Dear VRA Family,
Spring Season 2019 Is ON!!
We cannot believe how fast this happened. It seemed like yesterday that we had another great State of the VRA in DC, and now the first race is already under our belts! Let’s go in chronological order:
February
State of the VRA was yet again successful and fun. With almost 100 “family members” in attendance, head coach Frank Biller reviewed the fall season and winter training, as well as provided a brief outlook to spring racing, followed by the ask to support VRA financially. In short: we are in a serious rebuilding year – no words to be minced; however, we expect to be competitive this spring. The team has adapted well to the numerous changes in training and it will show in the long term. We need to be patient though. The program is doing exceptionally well overall, however, we need your continued financial support. We must raise $12,000 per month between now and end of June. Please make a(nother) gift.
March
Our annual spring scrimmage at the end of training camp drew the usual participants Navy lights and Bucknell, as well as UNC. They all had training camp that week and the pieces were hard fought, energetic and exciting to watch. Nobody could touch Navy this year. VRA raced five eights, all of them trading pieces – sometimes by less than a seat!
Hobart Dual
Instead of another scrimmage, this year we held a full 2,000-meter dual race for shirts. Since most varsity programs do not run novice eights anymore, we took the best 24 guys and put them across three varsity eights (1V, 2V, 3V). The 3V had the best performance; never separated by more than a few seats, they took Hobart down in the last 150 meters to win their first shirts (of their lives!). The 1V and 2V started aggressively and holding their lead until the turn. Both fell a bit off the pace in the second half of the race – Hobart took the win in both races. Our hats (and shirts) go off to them! This format gave us great insight on improvements we have to make. In any event – we are on track.
New VRA Alumni Networking Initiative: VRA Connect
An idea that has been around for a while finally came to fruition thanks to ’18 alumni Chris Hastings and Stephen Hayes. Alumni and current team members have the opportunity to create a SAFE online profile and share some background information about themselves. The idea is not only to find mentors and mentees, but to connect alumni in general, especially for professional purposes. In Stephen’s words:
Chris Hastings and I developed an alumni/rower database site called VRA Connect and we invite you to sign up!
This site will grant registered rowing alumni access to a database full of alumni willing to offer advice about professional goals, rowing, or just general guidance in life. We have alumni around the world doing incredible things and this site will serve as a resource for current rowers to receive personal testimonies/advice regarding career paths they are interested in. By signing up, you are letting rowers know that they are welcome to contact you with a question and expect to hear a response (within a week or two, if possible). You might never be contacted, but your information alone could help a student who is dealing with a lot of uncertainty. The current rowers understand your contact information is sensitive and will not leave the team. We have discussed this site extensively with Frank Biller and he is really pushing for alumni to participate, as an exclusive alumni network will also serve as another recruiting tool for future novice classes.
Everyone can access the site’s homepage, but to view the alumni/rower database you need to create an account. Just click the “login page” and request an account. We will approve you ASAP (you will receive email confirm) and then you can login and create your profile!
We are still in the early stages of the site. I gathered some initial interest at State of the VRA but we need more profiles! We are trying to get a broad spectrum of alumni from different classes to participate. I’d really appreciate everyone taking a few minutes to update their profiles with succinct and informative responses.
From Tim McMullen (’18): Honoring Nick Marshall in Triathlon
On May 11, 2019, my friend Raoul and I will be competing in an Ironman triathlon in Sonoma County, California. Raoul is friend from high school who swam for a Division I program in college and who shares my enthusiasm for absurd soul-crushing feats of endurance athletics. The Ironman initially represented a next-level fitness goal for me to work towards now that I am no longer competing as an intercollegiate rower, but it has taken on a new significance in recent months. On one level, working towards a challenging fitness goal has sustained me through the frequent uncertainties of post-graduation life. On another level, my training has allowed me to reflect on my experiences on the rowing team and to remember certain teammates who best embody the values of Virginia Rowing.
In this respect, my thoughts have regularly turned to Nick Marshall. Although it has been a year since Nick’s passing, I am frequently reminded of Nick’s tenacious, friendly, and generous spirit. The same has been the case for my fellow 2018 alumni. As a result, I wondered if it would be possible to meaningfully and respectfully dedicate my race to Nick. I reached out to the Marshall family in January and have been in regular contact with Mrs. Marshall to exchange ideas about how to use this triathlon to best honor Nick. We would like to use the event to raise awareness for mental health among students. Nick grappled with depression by himself without asking for help, and the depth of his illness was ultimately masked by the success he achieved in every area of his life.
We hope this initiative will catalyze charitable giving to the Virginia Rowing Nick Marshall Fund to support a lasting team emphasis on mental health. Most importantly, we hope to respectfully commemorate Nick and his lasting contributions to the culture of Virginia Rowing.