Hello my dear Hatchets Rowing family! It has been a long time since I’ve written a newsletter - but IT IS TIME! This has been an exciting year for Jeremy and I and our kids. As many of you know, we have been planning a year with our kids out of school, and this is the year! We have had many adventures: sailing on Georgian Bay; backpacking in Europe; lots of nordic skiing and winter adventures in Ontario; sailing in Florida; and we are about to start to prep for our last trip - a van trip in the U.S. and Canada. If you’d like to read about our adventures and follow along - we’d love it! This is a link to our blog for the year. https://www.hatchetsrowing.com/news-mcfowler
Rowing Will Start June 29th this year
Because we are travelling this year, we did not have a fall rowing season in 2023 and we won’t have a spring rowing season this year. We have missed it so much, but for this one year, we are pushing to follow through on the last 2 months of our year with our kids. Have a read below for updates on the coming season (we are SO pumped for this summer and to get back on the water). No spring - but Summer and Fall will be great!
Rowing Program Updates
Fitness Rowing
Again this year we will have rowing at 6AM, 7:30AM and 8:30 every WEEKDAY, and 7:30AM and 8:30AM on WEEKENDS for our fitness rowers. I’m looking forward to rowing with many of you this summer! Last year I think I did some long rows in almost every one of our boats and I’d like to do the same this year.
Learn to Row
If you have friends looking to learn to row, pass the word along! Usually we do half price learn to row programs until the end of June, but this year we are extending this until the end of July since we won’t start until June 29th. If you have friends who used to row, or did a Learn to Row years ago, this program can also be used as a refresher, or “return to rowing”. Spread the word - 50% off Learn to Row programs until July 31st!
Junior Scullers
This will be our third year with our Junior Scullers 6-level program for rowers ages 8 - 14. We have some incredible skills developing within our club that will last these rowers a lifetime! Junior Scullers programs will again be at 9:30am and 10:30 every WEEKDAY and at 10:30 every WEEKEND DAY.
Competitive Rowing
Our competitive rowing program will be running at 6am and 7:30am again this summer. This program is designed to make it so that we can bring a variety of different levelled competitive rowers together to train in a way that pushes everyone’s skills and fitness even though we are all at different levels. Perfect for high school and University competitive rowers, adult masters rowers and those just about to get into high school rowing. For those who row with us, you know that regardless of the program you join, we try to match people up. So if you would like to race at any level, or train to get faster with the intent of racing - let us know and we will plan with you the best time to train and way to train.
Personal Coaching
Every year we have some really amazing skills that are learned and mastered in our personal coaching sessions. This is usually when someone is just getting into rowing and wants some extra coaching, or in order to get the most of the session and to really be pushed, or if you haven’t rowed in many years and you’d like to get back into the sport. Lots of reasons - once again this summer we’ll be slotting in personal coaching as requested - looking forward to working with you!
Summer Events
A picture from last year’s Sunday Afternoon Row
August 10th-11th will be our Hat Trick Hatchets Weekend this year so save the date! The Muskoka Poker Run will be on August 10th early morning, the Indian River Relay will be late morning on Saturday August 10th and the Sunday Afternoon Row will be on Sunday August 11th.
Other Fun Plans
This summer, we have a few things in the works in addition to past years.
One - is that we are in the process of trying to plan for options for high school rowers who will be attending BMLSS. We are working with the Muskoka Rowing Club in Bracebridge as well as some other interested individuals to figure out a great fit for training this coming school year and following spring.
Two - We are hoping to do some joint rowing and social events with some clubs nearby. The Muskoka Rowing Club has larger shells, and the Barrie Rowing Club has started to get into doing Beach Sprints type events which would be really fun to try. This year I’m going to try to arrange a couple events where people from other clubs come and row with us, and we go and row with them. Stay tuned!
Fall Races
This coming fall, Hatchets Rowing Centre will be attending two fall head races. Head races are races that are usually between 3-6km long, and everyone starts one at a time every 10-20 seconds, for a timed race.
The Muskoka Fall Classic - this race is 3km long and takes place on Gull Lake in Gravenhurst. It is a great race, and always takes place the weekend after labour day weekend. It is nice and close and is a great first race experience and yearly race to attend.
Lily, Michael and I volunteering at Head of the Trent last year
The Head of the Trent - this race is 4.6km long and goes along the Trent/Severn Waterway in Peterborough. The race ends as you are rowing past the Trent University Library. It is an amazing race and we attend this one every year since it is my home rowing club and town. It takes place the weekend before thanksgiving every year.
Both of these races have many categories, all in racing shells. We attend with singles since this is what we have and love (though I always think whatever boat I’m in I love the most). If you would like to attend either race, don’t be shy to email us or talk to us this summer and see what we think. We are pumped to help you get ready for it if you want to join us! If you email us before the summer we’ll be able to better plan with you to make the most of the summer.
Hatchets Leaderboard
Distance Challenge, Fish Game, Chin-ups…
We’ll be getting the leaderboard up and going again! Last year we had the following winners: Robin Fowler for the Fish Game, Monte Wood for the distance challenge and Aston Smith for the consecutive chinups! Watch for more details as we setup this challenge which will run from June 29th - August 23rd.
Coming Soon!
Hatchets Clothing
In the next few days you’ll see an email about Hatchets Clothing orders. You’ll see come pictures of new gear that we have - most of it with the intention of having high visibility clothing on the water.
Coaches Update
We are finalizing our coaches and junior coaches for the summer, who will be coaching with Jeremy and I. Watch for some fun updates on some great new additions to our coaching team!