Masters Sculling: Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 5:30 - 7am. Limit 8. Contact Linas Alinskas ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). PROGRAM DESCRIPTION. : Program start May 1st (Wed).  Coached by Jack Frackleton until May 20th, when Colleen Irby will coach.  Cost is $175/6 weeks. This is in addition to base membership ($125) and Logbook Sculling ($250)

See the links on the left (PROGRAMS AND FEES) for Masters Sweep, Learn to Sweep, Learn to Scull and Junior Sweep Camp.

Plus our competitive Open Sweep is also looking for serious sweep rowers.

Any questions: email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

FULL: Advanced Sculling: Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 - 7am. Limit 6. contact Karen Scammell to sign up.  Coached by Jack Frackleton. 

Colleen Irby of Andover, MA, was a Division I rower at the University of Texas for four years. Coached by Carie Graves, she helped the Longhorns win Big XII Conference Championships in 2009 and 2010. In 2008, she attended a U-23 Development in Boston and competed in a double. Last year, Colleen was a volunteer coach at MIT, assisting the open-weight women. She was chosen for the Joy of Sculling Apprenticeship program, which allowed her mentorship opportunities with Volker Nolte, Al Morrow, and others this winter. Currently, Colleen is the Varsity Assistant Coach at Smith College, where she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Studies.  

               Jack    

Jack Frackleton began rowing at UMass Amherst, where he sat in stroke seat of the heavyweight eight all four years. In his sophomore through senior years, he led his crews to a JV gold medal (1979), a varsity gold medal (1980), and a varsity bronze (1981) at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, PA.

After graduation, Jack switched from sweep rowing to sculling. In 1982, he made the National Rowing Team for the first time (in the quadruple sculls), and subsequently made the team three more times throughout the 1980s, finishing off his racing career sitting in two-seat of the quad at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.

  ****

Starting this year, the MRRA Logbook has gone paperless.  When you arrive at the boathouse to row, look for the magic electric box otherwise known as the laptop computer at the MRRA desk. Login, choose your boat and your crew, and go row.  When you return from your row, login and close out your rowing event.   It's fast and easy, and just like those commercials with the cute kids, Faster is Better.

The new Logbook means better data quality for the Equipment Committee,  the ability to make boat reservations away from the boathouse, and a consolidated view of everyone on the water on one simple screen.  Best of all, we no longer need to try and read your handwriting.

The Logbook is permanently located here:  http://logbook.merrimackrowing.org

TRY IT OUT:  Up until Tuesday night at the next MRRA meeting, the Logbook is in a test mode that lets you login and row a boat from anywhere, or make a reservation.  Certain features are limited for now, but please feel free to give it a try;  we'll clear out the test data sometime next week.

Learn more about the MRRA Logbook by clicking on "MRRA Logbook How-To" in the Members Menu.   You must be logged into the website to access the articles.

Please plan to attend the April meeting.    Safety video will be shown around 6:20pm.  Meeting starts at 7pm.  Primary agenda item is to approve the budget for 2013.  See the presentation under the March meeting minutes and be prepared, since this will not be reveiwed again.   Other items as needed. 

We hope to show the safety video beforehand at 6:30 - stay tuned for confirmation of that. 

Location for this meeting only: Innovation Academy Charter School

72 Tyng Road, Tyngsboro (off Rte 3A, road along river on Chelmsford side).  Upriver from rocks and downriver from 3rd power lines.  Go to Middle School lobby and look for sign directing us to a room.

Agenda will include:

* Merrimack River Watershed - request for additional support; overview of their activities

*  Committee updates - Membership/Programs , Equipment, Safety

* other agenda items as required

To find these documents, go to Members Menu -> MRRA Committees -> Board Documents

item #3 Annual Meeting Dec 2012

Please Log In as a member to view the ballot and rules for absentee voting. 

Annual Meeting is Tues Dec 11th at Aprile's European, North Chelsmford MA.

cocktails at 6:30pm;  meeting to start at 7pm

Please see attached flyer on the location and time of the annual meeting:  MRRA Annual Meeting flyer

Aprile's European, North Chelmsford

Cocktails at 6:30pm  (first drink on the MRRA!)

Business meeting at 7pm

Social hour to follow

** Special Incentive -- we will be raffling off Two base MRRA memberships ($125) ;  Must be present to win !

Thank you to the approx 25 people who helped on Sat Nov 10th at the Boatwash and Boathouse cleanup (and special shout out to Roland for doing fabulous prep work so all groups were kept busy and tasks got done in record time). The  boathouse and grounds look excellent, the boats are inventoried and clean and all is put away for the winter.

Docks come out Tues Nov 13th. 

Monthly Meeting Tues Nov 13th at 7pm at the boathouse conference room. Agenda has been circulated to membership.  Key is nominations for offices and timeline for abentee voting. 

Annual Meeting and Elections Tues Dec 11th at 7pm (may change start time to 6:30pm) at Aprile's European in North Chelmsford (the old Bainbridges).  Key agenda items are election of officers and review of 2012 rowing season. 

As a special incentive for attendance for a quorum, in addition to 1 free drink and cocktail food, there will be a raffle of 2 MRRA memberships ($125 value)- must be present to win!

Bellegarde Boathouse Smackdown Saturday November 3rd at 8am

Here is the way this works:  UML, LHS, MRRA and some other programs along our river (Westford, Independence, maybe some from Greater Lawrence) are invited to put together boats to compete in a 20K race. So plan on rowing your own boat, a club boat, or put together a double or a quad or a sweep boat and put this into the reservation book.  For sweep boats, you will need to coordinate with UML and LHS to find out what boats are available for us to use this day.

Plan to be at the Finish Line of the 2K/TRR course no later than 8am on Saturday November 3rd.  Race up river to and around the Tyngsboro bridge and back to the boathouse. Finish line is the boathouse.

Plan to bring something for the potluck breakfast at the boathouse afterwards.  This has been a great time in the past few years and tremendous fun to see all those boats stretched out along the river. 

Questions:  email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Docks Removed and Boat Wash Saturday November 10th at 8-9am. 

 Please keep in mind that the date for pulling the docks might change if it looks like the weather is turning and snow is forecasted, we might send out an SOS looking for volunteers to help with pulling docks before this date.  All members are expected to help this day with the docks or boatwash / boat bay cleaning.  We want to leave things nice and tidy over the winter!!

All details are on the TRR website at  http://www.textileriverregatta.org/2012/ 

The event this year has more competitors than ever - more parking, more volunteers and more fun for all.  We look forward to see you on the Merrimack River on Sunday September 30, 2012

The MRRA sent over a dozen rowers to Masters Nationals this week down on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester - Thursday August 9th through through Sunday 12th. 

Check the final results over at USRowing.

See some pictures from Thursday morning.

Congratulations to the MRRA Open Sweep (fondly referred to as the Thoroughbreds) for winning Gold in the 2- and 4- and also Bronze in the 4+.  Commentary from Mike below, and link to their blog

4- ::  We were neck and neck the whole way down the course with the USRowing Dev Camp Wisconsin boat, and the rest of the field was not far behind. In the final strokes we put together a sprint to take gold. The racing was tight in the heats too, we had to fight our way out of the straight 4 heat to make it into the final after a bad start. We all agreed the 4- heat and final were the best races we've ever been in.

Junior Sweep Camp for rising High School age students starts June 26th.  if you have trouble registering on the website, please just go to the boathouse at 7:45am to register. The program runs from 8am to 10am Tues - Wed - Thurs each week.  No rowing week of July 2nd.  contact Denise Bergeron for more info at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

1.  Coach Dave D will be running two FREE sessions for any current member and prior Learn To Scull member to get you Back On The Water.  He will be there to help you remember how to bring the boat down, put the oars in and get back to rowing!!  We warmly welcome former members to take advantage of either/both of these classes to get the confidence to rejoin the MRRA.

Saturday May 26 from 8am to 9:30am

Tuesday May 29th from 6pm to 7:30pm

2.  CPR /1st aid class - scheduled for Saturday June 9th. From 9am to 4pm at the UML Rec Center.  Cost to members is $36.  Need a few more members to run this class. RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Thursday May 17th. 

3.  Learn to Row Day:  need volunteers in the 11am - 2pm time slots. Volunteer for one hour or two. This is held together wtih UML kayak center and called Water Sports Day.  need to have 5 people on-hand when this is being run. 

The MRRA Masters Sweep program will start up on Monday afternoon, May 7th at 5:30pm.   We will run Mondays/Wednesdays at that time for 8 weeks and a total of 16 sessions.   Coach Dan Hershey will guide us for the first week or two, then Coach James Gilchrest will take over for the duration of the season into the fall.   Boat class is yet to be determined;  we'll know better after we see how many have signed up.   Ideally, we'll have sufficient numbers to run an 8 and a 4+, and we also have a 2- available for the program.

The MSWEEP season is broken into three programs, each costs $160 for 16 sessions.

Here's how to sign up for "MSWEEP":

• If you are a returning member from last year, log in to your MRRA account, go to My Membership, then "choices" and choose "MSWEEP1".   You can optionally sign up for MSWEEP2 and MSWEEP3 if you know you want to be part of all three programs this season, but you don't need to pay for all three at once.
• If you are not yet a member, create a Membership Application.   After you submit your application, you can then login to your account and make your program choices.
• NOTE:  You must be a member to be part of MSWEEP, so when making your choices, be sure to choose "MEMBERSHIP" in addition to MSWEEP1.
• NOTE:  If you are eligible to scull with the MRRA (you have passed the boat captain's test), you are eligible to sign up for "off peak sculling" for $100 which allows you to take out singles and doubles during off-peak hours.   Choose the "LOGBOOKOS" option for $100.  (For unrestricted sculling, you can choose the standard LOGBOOK program for $250).

Finally, complete your paperwork.   Bring a check and your paperwork to the first session on Monday May 7th, and do your administrator a favor by enclosing all of your paperwork in a single envelope with your name on it.  Checks should be made out to "MRRA".   At minimum, you will need to e-sign your membership application online, have a valid Swim Certificate on file, and complete the UML boathouse application.  For the complete list of required paperwork, visit the "billing" tab from My Membership.

Visit the MRRA Masters Sweep web page for more information.  If you have any questions, please write to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

See you on the 7th at the boathouse at 5:30pm sharp.  

Please see the link to pictures of some quick-dry fabric shirts being sold by the Social Committee with MRRA logos on them.  See example MRRA shirts

1. Long Sleeve Silver (or White). Mens sizes but suitable for women, too (just remember are Mens sizes).  XS through XXL  selling for $18
2. Short sleeve Mens Tropic Blue (MRRA teal)  sizes S - XXL  selling for $16.00
3. Short sleeve Womens cut Lagoon Blue (MRRA teal) or Dayglo Green  sizes S - XL  $28.00 (is a better quality fabric than Mens above).  selling for $28.00
4. Nike Dry Cap - beige color;  deep for large heads and adjustable band.  does have the baseball cap button on the top.  cost is $25
5. MRRA bumper stickers $2 example MRRA bumper sticker

to order, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ;  or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

An order will be placed in a few weeks, once folks have had a chance to consider this.  We have sample sizes available to try, just email Stephanie above to set up a time to see them. We will also have these at the April meeting. 

thank you!

The Social Committee

The Merrimac River Rowing Association is offering two (2) $250 scholarships to class of 2013 graduating high school seniors who have supported and/or participated in rowing programs at the Bellegarde Boathouse. The scholarship award also includes a fee waived summer student membership in the MRRA for the upcoming season.

Download the PDF for more information and a copy of the Application.

MRRA men’s pair, Mike Poreba and Rich Connell, did an outstanding job at the Pan Am Trials.

They had an extremely good showing at the Trials, starting off a bit slow in the heats and gathering tremendous momentum as the Trials progressed.  They posted the fastest time in the reps while also posting their best time yet of 6: 49.

In the finals race, which was streamed live, Oklahoma City Training Center boat shot out in the lead and the guys fought it out with the OKCTC B for second place.  While OKCTC A stayed in the lead, our guys fought bravely as it turned into a 3 boat brawl for second place.  In the end, our guys finished fourth, having posted yet another personal best time of 6:47!

These guys truly represented MRRA well and deserve recognition for their outstanding job.  And as Vee said, "I couldn’t be more proud to be called their coach!"

Go to usrowing.org for all of the results, etc.

During this month, the MRRA is starting up several different rowing programs for all skill levels - and there are still seats available.

• Learn To Scull - the June program has started, but there are still openings in the July program.  No experience required - you'll be introduced to the art of sculling using our fleet of stable boats and receive professional coaching to advance your skills as far as you like. 
• Learn To Sweep - for the more team-oriented person, you'll learn to row the "big boats" - fours and eights - with professional coaching to teach you the basics and advance your skills during this six week program.  No experience necessary.  If you're a college or high school coxswain and want to hone your boat management skills, this would be an excellent way to stay engaged with the sport before you start back up in the fall.  Starts June 20th.
• Masters Sweep - for the rower with previous experience, this sweep program is open to anyone 18 or older.   Perhaps you rowed in college, or you've graduated but want to stay engaged in the sport.  In this program, we'll be doing more drills and longer pieces, providing a team atmosphere that is more focused on boat speed.  Depending on the turnout, we may train one or two boats for some racing in the early fall.  Starts June 20th.
• Open Sweep - the competitive MRRA sweep boats are pretty full at this point.   But if you're a collegiate or masters rower and want to keep the level of your competitive training high, contact us to see if there may be short-term openings, or it's possible a new boat will be forming.

One way or another, if you want to row and live in the Lowell, MA area, the MRRA has a program for you.  Visit the program pages linked above for more information, or write to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions.

To register for any program, login with your account, go to My Membership and update your program Choices.