Hello BIAC: It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I write this introductory letter and begin my transition into the role as BIAC’s new Director of Operations, taking over for departing Alice Henderson. Many of you will know me as the Head Coach of the BIAC Competitive Team, or through my volunteer and coaching activities at the club. For those of you who don’t know me, I look forward to meeting you and supporting your involvement, usage, and enjoyment of our amazing club.

2020 was a year like no other, but as a membership focused and driven organization, BIAC rose to the challenges that COVID entailed and continued to provide nearly unlimited rowing and paddling access for our existing members, within the confines of COVID imposed limitations, and continued to introduce new members to our club with enriching sculling and paddling programming. BIAC is a true gem in the Port of Redwood City.

While we all must continue to stay vigilant in our fight against the spread of COVID, there is hope on the horizon for a return to post-covid normalcy with team boat rowing and paddling, larger social gatherings, and for some, the thrill of regatta participation. I look forward to supporting all of these things at BIAC and more as we chart our path for the remainder of 2021.

In my interview process a resonating theme became clear. BIAC members love the diversity of programs and experiences they have at the club. The club provides us a great variety of friendships and social connections, as well as athletic and recreational pursuits. And, at the heart of all this is the spirit of volunteerism and the tireless efforts of the many that make BIAC the wonderful place that it is. It is my honor to help lead and support this into the future.

For those of you who don’t know me, I became involved with club rowing as a junior in high school and continued on to row with my college club team. As a postgrad, I rowed competitively in Australia then settled back to the US in Boston and became a regular on the Charles River. I have coached rowing off and on since 1991 but professionally the bulk of my career has been spent working within the investment industry along with short stints in operational management roles in the aquatic & recreation industry and the telecom industry. I relocated with my family to the SF Bay area in 2013 in connection with my wife’s employer and have coached with Norcal Crew and BIAC in addition to volunteering extensively within the community where I live. I am married and have two teenage children. I look forward to seeing you all soon down at the club. Go BIAC!

We are excited to announce Chuck Bonnici will be the new director of adaptive rowing at BIAC. He will bring his enthusiasm and expertise to the job. Chuck helped coach at the USA Para Winter camp in 2019 and was invited to Coach at an international event in Portugal in 2020.

1) "Sculler move over." I cannot count the number of times I have yelled that from the deck. When on the dock the sculler inevitably says, “I could see no one was there." Which is very similar to what I heard from everyone that ever collided with something, "I didn’t know they were there until we hit." Water sports are inherently dangerous, and rowing is particularly dangerous since we travel backwards. Please stay on your third of the channel.

2) Another challenge is the tides. Multiple people have run straight into a channel marker and told me, “I was pointed at it, I just didn’t realize I was moving so quickly (due to tides and winds).” Let's not point at objects folks. Consult a chart before you go out to see the predicted tides or stop and look at how fast you are moving past the scenery. 

3) Please remember, when you end up in the water try to reenter/remount three times and then flip your craft over, pull your body up on the hull and paddle it like a surfboard to shore. Always stay with your boat. This safety move is perfect for visualizing, or rehearsing, so when it happens you can react and not have to think. Stay safe and be well.

Crash-B Registration Closes Today

The CRASH-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships are Sunday, March 7. Several BIAC members are already registered. You can sign up for this 2K erg race until March 1. The events are rowed simultaneously on ergs connected to computers, for real time racing and results. There are also options for 4-person relays of 500M each. Hot tip, there will be PSAs during the live event and BIAC is featured in one.

• Membership Types: When you visit your member profile you’ll see a change. As more of our rowing members try paddling, and our paddling members try rowing, having separate membership types is of little use. Therefore, we’ve combined similar types into one. For example, Summer Adult Row/Scull and Summer Adult Paddle combine to become Summer Adult. This change has no effect on membership dues, as they are the same for paddlers and rowers. However, rowing and paddling equipment fees are different: $300 for shells and $100 for surfskis (SUPs and kayaks are covered by membership dues). Therefore, we ask that when you renew, please be sure to indicate that you use shells or surfskis or both. Thanks!
• Summer Membership Fees: Per a recent board vote, fees for the summer-only membership are increasing from $300 to $350 for Summer 2021.

When is it too windy to go on the water? There has been much discussion of this amongst even the most experienced scullers and paddlers at BIAC. The answer is: It depends. There are numerous risk factors in addition to wind including visibility, traffic, strong tide and temperature. If multiple risk factors are present, stay on land. Safety is paramount. Some members are comfortable with winds in the single digits, and others will brave stronger gusts. If it's windy, choose an appropriate boat for the conditions or sit out a day. Remember, the most important safety decision you may make is whether to launch.

Alice was recently coaching a novice sculler working on a clean finish. She knew he was a pilot and asked, “Do you visualize being a pilot?” His quick reply was, “All the time.” “Do you visualize rowing?” You could see the light bulb over his head light up, “Wow, I should.” YES, we all should and you probably do in some other part of your life. The best way to improve your stroke is to think/practice/ visualize it on land, so that when you are on the water it is a more natural movement. Here is a video on the scientific benefits of visualizing. To learn how to visualize, try this great video. And here is an awesome video of an Olympian doing kinetic visualizing. You don’t need to be an Olympian to practice visualizing, but if you are trying to improve a skill this is a very beneficial practice.