Northville Rowers make it to Mackinac in Annual Row-A-Thon!

Thanks to the generous support of the Northville community, the Northville Rowing Club (NRC) raised over $6,000 this past weekend during their annual Row-a-thon. The Northville Rowing Club is a co-ed team of Northville High School athletes. NRC got its start in the fall of 2010 and competed in its first regatta in the spring of 2011. Rowers collected pledges from family, friends and community members – just like you see for a bowl-a-thon or walk-a-thon. In addition, each rower chose several Northville businesses to approach for sponsorship of the event.

As Crew is a club activity rather than a school sponsored sport, NRC relies on the financial support of its members and the community. To raise funds, the rowers took to their rowing machines (ergometers) to downtown Northville with the goal of rowing over four hundred miles from Detroit to Mackinac. Thirty-four rowers took one-hour shifts on nine rowing machines – most athletes rowing at least twice, a few rowing three times – and completed over 415 miles for the cause.

Rowing for two hours isn’t uncommon for these student athletes. “Since we were giving up practice time for this event, I wanted the rowers to get a real workout,” said Coach Russ Miller. “I wanted them to work hard, raise awareness of the sport and also raise money.” Athletes practice daily after school during the fall and spring on Ford Lake in Ypsilanti, and compete in Scholastic Regattas throughout Michigan and Ohio on the weekends. When the Michigan weather turns too cold or is too windy to be on the water, the team trains on rowing machines at Northville high school.

Parents of the athletes believe they achieved the goals set by the team. “While the kids were rowing, drivers slowed to have a look and people stopped to watch and talk about what was happening,” commented NRC Fundraising chair Suzanne Robinson. “Part of our goal is to raise awareness that Northville has a rowing club and we accomplished this goal”.

A BIG thank you goes out to our very generous sponsors and many individual donors including:

· AkzoNobel

· Bailey and Shamoun Interiors

· Bricks

· Busch’s

· Dolfin Marineand Industrial Centrifuges

· Great Harvest Bread Co.

· IAQ Management Services, Inc.

· Island Realty

· Intuitive Marketing and Engineering

· Kelly & Kelly P.C.

· LECOLE Planners

· Patti Mullen & Associates Remerica

· Plymouth Dental Associates

· Roush

· Sizzling sticks

· Spinergy

· Starring The Gallery

· Tom Holzer Ford

· Varsity Lincoln

· Advanced Periodontics Implantology

· Alpine Cleaners

· Celebrity Pets Co.

· Custard Time

· Expressions Music

· Healthy Jones

· Honey Tree

· Intuitive Marketing and Engineering

· Jack’s Barber Shop

· KB Jewelers

· McNutt Dental Care

· Michigan Custom Builder

· MKC - Michigan Kitchen Cabinets

· Northville Barbers

· Northville Sports Den

· Performers Edge Dance Company

· Poole’s Tavern

· Rebecca’s Family Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlor

· Russell Design

· Stitching post

· Tangles Hair Salon

· VisionIT

· Xuereb Law Group

· Yogurt City

· The Image Center for Psychological Health. Dr. Michael Behen

· Candle Wick Shoppe

· OHM

A special thanks goes out to Bob and Margene Buckhave and their Church Square Shops for graciously allowing this event to occur in their courtyard for a third year in a row. The Buckhaves have supported the team from the very beginning, donating practice space, before the team was able to locate space within the high school.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to Northville Rowing Club, interested in more information or wanting to experience the excitement of a regatta, is encouraged to visit the Club’s website at www.NorthvilleRowing.com