Essendon RC

ERC President's Update - February 2025 Dear ERC Members, What an incredible season we are having! As we approach the end of the season, I'm thrilled to see the success we have achieved so far, and I have no doubt it will continue. We are currently leading the RV Champion Club Premiership and RV Grade Premiership, with several of our rowers ranking high in various individual RV award standings. Rowing Update We have had a strong contingent of rowers from all corners of the club attend regattas across the state this season, and particularly in the last month. Our shed has been almost empty of boats near on every weekend! We had a huge contingent of rowers attend the MRA Rutherglen Regattas, which saw us take out the Red Gum Shield... again... again...  This shield is given to the most successful club at the regatta, which we have been three years in a row.  Following Rutherglen we have had successful regattas at the Ballarat Small Boats Regatta, the Victorian Beach Spring Series, Barwon Regatta and Ballarat Regattas! It's a busy time for those racing, especially with some of those members (and others) having a crack at Victorian State Team Trials and our internal ergo tests as well!  We will be having a Club Dinner on the 27th of February, before the State Championships. This is a great opportunity for us tio come together as a club before the regatta. The dinner will be at the Maribyrnong Park Football Club (up the hill from ERC). We are also in the process of organising a guest speaker for the night. In other news, Rowing Victoria have just launched their own App. The app will be used to aid in communication (including at regattas), to publish Premiership & Individual Standings and more. You can find more information on the RV Website. Renovations Update The Club Lounge Renovations are progressing well. The bar wall has been installed, giving us a glimpse of what the space will be like. The bar equipment, cladding, tiling, and carpet will be installed in the coming little while. For those wondering what the final product will look like, we have had some renders done by our architect, which roughly show what we can expect!  The ERC Committee is in the process of organising a Club Opening Day, which will include Club Races, speeches, some finger food, and the re-opening of the Upstairs Area! This is scheduled for 10am on Sunday 06 April 2025, so please pencil the date into your diary as the first (hopefully of many) functions we will be holding in the renovated space.  If anyone is interested in some old furniture that we no longer require (as we have new furniture coming with the renovations), please reach out to me or Lucas Mills. The furniture will also be listed online, so if anyone wants to take any, then please reach out and we will set it aside for you. The furniture available includes the Old Bar Stools and the small round/square tables pictured below.  We have seen great progress with the Bar, and this is testament to all the hard work that the ERC Renovations Working Group has done. Well done to the team (Simone, Adam & Lucas) for all their efforts, without them this project wouldn't have been possible.  National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) Yesterday (05 February 2025) was the 38th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). The day is dedicated to celebrating the transformative power of sports in the lives of girls and women. We are lucky to have a strong representation of females around ERC, who activly or socially row, and who help in a range of formal and informal roles around the Club. In light of this, I would like to acknowledge and pass on my thanks to all our female members. Your dedication, skill, and passion for our sport make a significant impact at ERC, and the wider RV/sporting community. We appreciate your hard work and the positive example you all set for our aspiring female athletes. Thank you for all your efforts around ERC, for being an inspiration to all those around you, and for continually working to make ERC a better place for all our members.  ERC x Tony's Pies Pie Drive We have organised with Tony's Pies Essendon to conduct a fundraising pie drive for the Club. Tony's Pies will supply us with a range of their freshly baked pies, pasties, quiches and sausage rolls, which are available for you to order. All of Tony's Pies will be freshly baked for our orders, packed based on each individual order (by Tony's Pies) and delivered to the Club on Wednesday 26 Feburary. The pies will be freshly baked, and can go straight into the freezer (or oven) if you wish! The last day to order is midnight, Sunday 23rd February 2025 with orders being delivered to ERC for collection on Wednesday 26th February. Orders can be made by either following the link provided or scanning the QR code. When it asks for Class/Group, please enter "ERC" or something similar. Tony's Pies Order Link Safety Moment (from the ERC Captain's Team) This month’s safety tip is in relation to crews and coxswains adhering to the “River Rules” particularly when navigating under the bridges on the Maribyrnong River. All crews are to row at a safe distance on bow side from the bank both up and down stream. The coxswain or bow person in a coxless crew is to look for slow moving crews and pass with a safe distance on the strokeside of the crew being passed. The crew being passed is to yield as close to the bank as possible without scraping oars or the boat on the rocks or bank. When navigating through the bridge arches it is extremely important to use the correct arches to avoid collision with oncoming crews on the other side of the bridge. Do not overtake crews passing under bridges, wait patiently and follow. Do not use an alternative arch if a crew is under a bridge using the correct route. If you are unsure which are the correct arches under the Maribyrnong bridges , please check with your Coaches or the Captain's Team to clarify. Row well, row safely! Upcoming Events around ERC Pie Drive Last Day to Order - Sunday 23 February 2025 State Champs Dinner - Thursday 27th February 2025 RV State Championships Regatta - Saturday 01 & Sunday 02 March 2025 RV Masters State Selection Trials - Saturday 08 March 2025 ERC Re-Opening Day - Sunday 06 April 2025 RV Masters State Championships Regatta - Saturday 03 & Sunday 04 May 2025 As always, I am only a phone call away, so please reach out at time with any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns you may have.  Thanks, Luke Mascaro President - ERC