Satisfaction

The Stones concert tonight was a great experience to add to the Paddlefish memory banks! We had Georgia leading us in some warm-up tunes on the way down the Allegheny; we had Meg, the Australian cattle dog, along for the ride; we had a little Pearl Jam singalong to "Where Oh Where Can My Baby Be"; we had our new-best-friends in the motorboat with their incessant concern about our bathroom habits; we had Ada leading us in uno-dos-tres; and we had, as Ada put it, "Bob was boogie-woogie back there."

You were totally boogie-woogie, Bob. Thanks for taking on the stress and responsibility of steering (including the escape from the barge) for tonight's adventure.

Georgia On My Mind

The Paddlefish are soooo ready for a paddle over to Red Fin Blues!

Dragon Boat Daredevil Challenge

The New Jersey Dragon Boat Club is hosting its 4th Annual DareDevil Challenge next weekend (Sunday, October 9th). Entries are as teams of 6 people, at least two of which must be women.

More info online at http://www.njdragonboat.org/devil . Sounds like a lot of fun for any Pfish who have some free time coming up!

Giant Eagle Cards

Mina will bring Giant Eagle gift cards ($50 denomination) to practice tonight. We need to get this batch sold off, so please buy a couple this week if you can!

Welcome New Pfish!

Paddle cheers to Rich, Joei, Beth, Judy D., Kim, Kris, Karen, Judy R., Liz (Fai Long!), and Jonathan (Fai Long!). We're proud to have you in the boat.

Start Times for Practices in October

Some folks are interested in exploring the idea of starting practices a little bit earlier in October so that we have more light during our remaining on-the-water time. Would you let me know how you feel about this? Would you be able to make it to practice by 6? 6:15?

Our official start time is 6:30, so if starting before that means someone can't do it, we won't change the start time! But if an earlier time works for everyone, we could get a little more daylight in our paddling.

Frozen between love and awe, Sam caught
his first glimpse of the dragon boat team
as they rounded Bourbon Street.

Get in a real boat before its too late,
Pittsburgh Paddlefish Dragon Boat Team
Three Rivers Kayak Team

Visit ThreeRiversRowing.org for more info

Post your best caption.

As John’s shovel started getting heavy he

regretted not joining that paddling team.

Don’t wait till it’s too late,
Pittsburgh Paddlefish Dragon Boat Team
Three Rivers Kayak Team
Visit ThreeRiversRowing.org for more info

Do you have a better caption?

post it as a comment. or send this one to friends.

Thursday Swims

If you'd like to do your cross-training with team members, our wonderful Stefani is organizing swimming together on Thursday evenings, 6:30 PM, at the Oliver Bath House, starting next Thursday (September 29th). Click on the Oliver Bath House link for info on rates and location.

Note: This is completely optional. I know many people have other commitments on Thursdays and others would rather cross-train by doing something other than swimming. This is a cool opportunity and not a stressful obligation!

Winning Youth Team

Here's a shot of the victorious youth team from TRRA: the Peace Paddlers, part of Communities in Action for Peace. Deb is steering the boat; Perri is drumming.

Winning Women Flash Their Tatts

Oh What A Night

It was great to have new and old friends in the boat last night, to relax at Red Fin Blues with some beer, and to paddle back home in the quasi-dark. (Isn't city life fantastic?!)

What a gorgeous night.... I don't know which was more beautiful: floating down the Allegheny with the downtown lights shining in front of us from the water and the skyline, or paddling up the dark channel with nothing but gray velvet sky and arching trees above us and the crickets' and cicadas' whirring as background music to the sound of the paddles slipping into the water.

Way to Go, Paddlefish!

What an incredible day of teamwork! Congratulations -- and thanks -- to everyone. It is sooooo sweet to see all our focus and training pay off!

Race results are posted online: http://www.threeriversrowing.org/db-festival.html .

Seating

I had techical difficulties posting the seating here, please check your email. All seats are the same as Wednesday but subject to change. Also race comments are included in the email from me.

It's About Teamwork

Nice story and photos in the Trib-Review today! (Great quotes, Jack!)

See http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/events/s_374610.html .

Fei Long Gets Their Game Face On

Meet-Up Time on Saturday

We're meeting in the Athlete's Village in Riverfront Park Saturday morning at 9:30 AM. Give yourself time to find parking and find us! We'll set up the Pfish tent so should be quite visible. If you cannot make it by 9:30, please send me an email and let me know what time you'll be there.

Our first race is the masters final at 11:30. We have to be in the staging area for that one by 10:45 AM. Our next race is the mixed heat at 1:10 PM.

Smile!

A photographer from the Tribune-Review will be coming to practice tonight at 6:30. If you get this in time, please wear your red Pfish tee shirt! If not, no worries.

Red Fin Blues Reminder

On Monday, post-Festival, we paddle over to Red Fin Blues for a drink. Please bring some money for a beer or soda (and/or appetizers, if you're going to be hungry!) and try to get there a little early. We'll need to launch the boats as close to 6:30 PM as possible in order to get out of the RFB docks by nightfall.

Please Spread the Word: Volunteers Needed

The Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival is in need of volunteers this Saturday, September 17th, in shifts from 10am - 6pm. This not-for-profit event highlights Asian cultures with stage performances, authentic food, booths and of course the dragon boat races.

Several volunteer vacancies included helping at the docks to keep paddles and life vests in order, watching the race finishes, timing races, and general extra hands around the event. Be a part of this year's event -- the Fourth Annual Pittsburgh Dragon Boat Festival -- and bring your friends and family.

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Please call 412-231-8772 to speak with Laura for more information or to sign up to help.

Warming Up to the Start

Marie Makes Paddlefish History!

We were on the Allegheny this afternoon, mid-afternoon, after-the-Steelers-game afternoon -- with two novice boats. On the Allegheny on a fall afternoon, mid-afternoon, after-the-Steelers-game afternoon, there are, all of a sudden, lots and lots of boats, not all of them operated by people able to remember basic rules of the river.

So the water was, hmmm, how to put this.... choppy? challenging? ridiculous? Wake overlapping and intersecting wake, wake overtaking and undercutting wake. Wake making waves way above gunwale height.

Wake maving waves that knocked Marie clear off her drummer's perch -- sending her soaring away from the boat and deep into the drink, where she bobbed back up and caught the tow line of her boat and hung on and was pulled back to the docks, where she scrambled out of the water and -- because she is a True Paddlefish -- hopped back onto her drummer's seat and drummed that novice boat right back out to the river!

Deb and Bob did fantastic jobs steering this afternoon, and the paddlers (students from Point Park in one boat and from Pitt's Honors College in the other boat) stayed calm and focused. So paddle cheers to all involved but special-world-class-history-making cheers to Marie Hirsch, Drummer Extraordinaire!

Drummer and Tattoos

Pretty much unrelated items:

• I need one drummer for 3 PM on Saturday -- this is for the CAST-P boat (mostly men). Please let me know if you can do this. If you are already drumming for another practice, you should not volunteer for this one (though I may have to come begging to you later).
  
  
• Marie will bring tattoos to practice Saturday morning: $1 each or 6 for $5. Go wild and make that body a dragon tapestry!
  
  
• Exkursions does not expect to have the new PFDs till Tuesday -- so we'll have them for the festival, but there won't be time to put the team logo on them for the festival. (Hey, just a little less weight in the boat!)
  
  

Practices

Thurs, Sept 8:
Warm up to bridge
5 x 200m going down river, use the return lap as rest
90% - 70 SPM, focus is on timing at high rate and reach/catch at high rate
(I suggest eyeballing a 200 based on the 250 mark between the footbridge and 31st as there will be high school traffic near the docks)
Warm down to the footbridge and back unless at the footbridge then go back via the river side of the island (looking for 10-15' warm down) limit the drills, mostly easy paddling focus on timing.

Sat, Sept 10:
Land warm up & model race warm up (less than 5 min on water before starting workout, must have heart rates up to 160-170)
5 x 2’, rest 2’
70% - 65 SPM
Model the race plan each piece, (start, down to 80%, build to finish)
Warm down 15 min

See you men on Sunday 9:30 (pregame warm up via dragon boat).
Monday is a longer recovery session


To all:
We have just over a week. Technique has improved a lot this season as has our power. The time for adjusting technique is over, we must fine tune what we have and go hard. In your spare time or while laying in bed at night picture the start, middle and end of your race. Prepare mentaly for what will be an exciting yet tiring race day.

Hearin' it from the coach.... 

Second Annual Labor Day Potluck Picnic

The Butler-Northway family is hosting the second annual Paddlefish Labor Day potluck picnic!

Who: Paddlefish and Pfish Family (please RSVP to Laurie)
When: 3:00 PM on Monday, September 5th
Where: Butler-Northway home in Mt. Lebanon (directions will be in update)
What: Potluck Picnic (please post here what you'd like to bring)
Why: Not only will there be good food and good company, but you might get to see, live and in person, Dick wearing his hat while wielding his spatula!