Introductions

[[old] Pete Marston]

I was just having a quick look at the "ducks in a row" introductions thread, and thought that was quite a good idea. We all pick up little bits of info about each other, but we don't really know much. Some of us don't realise the variety of people we have posting here, and the level of knowledge available on many subjects. Olympic medalists, various sporting record holders, medical doctors, etc etc.<br /><br />So if you want to take the time to write a post about yourself, as much or as little as you like, then I for one would be interested to read it. Anything from what you do for a living, whether you're married and have kids, erging background / other sporting background, life ambitions, interesting hobbies or interests. Anything really. I'll write mine later on when I'm home from work.<br /><br />Pete

[[old] Bayko]

Sounds good Pete. I'll take a shot.<br /><br />Short version.<br /><br />Past: Ex-Catholic school, Ex-bowler, Ex-baseball player, Ex-soldier, Ex-schoolteacher, Ex-husband (7 yrs), Ex-publisher, Ex-marathon runner .<br /><br />Current: Cool dude in a loose mood. Husband (23 yrs), father, shopkeeper, erger, proud owner of a 1997 Black Thunderbird special edition with V-8 engine leather seats alloy wheels and rear spoiler. Like music. Like chasing C2 incentives. Love watching my clone (17-year-old son) grow to manhood. Simultaneously Love & Loathe the pressure-cooker situation of tight competitions. <br /><br />Rick/57/m/lwt/USA/6:55.7

[[old] Ducatista]

Vade in pace, Bayko. I'm ex-Catholic School myself.<br /><br />Also ex-C2 forum, AnnS in my former forum life. Happy to be back!<br /><br />Bought a Model C in 1994, gave it to my mom to keep for several years, got it back a few years ago. Got sucked back in to erging by the '02 Holiday Challenge and fell into a good groove for a couple years. Lapsed last year when Mom got seriously ill, never quite picked back up (neither did she, but she was 83 and satisfied and she went her way—we should all be so lucky).<br /><br />I'm on the board again now because motorcycling season is a scant month away here in Wisconsin, and I plan to drag plenty of knee this year. Hard to do when you're out of shape (hanging off in the twisties or on the track amounts to doing squats for hours on end), so it's back in the boat for me. <br /><br />Oh, and I turn 40 in six weeks. I won't be down to fighting trim by then, but as long as I'm moving in the right direction I'll be ready to bid my 30s a fond farewell. They were great, but on to better things.<br /><br />The Cliff Notes of the rest: live just off the Capitol Square in Madison WI with husband and two cats. Glad to live in a blue state. Production director (aka ass kicker) for one of the best ad agency/design firms around. Very fond of beer. Not so fond of winter. Just hired a woman who coxes for the local rowing club, so may get pulled back out onto the water this summer, though riding fills most of my free time when the weather's fine. Weapon of choice: '04 Triumph Daytona 955i. <br /><br />No athletic records, but I can cross one eye at a time.

[[old] RacerX]

Aaron here. I am 44 and live in Fairfield CT with my wife Julie and our one year old, Ivy. I grew up in San Diego and started racing triathlons in 1979. It was really great to be part of a sport as it invented itself. I did about 150 triathlons including 3 Ironman's. Since leaving San Diego I have not participated in any competitive sports, though stayed fit running and masters swimming. Since 1990 I have lived in San Francisco, New York, London. Geneva and now CT.<br /><br />For work I run sales in North America for an HR services firm. My work is most interesting for all the travel involved. I have slowed it down a lot since the birth of my daughter - but 2003 for example had me on three round the world trips and about 17 countries.<br /><br />My wife and I are still adjusting to a more suburban lifestyle, and that is where rowing comes in. I have had a Concept 2 for years, and used it only occasionally to cross-train. I did scull in the late '70's before I got into Triathlons. But being new to the community we decided that we needed to change things up a bit. So we joined the Saugatuck rowing club and I am looking forward to my first season on the water in a very long time! It has made me concentrate on the C2 a lot more diligently.<br /><br />In addition to my family, current passions are snowboarding (still hunting for the best double blacks out East), Vinyasa Yoga and motorcycles. Current weapon of choice is a Ducati 999...only a couple of months until track days....Or maybe the Craftsbury sculling center. Too many interests, too little time....<br /><br />Aaron<br />

[[old] psaint]

I started back on the C2 I've had for 18 years. It's always been love/hate on the rower. Great workout but hated doing it. Started back with an upgraded PM3 and RowPro and it really does make it more enjoyable.<br />

[[old] Pete Marston]

I live and work in a small town about 30miles west of London, UK. Work as a research scientist (and am a Chartered Mathematician) doing research, development and testing of (military) aircraft escape systems. A fair bit of trials work involved testing parachutes, ejection seats, and various components to do with them. Also a fair bit of report writing, and some computer modelling and data analysis. Enjoy sport, used to play a lot of rugby, and have played most sports at some time. Have a private pilots licence, and love to fly, but haven't done for just over a year - will get back to it soon.<br /><br />Been erging since late summer 2001, and competing since Oct 2001. Only rowed in a boat once - a double scull with Paul Smith, near Seattle. Been to crash B's once, BIRC 3 times, and Euro champs once. Probably done 25 or so erg races at a guess (well, 25 events, closer to 65 actual races). Have done a fair bit of erg relay racing - mens and mixed 100k's, HM, and many 5k and 3k's.<br /><br />Own my own house, and live there with my fiance (Janice, who posts on here too). 27 years old.

[[old] DavidA]

Pete,<br /> I also liked their idea, and am glad that you picked up on it. After being on the forum for some time you see that there is an incredible variety of people here: musicians, athletes, scientists, students, retirees, dancing oil-rig workers, old, young, tall, short, many different countries, and on and on and on. I find it quite fascinating - all the different people, and also would like to know a little more about them.<br /> I am 44, always enjoyed being active (bicycled everywhere, including cross-country trips a few times), but wasn't really in any organized sports - too small. I was on the crew team for a short time as a freshman, but couldn't race on Saturdays, and didn't want to be a coxswain. Started erging a little over 10 years ago, and love doing it.<br /> I work for an engineering software company, producing and debugging all UI related issues for all languages other than English. I also have a background in Chemistry, Metallurgy and Materials Science.<br /> I am married and have 5 kids: girl (17), boy (16), girl (13), boy (9) and girl (4), and our own house. My wife is a physician, so we are both pretty busy, and appreciate having exercise equipment at home so we can exercise, if and when , we get the time.<br /> I am hoping to stay on the 10000 m/day chart for this year, but as an Orthodox Jew, I am not allowed to erg on the Sabbath or Holidays, so that I means I actually have to do little over 12,046 m/day.

[[old] John Hart]

John, 42, 200 lbs (91kg), 6’ 3”, location: a suburb of Boston MA, USA.<br /><br />Past: serious knee injury during a high school basketball game. Attacked rehab with a passion, ran college track while majoring in physics and history. Road cyclist/xc skier/whitewater kayaker after college and until 2001, lots of miles in my body. In retrospect, the injury was a good thing, because even now, 25 years later, if forces me to keep active and fit, otherwise the knee starts hurting.<br /><br />Present: married, two step kids and a lovable lab named Lily. Since college I have worked as a hydrologist for environmental consulting firms. The past 4 years have been somewhat lacking for exercise, at least in comparison to the 1980s and 1990s, but started using a Concept2 erg in October 2004. I have found the erg to be an excellent way to get a time efficient and body friendly workout, while not being dependant on daylight or weather. Erging also allows me to be home and it is the only stationary device that I can stand using, thus it has become the foundation of my exercise program. I have lost 15 pounds since October. With only a few PR attempts, my erg times are dropping like a stone. Still working on building up a base on the erg and have not done any intervals yet. <br /><br />I enjoy hiking, xc skiing and mtn biking with the wife, kids, friends and Lily or just solo. Other hobbies include reading and turning off the TV. Hope to get on the water a bit this year, including maybe even some of the Wednesday evening and Sunday morning flatwater kayaking/canoeing races nearby in Weston as well as some cycling TTs. I have never rowed on water. <br /><br />Current PRs: 2k 6:50 (only one attempt), 5k 18:07 (weak, soon to fall), 10k 36:55 (recent) <br />Goals by 15 Oct 2005: 2k 6:35, 5k 17:20, 10k 35:45, sub 2:50 marathon<br />

[[old] Ducatista]

<!--QuoteBegin-Pete Marston+Mar 1 2005, 11:00 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Pete Marston @ Mar 1 2005, 11:00 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I was just having a quick look at the "ducks in a row" introductions thread, and thought that was quite a good idea. </td></tr></table><br />Good idea, yup. But it'll work better if you make this thread sticky, or pin it, or whatever this BB software calls it when you force a thread to stay at the top of the list.<br /><br />Can the originator do that? Or a moderator?

[[old] gorow9]

Hey all,<br />I'm Sara, I'm fifteen so unfortunatly I'm a highschool student. I've rowed for about 4 or 5 years with a break somewhere in there. <br /><br />Other than rowing I do horseback riding, biking, hiking, kayaking, I'd like to take up climbing but I lack in the money and resources... I also like nordic skiing but only get to go occasionally because I haven't relented and bought a pair although this winter it seems like it'd be worth it concidering there's barely been a day without at least a dusting of snow. I also like acting and tech theater too. <br />~Sara

[[old] c2jonw]

Hi Sarah, Years ago, before indoor rock gyms were invented, I got into bouldering in part because it was so cheap. If there are rocks nearby that's all you need. Tight-fitting sneakers work fine, and you follow the simple rule of not climbing any higher than you are prepared to fall. If you decide that you like it, you can buy the equipment over time. The point is, you can get a lot of the thrills, mental challenges and workout at less than ten feet off the ground and for dirt cheap. JonW

[[old] c2bill]

topic is now pinned...

[[old] Ducatista]

Just wondering what a bump will do for this topic... so consider it bumped.

[[old] Canoeist]

<!--QuoteBegin-John Hart+Mar 2 2005, 10:39 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(John Hart @ Mar 2 2005, 10:39 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin--><br />Hope to get on the water a bit this year, including maybe even some of the Wednesday evening and Sunday morning flatwater kayaking/canoeing races nearby in Weston <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Hey John,<br /><br />If you need a canoe or kayak partner for a race, please let me know. I used to race canoes quite a bit some 20 years ago. I didn't know that you paddled canoe and kayaks too. The Charles River race is soon.<br /><br />Maybe we will both have to get the kayak adapter from Vermont Waterways for our ergs next winter? There is a rankings, similar for the rower rankings, for the Concept with kayak or canoe adapter. <br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Paul Flack

[[old] mark12_30]

Greetings oarsmen and oarswomen...<br /><br />I rowed for UNH women in the early eighties, by turn 7-seat novice, then 3 and later 5 varsity. At the time I supported my rowing habit by majoring in physics. My mortgage now has me on the hampster-wheel of software engineering. <br /><br />Off-hours I make music, and write, with an occasional hike or gardening spree.<br /><br />Pleased to meet you, --mark12_30