Still April 17, 2007 post...this time carrying the boat back to the boathouse.

Very proud and excited.

Pedro looking out at the crew and bay area.

I could tell a mile away how happy, excited, and proud Cameron was with his first time ever in a single. He was beaming from ear to ear the whole night. Here, Amy and Josh are talking with Cameron about his first time out.

April 17, 2007 Docking for the first time in a SINGLE

The second oar.....not so much. Just a little bit tricky.

Getting the first oar...easy!

Whew, he made it! I had to take these pictures from the upper bank. Cameron was getting embarrassed by me always being in everyones face and snapping pics all the time but I refuse to miss a thing in his growing process...especially this!

This is the tricky part of the docking...not to ram your boat into the dock. Of course he was no going all that fast to actually run into the dock but every bump 'hurts' the boat so a rower must take care.

I have to tell you that this was one of the most difficult days that I endured. That and his first race ever and his first single race (will be coming soon). Here he is in that same FIRST session in a single docking his boat for the first time. He was so proud of that moment and still is to this day. Helping him, on the dock, was Josh Faubion. Josh was and still is (now graduated and in the armed forces) a great supporter and has given Cameron so much support in this sport.

April 17, 2007 In a SINGLE for the first time!

Caught up...would like to be!

Wow, the new season of crew starts today and as I look over the 06-07 season seems like a lifetime ago. So many changes in our life and so many changes in my son. I truly need to get this blog caught up to present (or skip) so I can post current things.

April 13, 2007 Practice photos

What the dock looks like after everyone returns with their boats. So many oars.

Cameron getting his oars.

DOCKED!

This is the quad heading to the dock area to 'park' the boat. The kids say it is easy and most of the time they make it look easy...but...I am glad it is not a car.

A view from Amy's perspective while she is coaching this quad. This is one of my absolute favorite things to do and that is to hop in the launch and go with her on the lake. I always feel like I am intruding...she never does....but I know this is the coach/rower time and there I am just snapping away. I love the launch photos though.

All of these pictures were taken in practice on April 13, 2007. It was a chilly day for sure. The next several photos are from this practice so sit back, and watch the kids in the yellow boat.

Ben-gal Sarah!

My sister and Kylie stopped by to join in on the fun. The above picture was published on the Ben-Gals website. I was so happy..my first published photo on the web and my great niece was in it.

Sarah was a real trooper and we just loved her to pieces. She posed with everyone that wanted a picture and said she had a blast and said to ask for her again for whatever we needed.

David and I sent letters to the PR department at Bengals and he spoke to the head of the cheerleaders (who absolutely adores David) and we were able to get a Marvin Lewis signed football to raffle off and get Sarah, a Ben-gal cheerleader) to come to our Ergathon to raise more money for us. Unfortunately, the location of where we were was not the greatest and we did not bring in as much as anticipated..but that would change for the future ergathons....my mind was racing with ways to make it better for next year!

more pics from the ergathon

Here are several pictures from the ergathon. The coaches group the kids in teams of 4 by school (since the Spring season is scholastic). Cameron was the only homeschooler and there were only one other students from the schools listed on his team. Pedro also helped out on his team to make up the fourth person. They (the team Cameron was on) ultimately took first place and won a free sandwhich coupon from Frisch's.

March 17, 2007 Ergathon

The annual Ergathon Fundraiser is just that...an annual event that the team participates in to raise funds for their Spring fees. It is fun and up until this point I had no clue what an ergathon is. Boy, was that going to change. Here is a picture of everyone setting up at the ergathon at Biggs in Eastgate.

Spring 2007 Season

The Spring 2007 Season started off with an Open House from 10-1 on February 24, 2007. The club often has these open houses and learn to row and national learn to row days to get the community aware that we are there and that the sport is viable for people in Clermont County. Affordable too..I should say!

The 2007 Spring Season's calendar is was:

Feb 24 Open House 10-1
Feb 26 First day of practice 3:30-5:30
Mar 17 Ergathone 11:30-2:30 Biggs
Mar 22, 23, and 24 Masters Learn To Row (adult rowing)
Mar 7 Scrimmage at East Fork
Mar 14 Scrammage at East Fork
April 21 Golf Outing fundraiser
April 27-28 Oakridge, TN
May 5 City Championships at East Fork
May 12 Midwest Scholastic Championships at East Fork
May 19 Midwest Junior Rowing Championships at East Fork
May 25-26 Scholastic Nationals in NJ (only those who qualiy)

Definitely seems packed that is for sure but the season flew by. This season would beging the start of Cameron's single venture. Because the team was classified as scholastic that ment the rules state that he much row for the school district he is in. Our club is a club that is made up of all the area schools and we are nonprofit BTW.

Beginning of off-season training.

Cameron's first off-season training began in November of 2006 and forged through February. The team met at the boathouse and brr was it cold. It was fun though (so Cam says) and big heaters were running at times to keep the chill out. That winter I was so ill with some kind of weird stomach infection and I felt horrid that I could not get Cameron over there are much as I wanted to but he did get to participate and train with the best of them. Also, during the off season training there are indoor competitions (we did not go to any personally or as a team during the 2006-07 season) but the team does do a Noel run every year and that is at Lunken Airport. Cameron did not participate in that during this time either. I know this post is all about what we did and did not do during this season but I would like to keep an accurate record for future "looking back" and remembering and for my scrapbooking journey for Cam.

Head of Speakmon Regatta

Keeping this post open for the video and/or pics.

First race for novices: Head of Speakmon, Columbus OH

During the Fall novice season the only regatta that the kids get to participate in is the last one of the season. For Cameron's and the other 7 boys and cox (Emily) their race was in Columbus and it was called Head of Speakmon. I am looking for photos of that race...I do have video. Now, I have figured out how to get the pics on here...I have to work on the video. Another mother took this video and then put music to it...have to work on it folks. In the mean time I will work on finding some photos of this time.

Beauty all around me!

While I was "lurking" that one October day...trying to get some shots of the kids and trying not to be noticed so I won't embarass my son...I noticed I was amongst some beautiful pics of my own and decided to take some shots for me. Here they are.

Paparazzi Mom

These pics were taken in October of 2006 while "lurking" through the woods at the Lake...trying to get that one great pic in just the right setting/lighting/props...you name it...I was on a mission.

I was nicknamed Paparazzi Mom by the kids in 2006. I was at every practice..lurking..then graduated to riding in the launch because my lens was not telephoto enough to get just that right pic. Yes, I know, I am a sick, sick woman!! LOL My purpose to taking all the pics is just this, to document everything. I knew I would not be able to go back and reconstruct things on my own without pictures. Those that know me..know..I love my camera and I LOVE taking pictures. Cameron gets a little tired of me being in his face all the time but I want my snippets of time captured so I can talk to my grandkids about it one day.

East Fork, Harsha Lake

Beautiful East Fork, Harsha Lake. This was taken in October 2006 of Cameron's novice year.

Here are some more pics of Amy and Pedro taken during Cameron's novice year at different times, different days, in different practices. I guess I am trying to say...to all those reading (not!) that they are not in order by date.

2006 coaches

Here is a picture of both coaches in September of 2006. Of course, you know Amy now and the other gent in the picture is Pedro, the varsity coach.

Amy is now the varsity coach and we have gone through a novice change yet again. The first novice coach after Amy was Dawn. She was really good. She left us to start a family and focus on her life. Now, we have Brent. Wow, is all I can say about him. He is one heck of a coach too! More on this later. I am trying to keep all this in somewhat of an order and sequence so I won't jump all over the place and lose you. Heck, who and I typing to at this point. I have no readers or comments...so I guess I would be losing my self. Well, note to self...I am already lost!!! Ha Ha

Amy, the novice coach.

Cameron's novice coach was Amy Condrey. What an absolutely wonderful person this gal it!!! She was exactly what I needed to let Cameron go into this sport. She is kind, beautiful, and a great, great, great coach. The first day of practice she had over 40 kids. She was all over that dock...showing each and everyone of them the parts of a boat, how to get in, and safety tips. As you can see in the pics below she took care of everyone and then turned to watch her new pupils put what she just told them into action. She is truly a blessing to the team and to our family.

Novice year

In the sport of rowing, a rower starts out his first year as a novice. Then after that one year period the rower moves up to varsity. Also all the pics right now show that the boats are sweeping which means each rower and seat has one oar. This was the beginning of my son's novice year.

9/14/2006 more first day pics