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A
Message from Bob Ernst
In
spite of our stiff, composite equipment, the placement of the
runners in the shell, and the stroke adjustments required by the
differences, we have never forgotten George Pocock’s classic
summation of rowing: “It’s a symphony of motion.” No one before or
since has spoken so artfully about our sport’s harmony, balance
and rhythm, and his lessons continue to be instilled in our
athletes today.
I was reminded of
that as I sat to compose these words for our annual appeal – the
connections between the generations, the traditions, the
possibility that rowing may be the single team sport that allows
athletes to glimpse true perfection. Perhaps that opportunity is
part of its appeal; perhaps that is one reason alumni remember
their time here so fondly; perhaps that’s why so many rowers were
successful students who went on to successful lives.
We Husky rowers
are a unique family with an unmatched legacy. It follows that we
must do all we can to ensure that future generations have the
opportunity to experience what we experienced, to succeed where we
succeeded, and, yes, to fail where we failed, and to learn from
all of it.
Please consider a gift to the program this year. It
need not be large. We simply want each of you to become a regular
contributor to what some have called the finest collegiate rowing
program in North America. Thanks for considering a gift. |
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Head of the Charles
In late October, the women’s and
men’s varsity traveled to Boston along with 8,200 other rowers
(including many Seattleites and Husky alumni) to compete in the 2006
Head of the Charles Regatta. This storied three mile, upstream
competition had over 50 events and drew a quarter million spectators.
Our men and women rowed in the last two events on Sunday, the men’s
and women’s Championship Eights, and both stood out.
The Huskies have been absent from the Head of the
Charles since 2002 when a UW women’s four finished first in an 18
entry, college crew field. And this event marked the first time a
Husky men’s crew has competed in the Boston regatta. Racing against 42
teams from around the world, the Husky men finished second behind the
U.S. National Team.
The women raced against 46 crews, a field that
also including the women’s U.S. National Team. Our squad finished
sixth.
The annual appeal gifts made to the rowing
program last year helped make the trip to the Head of the Charles
possible. And they also helped make life-long memories for the
athletes. Thank you. |
For more rowing images, please go to
Husky Crew website. |
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Not A
Single Arm Was Twisted
When we announced the annual
appeal last fall, we were certain you hadn’t forgotten the commitment
and passion of your years in the boats, and we were equally certain
that you would respond to an intelligent appeal.
We made no fund raising telephone calls and we
scheduled no face-to-face meetings. We used information and logic and
delivered it by means of this newsletter. We outlined the competitive
recruiting situation faced by the program, gave details on our
financial position compared to other elite programs, and you responded
like Huskies at the finish line. You contributed more than $100,000 in
cash contributions and funded new endowment trusts totaling $400,000.
And not a single arm was twisted.
That response caught our attention in two ways:
first, that so many more of you stepped up with a contribution than
had in prior years; and second, that so few of you contributed. It
sounds contradictory but it’s true.
How many Husky rowing alumni are out there? How
many with just a year or two in the shells and how many who rowed four
years? How many folks have had sons or daughters grow up in the
program? How many fans do we have who came to the sport by a different
route? We don’t know – some have suggested the number exceeds 10,000;
some pick a lower number. What we do know is that our address list is
approaching 3000 subscribers and of that number about 130 people
contributed to the program last year. Think of it: 130 contributors,
less than five percent of our subscriber base. We took a huge step
forward but we’ve got lots room for growth.
What sort of impact can you make with a gift?
Consider this single example. A year ago, with the promise of
scholarship dollars to back his recruiting efforts – a part of which
we promised we would convince you to contribute – Michael Callahan
gathered one of the finest freshmen groups in UW history. They won the
Class Day regatta and on June 8 they capped their year with the
National Championship at the IRA. Make no mistake; those 130 of you
who contributed last fall were in that gold medal boat.
Without you and your support, this thing can’t
work over the long term, at least not at the elite level. The program
has needs in every category: equipment, travel funds, scholarships,
and coaching salaries. We need your help. We need you to make your
annual contribution an annual habit. We need twice as many donors this
fall and twice as many dollars donated.
If you rowed at the University, you know that you
took far more from the program than you will donate back to it. But
you can begin (or continue) working on that debt by writing a check.
Almost everyone reading this newsletter can afford to send $25 or
more, and there are hundreds who can afford to write checks for $1000
or more. Send what you can afford. Today. Now. If you gave $10 or $25,
double it this year. If you gave $100, consider increasing it to $200.
If you gave $1000, consider $2500. Let’s keep this great thing going.
Let’s make giving back an annual habit. |
For most up to date news, please visit
www.huskycrew.com |
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Giving Demystified
Giving to the University can be
confusing because so many departments make appeals. To take the
mystery out of the process, here are answers to FAQ’s.
Q: Can I use my company’s matching
gift program to double my Husky Crew donation?
A: The answer is almost certainly yes so be sure
to pick up whatever form your company requires and get it to us as
soon as possible. In most cases, employers require that the paperwork
for matching gifts be completed by the end of the year.
Q: Can I direct my Tyee Seat-Related
Gift to the rowing program?
A: No. Revenue from Tyee Seat-Related Gifts goes
into the operating fund of the Athletic Department. The rowing program
receives a small fraction of that.
Q: How about the Tyee Scholarship
Gift opportunity on the Tyee Club form?
A: These donations underwrite scholarships for
all Husky sports except men’s crew.
Q: Isn’t there a way to give directly
to the rowing program?
A: Yes. Circle “crew” on the third Tyee option
and fill in the amount of a gift which is made in addition to
your Tyee Seat-Related Gift.
Q: How can I simplify this and get the
money where I want it to go?
A: Easy. Make your crew gift separately with the
form provided in this newsletter.
Q: Can I designate how my donation will
be used?
A: Absolutely. See the form and direct as you
wish.
Q: Can I designate a gift in my will?
A: Yes. See the article that follows.
Q: What about an endowment made now?
A: Endowments make elite level rowing possible.
You have two options. Either direct your contribution to an
established endowment (see form), or establish one in your name.
Q: What is the minimum endowment gift?
A: The University requires a minimum gift of
$50,000 for new endowments. Additions of any amount can be made after
the endowment is established.
Q: Must I make an endowment gift in one
instalment?
A: Not necessarily. The gift can be spread over
two or three years.
Q: How do I set it up?
A: Make your interest known on the form that
follows and we will call you.
Q: What's the deal with the mailer
I received last week from the UW Foundation?
A: The Foundation has begun to use mailings and
student telephoning to improve the retention rate among athletics
donors.
Q: Do I give to them or directly to
the rowing program?
A: We recommend you fill out the form on the
back of this page, select how you want your gift applied, and mail
the check directly to us.
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2006-2007 Annual Appeal Donation Form
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If can't see the form on your left, please click on
one of the icons below to download it on your computer.
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US Rowing’s Athletes of the Year
We were delighted one month ago to
learn that Anna Mickelson ’02 and Brett Newlin ’05 were named U.S.
Rowing’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Anna, a six time national team member, was a
member of the U.S. women’s eight that won an Olympic silver medal in
2004. Last summer at the FISA World Rowing Championships she rowed in
both the women’s eight and the four, winning a gold medal in the
former and fourth in the latter. She also won gold at a FISA World Cup
event in Lucerne, Switzerland, last summer in a pair, and gold in an
eight at Henley.
Other than a Husky gold winning effort at Henley
in 2003, Brett is new to international competition. He has been a
member of the U.S. National Team for only a year and a half. But he
made a name for himself quickly among the world’s elite by stroking
the U.S. four to a fourth place finish at the 2006 FISA World
Championships. You will remember the report he wrote for last month’s
edition of this newsletter on that event. Rumors have filtered back to
us from his National Team colleagues that his skills with a Karaoke
mike might equal his rowing skills. Maybe someone will have the
courage to send a video clip to our website
www.huskycrew.com.
In the article reporting his selection as Male
Athlete of the Year, Brett publicly thanked University of Washington
alumni (individuals and the 101 Club) who helped him cover some of the
early costs of his participation in international competition.
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Planned Giving
We are not professional fund
raisers, just people like you with an interest in one thing: ensuring
that future generations have the opportunity to participate in this
clean, healthy, spectacularly difficult and beautiful sport. That’s
why we come to you once a year with this annual appeal and that’s why
we hope you will respond to it.
Maturity brings reflection and reflection often
focuses on life’s choices. Old oars who reflect remember lasting
friendships, races won or nearly won, or maybe something as simple as
a dark, damp, cold morning when they muttered: “Why am I doing this?”
For some, the physical and mystical sense of power and well being they
possessed as rowers is triggered by nothing more than the scent of the
lake on an early May morning.
When you think back on the worthwhile things you
are doing in life – marriage, children, a career, friends, civic
contributions – we think you will remember your time in the program as
a period of supreme passion and dedication and perhaps as a time when
the true nature of your character was formed. If you have arrived at
this knowledge and you feel you have a debt to pay, consider a planned
gift as a way to achieve balance in the equation.
If making a place in your will for the Husky
rowing program makes sense, call your attorney to discuss a bequest.
When the legal work is done, the attorney will want to contact the
Athletic Department so write down these names and numbers. Senior
Associate Athletic Director Scott Barnes can be reached on (206)
221-3664, and Associate Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen can be
reached on (206) 221-4850. Scott and Jennifer are friends of the
program and planned giving professionals. Call now and get the process
underway? |
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