End of an ERA...

All good things (and bad things!) eventually come to an end. The bad things – like this virus – cannot end fast enough. The good things always feel like they end too soon.

Mark Welsh has been the SCRC Captain for the last 14 years. This has been a particularly good thing! During this time, the Club has benefitted from his leadership, program development and professionalism. He has been the “face” of the Club for members, supporters and other Clubs in Canada and the U.S. As Mark said when he announced his decision to make a career change – “As much as I will miss the Club, I’m doing it at a time when you have an opportunity to reflect on how you want to replace the things I do.” He is right. As the Club’s one and only employee, Mark covered a lot of ground and his skills both in boat repair and working with coaches and athletes grew.

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Mark Welsh, St. Catharines Rowing Club Captain is stepping down to take on a new opportunity.

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​As a true professional, Mark has documented the 1001 things he does from January to December. Finding one or more people to handle everything will now be much easier.

We would have wanted to say goodbye in a “non-social distancing” way but we are still going through one of the bad things you want to be done with! If we can hold our November

Captain’s Dinner, then we will have Mark back as our Past Captain and say "Thank You" properly.

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​​​Meanwhile, we continue to see close to 80 scullers being able to take advantage of a very empty Henley Island and course. With the 2-metre rule still in effect, 2X, 4X and sweep boats are not permitted. Our athletes and coaches have done a first-class job managing their time on the Island. We have had tremendous support from volunteers handling check-in and check-out for every shift. 

Starting July 1st, we are going to move to an online process. Athletes and coaches will self-check in and out. We have full confidence that everyone will adhere to the same rules being managed currently by our gatekeepers. Full details will be provided in an email.

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The usual buzz of the tarmac during the heat of the summer has been replaced by a relatively quiet, very safe, and socially distanced organization of athletes and their equipment during the return to rowing.

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Also, with Mark’s departure we are extremely fortunate to have former Club president Jim Marino volunteer to watch over day-to-day activities. Jim is not planning to spend every day on the Island but is prepared to be the Go-To person for questions or issues anyone has. For all things on the Island you can reach Jim at Mark’s former email address: [email protected]

Finally, I have had a number of people ask, “How is the Club doing – financially?” The long answer is longer than I will go into today, so I will stick with the short answer. “The Club is hanging in and we will make it through to the end of this horror show.” Like 99% of businesses and many, many individuals we are not in the best financial shape. But we have great volunteers and supporters. With tremendous leadership from the Board we will see 2020 through and, I believe, come out even stronger in 2021!

Best in Sports, 
Rick Crooker
[email protected]