July 2009

7/29/09 ~ “Heads Up…Ready All…CHOW!”

”Bella Noche!” Tonight was what makes all of our CULVER Club of Indy Rowing Team sweaty ‘eff~oar~ts’ worth it! This lovely evening…sandwiched between recurrent rainstorms…14 friends (8x+, 2 singles & a double) came together at the Indianapolis Rowing Center. We soon found a window of WOW and a flat glassy track all the way northward (under the 56th street bridge) to ‘Rick’s Boatyard’ for a break of libations and ‘finger lickin’ row’past’! Our initial CCIRT “rump roster” tonight included Don ‘Barney’ Nixon (CMA’60), Rollie ‘Crab King’ Cole, ‘Dangerous’ Dan Kirchmann, Cheryl ‘Huff’nPuff’ Huth, ‘Sweeta’ Rita Woll, ‘Cap’n’ Gail Glaze plus Y’oars Truly.

So then there were 7! "What to our wandering eyes should we find but two wayward IRC Masters eager to grind"! Newbees (to us…but not to rowing) Mike Nigh & Brooks O’Brien helped fill our “CCIRT Spirit of ’43” 8x Vespoli. So now there were 8+x! But wait! There’s more! Suddenly Dr. Arthur Lyakhovetsky came ‘Russian’ down to the ‘Daffy Dock’! Sooo…just moments before we’d launched “Barney” bailed out, grabbed a single (probably just to so he could taunt us with his scull skill) and @ 1800 HRS both of our crafts (10 souls in all) set sail southward aimed for the bridge.

Newbee to the cox~spot sat Rita Woll…WOW! THANKS! She may be new but she was WHEW! We managed a heckuva romp safely: “Over the Eagle & Under the Bridge to Rick’s Boatyard we rowed”! For all you whizzes still doing the math…yes there were also 4 other folks who joined in our soiree. Two lovely young ladies (names unknown) in a double and a handsome young IRC teen (Tim?). Our #14 fellow was Rita’s rascal 'Dapper' Dave Woll who motored over nursing a boo-boo. ‘Twas his arm…not his ‘arse’…that was in a sling this time. Hitting trees with your ride is never recommended! We all hope he returns to rowing soon!

We're very grateful to IRC Director Bernadette “Barn Burner” Teeley for setting the dock for us at Rick’s Boatyard and to their staff for feting us so nicely! A beautiful bright half/moon led us safely home at dusk.

Finally…here’s a note I sent to our 2 ‘drop-ins’: “Fun was ‘Nigh’ last night! I thought our coxswain Rita proved to be a real stitch! Thanks to you and Brooks for joining us (not that we were falling apart) but it sure helps to have eight fannies (instead of six) in an 8x+! Sorry my stroke was so rediculously fast! Chasing after Amstel Lite (Dutch beer made from ‘desalinated’ sea water) and calamari (made from ‘salinated’ squid) will do that to one's stroke! Ya'll come out and join us ‘Any Wednesday’ (hmmm...wasn't that an old Italian ‘floozy flick’?)!”

That’s Tales from the Dockside! SM’OAR NEXT TIME! READY OAR KNOT! THE CCIRT...WE TAKE A SOAKIN’ BUT KEEP ON STROKIN’! Yours at the Oars:’Rowbere’ Glaze (CMA’60)