BCR Newsletter

Farewell to a friend:

Sadly our friend, Ellen Spear, passed away on October 30th. She had been living with lung cancer for two years and passed away peacefully with her son and sister by her side. Ellen loved rowing and being part of BCR. She became a rower after being connected to rowing for many years as a supporter of her son, Ben, a high school and college rower, as well as having been married to a college rowing coach. She saw the “Learn to Row” ad in the Berkshire Eagle and after a couple years of thinking about joining our club, she made the leap and jumped in with full gusto, just as she lived her life. She rowed with determination, commitment to learning and the ability to laugh in the process. We will remember Ellen fondly when we are on the water in a shell to be named in her honor. She will be missed by all that had the opportunity to experience time with her! Ellen’s sister Amy shared “Ellen was so hopeful she’d be back rowing with you again, as it was one of the delights of her life right to the end.  Thanks for being a part of that experience for her.” Ellen’s family will be having a celebration of her life in the spring, and will keep us informed when a date has been scheduled. This tribute to Ellen was posted on the front page of the Berkshire Eagle on November 4th.

Year-end Giving

We invite you to include Berkshire Community Rowing in your year-end giving — especially if your employer offers donation matching! Our year-end goal is to raise $10,000.

At BCR, we believe rowing is for everyone. That’s why we offer scholarships to any new rower who cannot afford our fees, ensuring that cost is never a barrier to discovering the joy and confidence that come from sculling on the water.

How You Can Give

• BCR on PayPal link
• By Check: Payable to BRASS, mailed to:
  PO Box 787, Pittsfield, MA 01202
• Regatta Central:
  Visit Regatta Central >> BCR and click Donations
  (Tip: It’s easier if you don’t log in first)
• Through Your Financial Institution:
  Donate via your Personal Foundation or Giving Account using our legal name:
  Berkshire Sculling Association, Inc.

Together, we’re not just building a program — we’re building a movement. Thank you for being part of it

BCR welcomes two new Trustees:

Christine Morin, a parent of a new Junior, has been a Berkshire County resident for nearly 30 years, and brings her professional expertise in change management and quality improvement to BCR.

When it’s too cold for paddling around in her recreational kayak, she can be found building plans for world domination in Excel spreadsheets. 

Trish McPhee rows with the Masters in the morning. She discovered rowing in the spring of 2024, having moved back to the East Coast. Her love for the outdoors and desire to stay active made this a great match. She looks forward to many more years of rowing with Berkshires and sharing her love of the sport with others.

And the Winner is ~

Molly Sheehan won the Erg raffle. Congratulations! We wish you many meters at 38 spm!

Winter Program for Masters

The on-water season has ended. The boathouse is cleaned and closed. Now it’s time to maintain and improve our conditioning through the winter so we hit the water next April ready to focus on timing and blade work. Let’s make this fun and full of camaraderie! Meet us at the Pittsfield Y for erg and strength training. Most of us show up at either 6AM or 7AM on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There won’t always be a coach to guide us, but workouts will be posted on CrewLAB, so check there (see the CrewLAB link below.)Working out with your crew during the designated morning hours provides many advantages, but this is not always practical. The most important thing is for you get to the gym. Communicate with your crew mates to hit the gym together to motivate each other and make it fun.  If you’re not already a full access member, follow the link below on the regatta central website to sign-up for the winter rowing program at the Pittsfield Y. The cost is the same as if you joined the Y, but you get our focus on conditioning for scullers.

www.regattacentral.com>Programs>Adult Winter Rowing with Y Membership

CrewLAB app

Here is the link to connect with other BCR members through CrewLAB to workout together at the Y or   use the app to find workouts you can do on your own…or both! Go to the CrewLab Page to download the app,  crewlab.io/get-started/   Our team code is srk-lweu-pww.

Looking to Erg at home this winter? 

The club has 4 ergs to rent until next Spring. Follow the link below on the regatta central website to sign-up at www.regattacentral.com > Programs > Erg for the Winter

Once you have reserved your erg you will be contacted by the club to schedule a time to pick up the erg from the boathouse.

BCR Committee Updates:

At the Annual Meeting back in April we discussed the committees that support BCR. We are now ready to activate these committees. Here is the BCR Committees link that is a list of our committees and the functions they serve in our club , there is a place for everyone to help. Each committee will prioritize and address what they can to make progress. To be a successful thriving club, we need your help! Please contact info@berkshirerowing.com to tell us which committee you’d like to serve on so we’re able to engage the committee membership. Thank you in advance for your assistance to help our club function to support rowing in the Berkshires! 

BRASS Merchandise:

Have you been looking for BCR merchandise? Would you like to get a jump on your holiday shopping? You’re in luck, we’re selling BCR items at a discounted price. Click on this link  to see the sale pricing of the inventory available.  

Contact Tina Whitmore (freiafibers@gmail.com) to receive the items you’d like to purchase. Check payable to BRASS, PO Box 787, Pittsfield MA 01202 or make your payment by Venmo to @BerkshireRowing.

Photo Contest:

Submit your best pictures or videos or a quick story of what happened on your row celebrating BCR, and you’ll win a prize. Submissions due by the 20th of each month.