Summer Rowing Programs at Lake Casitas

They’re here – great summer opportunities for fun and fitness with Casitas Rowing.  We have scheduled programs for all ages, whether beginners, experienced athletes, or continuing members of our teams. 

Junior Summer Schedule

Session #1
June 15 – July 11
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
8:30-11:00 am
$69 Boys and Girls
High School and Middle School

Session #2
July 13 – August 8
Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays
8:30-11:00 am 
$69 Boys and Girls
High School and Middle School

Call or email Wendy at 805-642-2288 wendy@casitasrowing.org to register.

Adult Summer Classes

Session #1
3 Sundays : June 9, 16, 23
7:00 – 8:30 am
$99 per Adult

Session #2
3 Sundays : July 7, 14, 21
7:00 – 8:30 am
$99 per Adult

Call or email Wendy at 805-642-2288 wendy@casitasrowing.org to register.

Also see:

High School Rowing – Girls  

High School Rowing – Boys 

Middle School Rowing 

Adult Rowing 

Help Us Grow!

Donate Today to Casitas Rowing

It’s time for our annual fundraiser, an event Casitas Rowing relies on as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization! In 2011, through the generous support of friends, family and our community, we raised much-needed funds and are working toward a goal of raising $40,000 this year. We need your help!   

The 2011-2012 season was remarkable for our kids’ programs – every team grew in size and quality and we competed at the elite level for the first time, with kids invited to selection camps and rowing in international events in Bulgaria and Mexico. We are once again exceeding the capacity of our boatyard, our equipment and our coaching staff to handle participation in our programs by kids in grades 6-12 around Ventura County.

Please Help Us Continue Our Success

Rowing is a unique sport that teaches kids commitment and perseverance and builds a strong sense of self and of teamwork. Kids who row learn firsthand that hard work and dedication can pay off with no limits to what they can achieve.

How to Donate

Donations can be made several ways, including check, credit card, and online donation through PayPal. Your donation is tax-deductible.

• To donate securely through PayPal: visit our Donations and Sponsors page or simply use the buttons below: 

• To donate by check: mail to Lake Casitas Rowing Association, PO Box 74 · Oak View, CA 93022. Be sure to indicate which athlete you are supporting! For donations of $300 or more, let us know the size t-shirt you would like to receive.
     
• To donate by credit card, call us at 805-642-2288.

Thanks to Last Year’s Donations:

• Our kids’ programs expanded – we introduced 6th and 7th graders into our 8th grade recreational sculling program – making rowing available to all middle schoolers. Our high school team doubled in size.
• We purchased equipment - including much needed sweep and sculling oars, a new Resolute 4+, two training singles, and the many parts and pieces it takes to keep our boats and boatyard maintained.
• We improved infrastructure and coaching staff. We now have two full time coaches and three junior coaches. We attracted the attention of USRowing with a visit from Olympic coach and director of coaching education Kris Korzeniowski, who improved our coaching programs across the board.

From the kids and coaches and everyone at Casitas Rowing — thank you for your support!

Go to Donations and Sponsors

It’s Time to RACE!

Casitas Crews and the 2012-2013 Racing Season

Junior crews at Casitas Rowing are reaching the end of racing season in May at Junior Regional Championships in Sacramento. Performance at Regionals detemines participation in the Youth National Championships in June in Tennessee. Congratulations to the kids and adults who have devoted time and energy to a great racing season so far. Casitas has turned in excellent performances in this year’s races with the help of a large contingent of friends and family. Thank you to ALL who got up in the early hours, prepared food, supported our athletes, and cheered us on!

Adults will compete next at the Southwest Regional Masters Championships at the end of June. This event features 1,000 meter races in a variety of boats. Championships has proved to be a popular event with masters, traveling to Oakland, CA to enjoy the San Francisco Bay Area and a fun race event.

See the Events calendar – updated throughout the year to show scheduled races and other key dates for the club.

Barbara Colven greets the dawn by racing 5,000 kilometers at Cal Yacht Club, Marina del Rey.

Rowing for Kids in Grades 6-12

Kids from any school in the greater Ventura County area are welcome to visit us to learn more about the High School Team, Girls & Boys squads. High school boys and girls will learn to row competitively.

The Middle School Team (6th-8th grades) learns sculling essentials and confidence in handling a boat, but does not row competitively.

Contact us to schedule time to visit a practice by calling 805-642-2288 or emailing wendy@casitasrowing.org.

Meet the High School Team… and then come row with us!!

Also see:

High School Team – Boys 
High School Team – Girls
Middle School Team

Rowing for Adults

Competitive or Recreational, Casitas Offers Something for Everyone

Our Masters programs cover a wide range of abilities and interests, with an overall goal of promoting fitness and health. 

Adult men and women can pursue rowing at the competitive level, or can simply row to learn a new sport and enjoy its numerous health benefits. Many club members find that rowing helps them achieve their fitness goals such as losing weight, gaining strength, and improving their cardiovascular system.

Interested in improving your fitness while meeting new people and learning a new sport?

Learn more about our programs, or join us for a free Learn to Row day!

Photo © 1984 Michael Kane

Lake Casitas and the Olympics

Casitas Rowing Looks at the Olympics Then and Now

Following the stories and excitement of the London 2012 Olympics, Casitas Rowing takes a look into history and the lake’s turn in 1984 as the world’s rowing venue. See memorabilia and views of the lake transformed for the Olympics, plus comparative views of celebrations in London 2012. Thanks to Casitas Rowers Victoria Adam, Dan Richards, and Nancy Osborne, along with photographer Michael Kane, for use of their images.

> Views of 1984	> Views of 2012

Despite difficult and unpredictable times, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics became one of the most profitable sporting events of all time, generating $232.5 million in surplus funds. This achievement is credited to the business acumen of the committee selected to oversee the Olympics. The success of the Los Angeles Olympic Games carries on today through the LA84 Foundation, created with proceeds from the event. Grants by LA84 have supported youth rowing at the Lake Casitas Rowing Association along with over 1,000 other sports programs in the Los Angeles area. 

LA84 archives Olympic information, including the AAF 20th Anniversary Report describing how the 1984 Games became a financial triumph, plus descriptions of how Lake Casitas was transformed (see Section 7.03.6 of the Official Report (PDF).

“Lake Casitas in Ventura County was the site for the canoeing and rowing competitions. [...] It serves as a domestic water supply and a fishing and recreation area. All construction at Lake Casitas for the Olympic Games was temporary and completely removed after the Games.” 

“A Jet Float bridge was the major addition for 1984. It connected the athlete area to the operations area.” 

“Boats were stored in eight 20-foot by 20-foot tents located near the five launch docks in the athletes’ day village. Five tents housed rowing shells and three housed canoes and kayaks. These tents had a total of 17 bays, each 20 feet by 40 feet.”

– Official Report of the Games of the XXIIIrd Olympiad

Today, Casitas Rowing respects the history of the lake as an Olympic venue, and also honors its purpose as an environmental sanctuary and important reservoir for Southern California.

Also see:

Lake Casitas 1984 
Lake Casitas 2012 
About Us 
Learn to Row 

Left to Right: Danni Struck, Maddy Pollock, Rebecca Goldader, Krysten Menks

Casitas Rower Krysten Menks Takes Gold with the USRowing Junior Selection Camp Team

One day after helping raise the American flag at opening ceremonies for the CanAmMex 2012 regatta, Krysten Menks and her teammates on the USRowing Junior Selection Camp Team took 1st place in the women’s quad event.

According to USRowing, the CanAmMex regatta brings together Canada, the United States and Mexico’s top developmental junior athletes for friendly, high-level competition and a lifetime cultural experience. CanAmMex is “an important step in development toward potential future U.S. Junior National Team, Under 23 and Senior National Team opportunities.”

After competing at selection camp in New Milford, Connecticut, Krysten and her teammates traveled to Mexico and trained July 16-20 for racing July 21-22. CanAmMex 2012 took place at the Olympic Course on Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City. 

Congratulations Krysten, Danni, Maddy and Rebecca from all of us at Casitas Rowing!

More info:

USRowing Junior National Team News & Info 
USRowing CanAmMex Regatta info 
Casitas Rowing Programs
See the CanAmEx team photo at Row2k.com

Article by Barbara Hoyt for Casitas Rowing

Casitas Junior Team Rowers Featured on ESPN 1450am

Jake Coert and Krysten Menks Talk Rowing on Local Radio Show

Hear from Casitas Rowers Krysten Menks and Jake Coert on how they discovered rowing as a sport and what they’ve accomplished on the team at Lake Casitas.

Host Matt Jacen of ESPN Radio 1450 am “Bo’s Man Cave” features sports teams and celebrities on topics of local and national interest.  Matt asks Krysten and Jake their plans for competing this summer at the national level, college dreams, and their goals for the future.

Air date: May, 2012
Listen to the Interview (audio file):    

Also see: 
New Summer Program for Kids 6th-12th grades – Learn to Row
High School Team – Boys
High School Team – Girls 
Middle School Team

 
The Junior team at Casitas Rowing thrived in its fourth year thanks to its coaches, volunteers, donors, and a motivated, hard-working group of kids. Highlights of the season included:

• The team doubled in size from 20 to more than 40 athletes. Efforts led by a recruiting team with coach Wendy Gillett brought in novice rowers who learned fast and trained hard. Assistant Coaches Justine Avila and Christopher Galvan stepped up to support team growth.
• Senior Krysten Menks and Junior Jake Coert took their rowing performance to an elite level. Both received invitations to USRowing Junior National Team Selection Camps this June. Based on the camps, the two could earn spots at junior worlds competitions in Canada, Germany or Bulgaria.
• Representing Casitas Rowing’s first entry at USRowing Junior Nationals, Jake Coert qualified at the Southwest Regional Championships to race the single in Tennessee, June 8-10.
• At Championships, the team logged an average 34 second year-over-year improvement in racing times for 12 events entered both years; in addition the team entered 4 new events. 
• Performance improvements were seen throughout the racing season: Varsity, Novice and Freshman boats placed well and advanced to many more final events than any of the club’s previous 3 years.
• Six graduating seniors were honored at the team banquet: Luke Barnett, Hailey Johnson, Holly Johnson, Krysten Menks, Grant Morris, and Nick Van Hecke.
• Hailey Johnson was recruited to cox at University of San Diego; Holly Johnson to row at University of California San Diego, and Krysten Menks to row at University of Massachussetts, Amherst. All three girls received athletic scholarships.
• For season’s best erg times, the Novice Girls’ Hammer was awarded to Lizzy Peel and the Novice Boys’ Hammer to Aaron MacDonald. Krysten Menks and Jake Coert received the Varsity Girls’ and Boys’ Hammers.
• The Barbara M. Colven trophy is shared this year between Jake Coert and Kevin Wood.
• The Les Bennett award of ergs for training went to Lizzy Peel and Zach Boucher.

Congratulations to our strongest team yet. We’re proud of every one of these athletes for their effort and spirit, and very excited for the 2012-2013 season!

Also see:

New Summer Rowing Opportunities for Kids

The summer program for kids in middle school and high school will begin Saturday, June 16 for session 1 and Saturday, July 14 for Session 2. See our Learn to Row page. Act fast to secure a spot!

High School Team – Boys 
High School Team – Girls
Middle School Team
 

Nancy Rahnasto Osborne

Inspired by her son, a mom takes up rowing

On a recent Sunday morning at Lake Casitas, a mother and son pushed off from the dock in a recreational sculling boat and headed out for a row in the cool sunshine. “Mom” is new rower Nancy Rahnasto Osborne and her son is Alex Osborne of the United States National Team, who is currently undergoing selection trials for a seat at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (Update: Alex Osborne, U.S. Olympic Team Bio.)

This was Nancy’s first time in a boat with Alex, having only taken up the sport after seeing its impact on her son’s life. Alex had never been in a boat until college, when he walked on to the rowing team at Stanford. From there, he earned a spot on the men’s national team and now competes at the world championship level.

Impressed by his transformation not only as an athlete, but as a person, Nancy realized the sport of rowing had much to offer her as well. Her desire to learn evolved through dinner table conversations with Olympian Elle Logan to meeting senior veteran competitor Barbara Colven of Ojai. Now a year into her own rowing career, Nancy has made rapid progress and races as a Novice Masters rower with Casitas Rowing. She has a dream of not only teaming up with Alex in a parent-child double at Head of the Charles, but of forging her own path into the rowing world from what she considers the advantage of a fresh start in middle age.

And that first row on Lake Casitas with her son? Nancy was ecstatic: “It was like a dream. He is sooooo smooth. No jerking the boat. Just comfortable power. I am sure he was paddling at about 5 percent! He was a great coach there in the 1 seat. He told me to focus on keeping it smooth and straight.”

Read our Q&A with Nancy below.

Q: What was your impression of rowing based on Alex’s experience at Stanford and on the National Team?
A: Rowing is a very competitive sport that requires a whole lot of training. More time on the erg (rowing machine) than the water. You have to be dedicated to it. You train to do one thing– to win races. You aspire to be the strongest member of your team, and work together in the boat to make it the fastest.

Q: At what point did you decide to try rowing?
A: By the middle of Alex’s freshman year, I wished I had rowed at Harvard. At his races I began to think, wouldn’t it be something to row at the Head of the Charles someday. I pulled the trigger on that idea after having dinner with Alex and Elle Logan in Princeton two summers ago. She already had her first Olympic gold medal, a couple of world rowing championships, NCAA gold, etc. The conversation somehow switched from their summer U.S. team experiences to my interest in the sport. I said I was thinking about learning to row because it would be amazing to row in the Head of the Charles before I die. Elle exclaimed “Oh my god, I want to race there when I am in my 90′s too, but you’d beat me. Your body is fresh if you take up the sport right now. Mine will be worn out. Definitely start classes.” Alex said, “Yeah mom, you should do it.”

So with that endorsement, I signed up for 5 sculling lessons at Marina del Rey. I was so spastic. I loved it, but was afraid of everything, especially the boat traffic. Thought I might continue there until I looked at the Head of the Charles results in the 60+ age groups to see how many women competed and where they were from. That’s where I discovered Barbara Colven of Ojai with Casitas Rowing. I immediately went to Casitasrowing.org and signed up for the January 2011 Learn to Row.

Q: Impressions of that first Learn to Row?
A: I hadn’t been to Lake Casitas in about 15 years, so I wasn’t even sure where it was. Drove there and waited in line for the gate to open in the dark, bought my day use ticket. I was amazed at how coaches Eric and Wendy got the 24 of us on ergs, then into eights. I wasn’t terrorized like I had been in the single. And Lake Casitas was just so beautiful. When it was all over, I looked at the lake and said to myself, “this is home.” On the way out, I converted my day-use ticket to an annual pass.

Q: How often do you row?
A: Since last April, I’ve been on the water at Lake Casitas 4 times a week, 3 of those with the team. I continued sculling 4 times a week last summer in Massachussetts with Orleans Sculls and Sweeps, coached by Al Flanders. Both he and his wife Antje won their age categories at the Head of the Charles a couple of years ago. The waterway has a number of zigs and zags with buoys marking the course. It’s a great place to practice for the Head of the Charles. And it is just as scenic as Casitas.

Q: What goals have you set for your rowing?
A: Because I’m 58, I will never be the strongest woman on any team with younger rowers. But, I aspire to be at the top of my age group and to beat women younger than me. I have barely raced yet, so I don’t know how successful I can be. I’m going to reset my goals year by year as I progress and test myself. Right now, I’m just operating with the premise: if I train right, I will succeed.

Q: How has rowing changed your life?
A: At five months into rowing, my weight had dropped about 15lbs without me trying. I have lost another 8. Rowing has changed how I view my body. I respect my body more, eat better and drink less because I know that alcohol impedes muscle recovery. I reached the height of 5’10″ at the start of the 7th grade. And I was pretty much my current weight. This was 1967. The era of Twiggy. So most of my life I have felt like I was just too big. So when I was introduced to women rowers at Stanford and on the national team, I thought to myself, wow… if only I had done athletics when I was younger. But I am glad that I saved it for now. As other friends my age bemoan birthdays, I look forward to them because each year gives me a more favorable age handicap. I am in this for the long haul because I see how I am getting muscle back that aging had taken away. Rowing will help keep me healthy and strong.

I still want to be racing when they have to create the supreme veteran category for 90 year olds so it will be waiting for Elle when she gets there.

Q: Impressions of the Casitas club now that you’ve rowed awhile?
A: Casitas Rowing is a wonderful supportive and encouraging group of rowers. I like the fact that when I show up for practice, I never know if I will be in an 8, quad, double, who I’ll be rowing with, or if I’ll be out there in a single racing everyone else. Or, even be assigned coxswain duty for the day! I love that unknown. It keeps me fresh. Good practice for life. You never know what can happen, you just have to do the best with it. I am appreciative that Casitas has a decent fleet of training and racing boats. They do get a lot of use. I am pleased that I was able to find a gently used Fluidesign mid-weight Elite to call my own.

Nancy at Alex at Lake Casitas

Q: What’s it like to watch Alex’s career now that you are a rower yourself?
A: Now that I’m a novice masters rower, I am all the more amazed at my son’s rowing accomplishments. My husband and I are incredibly proud of everything about Alex–academic achievements, jobs and who he is. Rowing was just another sport he tried, but this one he was really good at. He told me about the erg training and tests, and I thought, well this is what he does. Now I know how extraordinary his investment in his success and his rowing accomplishments are. He’s one of the best in the U.S., trying to be one of the best in the world. It humbles me and makes me appreciate how hard I need to work and wonder if I am capable of that commitment.

Q: What does Alex think of mom following him into the sport?
A: He thinks it is great because he sees how I have gotten fitter. He gave my husband Al and I heart rate monitor watches for Christmas 14 months ago. He has agreed that at some point way in the future, he will be willing to do the parent/child double at the Head of the Charles with me! Imagine that?

Q: Any chance Al will take it up?
A: Al supports what I do. He does 30 minute pieces on the erg. Little chance we will get him out at the cold, crack of dawn to lug boats and oars to a frosty dock, and get on the water. Al was born and raised in hot steamy Panama!

By Barbara Hoyt for Casitas Rowing

See also:

Learn to Row
Adult Masters Rowing at Lake Casitas