Our guest speaker this week will be Snohomish County Councilman Dave Somers who represents District 5 which includes Lake Stevens. Councilman Somers will give us an update on the planning and funding for the Skate Park tht will be developed at Cavelero Park.
CONTEST: Be the first person to correctly identify the location from where the photograph at the top of our website and this bulletin was taken and win a fabulous prize. Deadline is 7:30 am Friday, October 9th. Send your guess to the Editor.
On Wednesday evening October 14th, our Club participated in the Beyond High School event at Lake Stevens High School. This is an annual event for students to learn about educational and employment opportunities after high school. Many colleges, universities, trade and technical schools were present as well as each branch of the military, the Washington State Patrol, and a few employers. We were there to roll out our Scholarship Program for 2016 and promote our Interact Club. We had many visitors to our table including prospective members.
This is Hayden P., Youth Member of Interact and Holly Noyes, one the Interact Club Advisory Committee Members.
Also helping out this evening were Reshal Ploeger, Tracy DeLorm, Jim Steinruck and James Monroe. Thank you to one and all who helped make this evening a success for our Rotary Club.
Last week's program featured Al Erickson on the history of the rowing at the University of Washington. Al is the son of legendary Husky Crew Coach Dick Erickson and a member of the Rotary Club of Arlington. Wow, what a presentation. From a brief history of the UW Crew to a video of the Boys in the Boat victory at the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany.
Rowing in the United States is relatively new in comparison to the origins dating back to Ancient Egyptian times. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University.
Al Erickson with his father, Dick Erickson, in San Diego
It wasn't until 1903 that the UW football coach started the UW rowing crew competing in the first intercollegiate rowing race between California and Washington. Over 5,000 people showed up on the shores and by boat to watch the first race. James Knight and the first crew had to make trips to California via steamship. Rowing at UW actually dates back to 1901 when the first Class Day race was held. Rowing at UW wasn't considered a major sport until 1904. James Knight led the UW team to its first Pacific Coast Championship, rowing in a four-oared shell. Hiram Conibear, whom some regard as the founding father of Husky crew, started a spectacular coaching career in a rather unspectacular fashion. He took over the Husky crew without any eight-oared shells and no basic knowledge of the dynamics of rowing. Undaunted by the challenges at hand, he began raising the voluntary funds to purchase two new shells. Conibear converted an old lighthouse from the Alaska Exposition to the first Husky shell house.
Dick Erickson became the Husky Crew Coach in 1967 after serving four years as the freshman coach. Erickson was one of the crew members that played the biggest part in the program's history. In 1958 under Al Ulbrickson's leadership, the crew had to go undefeated during the racing season to qualify for the prestigious Henley Regatta. They beat California, Stanford and the University of British Columbia to earn the right to row in England. The 1958 UW crew defeated the Russians in Moscow. Dick Erickson coached from 1966 to 1988 when he retired.
His son, Al was part of the UW crew when his father was the coach. An assistant coach suggested that the coach promote his son from the freshman crew to the varsity crew. Al was in the two seat of the varsity boat from 1980-82. During this period, he won three Pacific 10 championships and went undefeated in 1981 until a loss to the British National team for the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley. Al got back into the sport in 2004. In 2006 he won a Masters National Championship in the men's eight. Al lives in Everett and has a dental practice Arlington. The Erickson family has been a major part of the UW crew history and its successes.
There is a lot of history of the UW Crew which was made even more famous by the book "Boys in the Boat". Another great program for our Rotary Club members and prospective members.
Rotary District 5050's Networking Plus was rolled out to the Lake Stevens community this week. Networking Plus is an innovative networking tool designed by Mount Baker Rotarian Greg Penner. If you are looking for a Rotarian owned business or a business that has Rotarian employees you can use this tool to find it. If you are a Rotarian you can use this tool to promote your company. Use the links here or on our home page to find a company or register your company. Networking Plus uses the robust Google Maps location software to visually display to potential customers where the business is located. Start exploring Networking Plus and support Rotary owned and operated companies.
"Primarily Rotary seeks to apply the theory of service to business and community life...This is expressed in the first part of our code of ethics: To consider my vocation worthy and as affording me a distinct opportunity to serve society. He Profits Most Who Serves Best is a less ideal expression, but the suggestion of egoism is removed by the added words Service Above Self."
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