disciplines Saturday 30 July 9:00-12:30 Knock-out 750m all disciplines 13:30-15:00 Finals 750m all disciplines 15:00-17:00 Open rowing event
glrfcentral

Eurogames 2022 Rowing Invitation

By glrfcentral, in News,

Dear rowing enthusiasts,
 
Hereby we would like to invite you, your association and fellow rowing enthusiasts to attend and participate in the EuroGames 2022 Love to Move in Nijmegen from 27 July to 30 July 2022.
 
The EuroGames are an annual inclusive sports event; the edition in Nijmegen offers 19 different sports and expects around 2,000 participants of all levels, from beginner to advanced, to attend. For more information on this amazing meeting between sport fans, please visit www.eurogames2022.eu. All athletes are welcome! The EuroGames are an outstanding example of an event for the LGBTQI+ community and is thoroughly supported by the European Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation in particular.

RV de Waal, RV De Drie Provinciën and NSRV Phocas will organize a regatta during the EuroGames 2022! This regatta will take place along the Spiegelwaal in Nijmegen on 28, 29 and 30 July 2022. The various races will be held over 750 meters at a beautiful location right next to the historical city centre of Nijmegen. You can find the tournament details, costs and schedule on www.eurogames2022.eu/sports/rowing.
 
We would be incredibly honoured and pleased to meet you and your fellow rowers in Nijmegen. Furthermore, numerous fun side events will be organised during the sports tournament. Prior to the EuroGames you might want to enjoy the festivities of/or take part in the 104th 4Days Marches, the world’s largest walking achievement event (www.4daagse.nl). Or you can travel to Amsterdam after the EuroGames, to attend the Pride Amsterdam from 30 July to 7 August (https://pride.amsterdam/).
To ensure a great event, we wish to invite as many rowers as possible from all over Europe. Will you help us to reach all the rowers we can? If so, please share this e-mail with as many rowers, umpires and others associated with rowing as you can.
 
You can register via the website and also find more information there. We will keep you informed.
 
Met vriendelijke groet,
With kind regards,
 
Céderique Ortmans,
Coordinator Rowing EuroGames 2022 Nijmegen

 
T: +31 6 53 40 40 31
E: rowing@eurogames2022.eu
W: www.eurogames2022.eu
glrfcentral

2021 Sin City Erg Cancelled

By glrfcentral, in News,

It’s time. We need to call it, and we’re not talking about the election. The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation has come to the conclusion that the 2021 Sin City Erg must be canceled. This decision was not taken lightly, and it is particularly difficult just as we were starting to create momentum for the Sin City Erg event. 2021 would have been our second year to run the competition and it is unique in that our erg competition, focused on lgbtq+ participation, includes men, women, and non-binary categories, and we offer both individual and team competition. A team category allows clubs to compete amongst each other (in 2x and 4x) as well as providing an opportunity for teammates to support their LGBTQ+ club members by participating in their squad or team.
 
We do plan to host 2022 Sin City Erg in Las Vegas, United States on 16 January 2022, and we encourage anyone interested in learning more about the event to subscribe to our email list for updates and announcements.
 
Although there is a set of decision making protocols published by various national rowing federations for rowing competitions, our concerns about the 2021 event began to develop with the publication of an article on 02 April 2020 in Science Magazine, suggesting that the coronavirus spreads through the aerosolization of the virus.
 
As rowers, we all know how hard we’re breathing when doing a piece on the erg. Then more news began to emerge about super spreader events at choral events where people are exhaling forcefully. Over the next few months, the media and the focus of the coronavirus spread turned away from touching infected surfaces to wearing masks to avoid catching or spreading the virus. The issue culminated with the American president, Donald Trump, contracting the virus, and no mention in any media article was made of him or anyone around him having contracted the virus from touching an infected surface or from touching their faces or eyes. To us, it doesn’t seem like an indoor rowing event is well suited in the current Covid-19 environment.
 
Certainly, clubs do have outdoor erg sessions, even before the emergence of the coronavirus. To safely host an outdoor rowing event, competitors would have to be spaced at least six feet apart, and given what we now know about the aerosolization of Covid-19, the ergs would have to be spread much further apart. A recent article in MSN News published on 13 October 2020 does support the possibility of hosting an outdoor event. However, an erg competition requires that all the rowing machines be wired together and to a computer. There is a minimum distance from the computer to the first rowing machine and also between the machines.
 
The competitive fervor of the event comes from the close side-by-side proximity of the competitors as well as the visual display of progress of the competitors in a racetrack-like display projected on a screen. It is difficult to project the race display indoors and to try to display the video outdoors would be extremely challenging.
 
If an outdoor rowing event is pursued, then there is the weather, either too hot or perhaps too rainy, which in both cases is probable in Las Vegas in January. Finally, there is the issue of masks which seem antithetical to rowing fast on an erg, and even if we could hold an event with masks, the burden of ensuring everyone, spectator and competitor, is wearing a mask [properly, over nose and mouth] makes the event extremely challenging, potentially a liability for GLRF, and turns the event from enthusiasm into unpleasant enforcement.
 
We held out hope that perhaps a vaccine would emerge that would allow the Sin City Erg to proceed but three media articles spread really cold water on that arousing hope:
a Marketwatch interview on 01 August 2020 with Dr. Michael Osterholm, epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, who states that the virus will be around for our lifetime and that effective vaccines are a long ways off.
a Politico article published on 25 September 2020 that predicts how the Pandemic will finally end, suggesting that a return to normal will take place around November 2021.
a Wall Street Journal interview published on 07 September 2020 with the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, who projected that workers could return to work around six months after a vaccine had been distributed. His statement implies when corporations will feel comfortable having people congregate closely, something that is a fundamental part of an erg event.

We also have subscriptions to daily email updates from the New York Times Coronavirus Briefing and the Los Angeles Times Coronavirus Today. The news in the past few weeks has been extremely discouraging as the rate of new infections has risen at an alarming rate. Two recent media articles about the rise of the infections helped cement our decision to cancel:
a MSN News Intelligencer opinion article dated 12 October 2020 that predicts “a fall and winter could make the cornonavirus not just more infectious but more lethal likely…”
a Wall Street Journal article dated 15 October 2020 that looks at why Covid-19 is spreading again, and points to an issue the LGBTQ+ community can totally relate: being safe fatigue.

Finally, we found this Motley Fool article dated 06 October 2020 that paints a bleak picture of how Clark County and the City of Las Vegas are embracing a virus-safe environment.
 
All of these factors point to the possibility of infections among spectators, volunteers, and participants. For us, even one infection is too many.
glrfcentral

Eurogames 2020 Postponed

By glrfcentral, in News,

As most rowers are aware, a cascade of rowing regatta cancellations has occurred in the past 30 days around the world.
 
GLRF has been monitoring the Eurogames 2020 website for any updates. On 16 April 2020, the Eurogames 2020 organization announced the postponment of the event with no proposed or published future date. If you read the news announcement, it implies that the Eurogames 2020 organizing committee is hoping to bump their event into 2021, thereby pushing future Eurogames events further out.
 
Of equal importance is the legal terms of the status of the event: postponed and not cancelled. This affects any athlete who has registered and paid. In effect, it delays or prevents the automatic issuance of refunds. The language of the Eurogames 2020 announcement about refunds appears bewildering. They state that while the event is in the postponment status, there is no effect [change] on potential refunds. However, if you read their earlier news post, Eurogames 2020 did change the terms and conditions such that the regular cancellation deadline has been moved back to 30 June 2020.
 
Still confused? If we are correctly connecting the dots, an athlete who has registered may request a cancellation refund, if they want, between now and 30 June 2020. Reading the Terms section of the website, section 7, Cancellation Policy:
if you cancel by 30 June 2020, you get a 50% refund of the 'participation fee' which is Euro 80 for EGLSF members and Euro 100 for non-EGLSF members. The terms do not address the sports fee, which for rowing is Euro 20. The terms seem to imply that sports fees, similar to purchased tickets, are non-refundable.
if you cancel after 30 June 2020, you can get a 50% refund but only if you provide proof of illness.
if the event is cancelled by Eurogames 2020 organizers, a refund of at least 70% of all fees will be made (implying that the refund could be more, and since they say "all fees," that might include the sports fees.)

Obviously, an event cancellation means a huge loss of income to Eurogames 2020 and that explains their deliberate use of the term postponment. This is no different than the San Diego Crew Classic which canceled their event this spring. In the Crew Classic email that was sent to vendors, they asked vendors to forego a refund and receive a 50% discount on a vendor booth for 2021. The Crew Classic organizing committee, while not sharing the actual financials, implied in their email that the event cancellation would have a massive financial impact on their organization and their ability to host the event going forward.
glrfcentral

Announcing Our First Partnership Rowing Travel Tour

By glrfcentral, in News,

The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation is very excited to announce our partnership with Rowing The World.  This rowing travel company specializes in trips for rowers in many destinations around the world.  Because many gay and lesbian (LGBTQ+) travelers enjoy an opportunity to travel with like-minded members of their community, we thought it would be brilliant to create an LGBTQ+ focused rowing tour. 
 
The Rowing The World tours are full package vacations (holidays).  The first LGBTQ+-focused trip will be magical Lago Maggiore in northern Italy, with a 7-day rowing tour beginning 27 September 2020. http://lgbtrowingtour.glrf.info  Everyone is welcome to enjoy the trip.  You certainly do not have to be a member of the Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation.  However, one of the benefits of our partnership with Rowing The World is a CDN$100 discount for GLRF OnTheWater members for the trip.
 
Although GLRF OnTheWater members do receive a tour discount, there are no revenue sharing arrangements with Rowing The World. All participants, including GLRF staff, pay the same tour price. For GLRF, the partnership creates an additional benefit for its members, to enjoy rowing in a recreational format with a community-focused environment. Note that Rowing The World offers a further discount if five or more members join the tour from one club.  
 
If you or any of your club members have any questions, please contact Rowing The World at https://rowingtheworld.com/contact/  and you can also use this link to sign up for their general email list.
 
Here is a link to the poster promoting the rowing tour.  We hope you will post it at your club or forward it along to your members.
 
Ciao!
 
glrfcentral
This just in from Marlene Royle!
The 2018-2019 Florida Rowing Center Season's online registration is now open.
 
Opening day: Friday, 21 December 2018
Closing day: Sunday, 28 April 2019
Click here to register for your session.
****
Work with our top notch coaching staff to raise your sculling to the next level.
Read about the Florida Rowing Center's Professional Coaching Staff.
Tuition includes:coaching, videotaping with critique, use of Florida Rowing Center's equipment for the on-water sessions daily hot breakfast with the coaches and other students a Florida Rowing Center T-shirt. A 10% discount is applied if booked one month in advance. We also offer group rates.
For program questions please email: info@floridarowingcenter.com
211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast PO Box 3588 Lantana, FL 33465
glrfcentral

GLRF hosts booth at 2017 World Champs

By glrfcentral, in News,

The Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation hosted a booth at the 2017 World Rowing Championships, 23 September – 01 October 2017. This was the first time GLRF has hosted a booth at a world championship elite event. Examples of elite events would be Junior, Under23, and Senior championships, as well as the Olympics. In non-Olympic years, the World Championships features 21 boat classes. The event spans nine days, with the first day officially counted as the Opening Ceremony, and the competition then follows for the next eight days. To be present for 9 days would have been too costly, so GLRF hosted a vendor booth on the final Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of competition, 29 Sep – 01 Oct 2017.
 
Sixty nine countries (yes, we know …) brought teams to compete at the event. Although this was the first GLRF experience at a World Championship event, it appeared to go well beyond a high-profile regatta - more like a festival or regional fair. The number of food and non-food vendors, beyond rowing, was amazing. The vendors would change every day, and many folks had nothing to do with rowing. This is understandable in that Sarasota County wanted to involve as many local businesses and residents as they showcased the new rowing venue to world.
 
Built specifically as a world championship rowing venue, the Nathan Benderson Park rowing facility is the first new rowing venue in North America since the Long Beach Marine stadium was built for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The venue was built specifically to World Rowing specifications, with 8 competition lanes, and separate warm up and cool down areas, separated by an embankment.
 
On the first day, the GLRF booth was located in what we described as the Family Fun area. Although there were people and rowers walking by, we really didn’t have the visibility we wanted. The booth was behind the grandstands and all we could do was listen to the screams and cheers. With the encouragement and initiative of the GLRF booth neighbor, Strokeside Designs, we both moved our booth locations to empty booth locations directly in view of the rowing course, and viewing tents. Located exactly at the 1750m. mark, the GLRF booth was perfect to watch the final sprints of some spectacular races. View the booth pics here.
 
The reception by World Rowing and the regatta committee towards was absolutely professional. We wondered what the reaction might be from the local community and/or the coaches and the athletes. The former were super friendly, and the latter, mostly uninterested. The fact that athletes didn’t mob the GLRF booth isn’t a surprise. Most come to race, and leave. Some coaches studied the booth, and a couple of the coaching staff stopped in for a shirt or two. Even so, having the opportunity to be visible to countless athletes and their coaching and national staff entourage was worthwhile.
 
The weather in Sarasota was incredibly hot and on some days, unbelievably humid (muggy). A few entries dropped out from the heat. Yes, it rained. The highlight of the event was the opportunity to step out of the booth and talk to the athletes. All of them seemed very accessible and very nonchalant about their elite status.

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Gay + Lesbian Rowing Federation (GLRF) overview

GLRF is a worldwide online inclusive community for LGBTQ+ outdoor and indoor rowers, coxies, coaches, and race officials, active and inactive. We create connections at the local, regional, national, and international level.


Connect with 1798 members in 45 countries.

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rowing@glrf.info

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