To The Ottawa Rowing Club Community,
This past week the ORC saw successful morning sessions that included rowers from the Junior, Senior, and private singles owner user groups. Each morning this week there have been 5 waves of 5 athletes arriving at the club 20 minutes apart, adhering to the safety protocols and launching, rowing, docking, cleaning, and departing in a timely manner. The efficiency and attention to detail by all members continues to make rowing safe and accessible for everyone at the club.
Moving forward the club is looking to expand its user groups once again this week. Former members of the masters group who require the use of club boats will be out on the water for the first time on Saturday morning (June 13th) with regular scheduled sessions on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30. Monday’s group will be for those more comfortable in a single while Wednesday’s session will provide for a little more instruction and assistance for rowers who may be new or require a little more assistance in the 1x. Sign-up for all of these sessions will completed through the program’s coaches.
As the public health restrictions lift we are still committed to the safety of our members and as the grounds become busier during rowing times we will need to make a few adjustments in our protocols. Moving forward all rowers will be asked to wear a mask during boat washing and any time they are assisting to move a safety boat. These portions of the rowing experience have been highlighted an inevitable closer contact and minimal ability to ensure social distancing. We still strongly encourage mask use at other times during the rowing session but it is not mandatory for those members who ensure proper social distancing protocols.
A few notes to those members already on the water. It is important to adhere to the time allotted to your respective rowing window. Each session is one hour and twenty minutes on the water. This means, if your rowing time is 5:10am your window to return to the dock, clean your boat, and depart is from 6:30am-6:50am. Rowers are encouraged to bring personal timepieces in order to keep themselves and everyone else on a timely schedule. Additionally, for members using the sign-up sheet for rowing sessions. We ask that if you sign-up you ensure that you attend. Once these spots are booked, other club members aren’t able to row that day. Should a circumstance arrive where someone signs-up and doesn’t show up to row, they may have their rowing privileges suspended. Lastly, Health Canada has shared an APP to allow people to quickly self-assess and track responses from any mobile phone. Check out at link at https://ca.thrive.health/covid19app/
This week the province continues to expand its numbers on group gatherings we are working towards methods of accommodating larger groups of rowers down at the club. This process will take some time but we are committed to getting as many of our members on the water in a safe and responsible manner. Recent announcements do allow the club to start preparing for the possibility of outdoor group erging in a spaced out manner. Consequently, we would ask members who aren’t using their erg as much to bring them down to the club for their next training session. Please do not make an additional trip down to the club if you are not already planning to come down for a row.
The club’s next Safety Zoom Session will be held this Friday morning (June 12th) at 9:00am.
ZOOM details attached at bottom. Please remember that these sessions are required prior to getting on the water.
Lastly, thank you to all of the patience, understanding, and willingness to help around the club these past few weeks. This rowing season has been challenging to say the least and we are incredibly grateful for quality of our membership and the sense of community that surrounds the ORC. We are working tirelessly to do so in a safe and efficient manner. To stay up to date follow us on social media or check out our website in addition to receiving your weekly email update. More news coming soon!
Yours in Rowing,
Zak Lewis
Head Coach
Topic: ORC Safety Zoom Meeting
Time: Jun 12, 2020 09:00 AM Montreal
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81665311382?pwd=Mk1WSTB3aEtTcHYxcGQ0T0tIbzJEUT09
Meeting ID: 816 6531 1382
Password: 040067