The Bubbly Creek Rowing Foundation invites you to bring your family and friends, pack some food and drinks, connect with fellow alumni and friends of NU Crew, and cheer the crew as it opens its 2009-2010 season at the North Shore Channel Challenge (NSCC)!

The NSCC features head races between varsity boats of several Midwest collegiate club crews. Races run south along the channel and finish near the crew’s current home, the Dammrich Rowing Center. The North Shore Channel is a great venue for viewing a regatta including multiple bridges with great views, a biking and running trail along side the majority of the course, and a grassy area near the finish for cheering.

For those interested in rowing competitively, this year the NSCC will include an Alumni & Friends Race, where boats comprised of NU Crew alumni and friends will race a shorter (approximately 2,500 meter) course. Alumni boats from other crews attending are also being invited to race.

In addition to the regatta, an informal post-race get together will be held at a local Evanston restaurant or bar.

NSCC Alumni Letter&Invitation
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NSCC Information Packet
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For more detailed information about the race (e.g., directions, parking, schedule, etc.) and how the event fits into our fundraising calendar, view or download the info packet above or continue reading.

Besides cheering on the crew, the NSCC is also an opportunity for alumni and friends of NU Crew to provide financial support to the team.

As you know, rowing is an expensive sport, which at Northwestern is funded primarily through club dues and fundraising. Over the years, NU Crew has achieved notable success at the national level. For example, last year, both the women’s lightweight four and the women’s novice four won gold at the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Championships (national championships for collegiate club crews). While a number of factors contribute to fielding a competitive team, two enduring elements are keeping boats, oars and other equipment in good repair, and traveling to regattas. Expenses related to these items typically consume around half of the team’s approximately $100,000 annual operating budget.

Here, we ask that you make a donation of any amount to help the crew defer the costs of maintaining its equipment and travelling to regattas. Our goal is to raise $5,000 during the academic year. While modest, meeting this goal would defray about 10% of these expenses (for comparison, annual dues for varsity members run around $1,500).

Please go here for instructions as to how to make a gift to the crew’s operating account by donating to Northwestern. Alternatively, donations can be made to the Grava Family Crew Fund (“Fund”), an “expendable endowment” established with the University by the founders of NU Crew. The Fund is a vehicle by which to provide for the future needs of the crew while remaining accessible to the crew to fund current needs. If you are interested in giving to the Fund, please email Mark Klitgaard, a member of the NSCC organizing committee, at mark.klitgaard@bubblycreek.org. All those who donate will be recognized as members of the 2009-2010 “NU Blade Society” whose names will be posted in the team’s erg room as a visible reminder of our interest in their success. All those who donate during the year will also receive a recognition certificate.

For those rowers and coxswains wanting to participate in the Alumni&Friends Race, a registration fee of $25 is requested (which will be counted as part of any donation). In addition, please email Mark Klitgaard, a member of the NSCC organizing committee, at mark.klitgaard@bubblycreek.org, by Friday September 25, 2009 to confirm your seat.

Finally, a note about how the NSCC fits into the year’s calendar of events and financial solicitations to support the Crew. The NSCC is intended to be the major participatory event during the year at which alumni and friends are encouraged to come together in Evanston, cheer and financially support the team, and if interested, row.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2009 North Shore Channel Challenge! GO U! NU!