This Week's Update

1. Practices:

No official team practice this weekend. We'll see how Sunday looks and may get in a short paddling practice during or after the Open House. Do try to get in a workout this weekend: about 45 minutes of cardio, some abs, some weights.

Please try to attend practice as often as possible this month. I know many of us had made plans for some of these October practice dates when we thought that the race season would be over by now, but please do come to practice as often as you can -- we need the full-boat practices to be ready for the 23rd!

People who come to the Open House or to Rock 'n' Row will be invited to join us for practices on October 4 and October 11 (both Mondays); it would be great to have a large turnout of P'fish on those days to welcome new paddlers.


2. HOTO/Rock 'n' Row:

Lori S., Lisa, Jack, Stef, Chris, Diana, Kit, and Chuck are staffing the dragon boats at Rock 'n' Row tomorrow. One boat will be on the Roberto Clemente Bridge to attract attention and be a site of info about dragon-boating; the other boat will be in the water by the Science Center, where people will be able to go out for a paddle. Free parking is available at Heinz Field's Gold Lot 4.

We're meeting at the Science Center boat at 11:45 tomorrow morning -- please join us if you can, even if it's just for an hour or so. The more the merrier!


3. Open House:

The Open House (AKA This-Month's-Excuse-to-Eat-Kathi's-Bean-Dip) is this weekend at Millvale -- Sunday from noon until 3. Please let Lisa know if you are coming, and let her know if you're bringing some friends (again, the more the merrier!).

Will someone have a camera?


4. October 23rd: Festival/Races

The DC Dragons plan to join us -- hurrah!

We need a good count of who will be in town to paddle for the races on October 23rd. If you haven't already done so, please let Chuck know your availability (lyoncw@pitt.edu).

HOTO has absorbed much of everyone's attention this past week, so the commitment of novice teams to practice on the weekends (October 9th/10th and October 16th/17th) is still a bit squishy. I'll let everyone know when things get more definite.