McHenry County Blog

Specks way out in the lake turn into people when if you watched the Greater Chicago Juniors Rowing Championships at the Crystal Lake Park District’s Main Beach yesterday.

Before I show you a series of photos of a beach view look at the Women’s Varsity 8 Race, let me observe that this type of even cries for a hot air balloon anchored over the lake with a camera whose views are broadcast to a big screen on the Main Beach.

Now, that would be exciting.

Combine it with cameras from Gate 21, 13, 7 and 3 and it would be really worth watching.  Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on it.

I discovered that the winners of the Women’s 8 Varsity race was the Lincoln Park Juniors.

I don’t know if many of the participants in and spectators of the Chicago Junior Rowing Championships regatta stay overnight in Crystal Lake, but there surely were a lot of cars in the parking lot, plus the overflow flood plain behind the baseball diamond.

I had other things to do most of the morning, but I got a shot of some rowers getting ready to carry their skiff to the Main Beach.

The Loyola crew were at the crosswalk by the time I got back to the Crystal Lake Park District’s Main Beach.

About twelve I headed down to Gate 21 and, as luck would have it, a race was about to begin.

I learned later it was the second heat for Novice Boys 8.  (That undoubtedly means something and maybe someone will enlighten us casual fans in the comment section.)

I took a couple of more photos form the edge of the Beach 21 pier and raced to my car.

Then it was race to the car and drive to Gate 13 Beach.

There were spectators there.

Down the beach a bit are benches at probably the highest points on the rim of Crystal Lake. An adjoining table with seats was empty.

And, it was off to the Beach at Gate 7.

A man with a video recorder was out on at the end of the boat pier. He brought his own chair.

At the other end of the beach there benches held rowing fans.

And off to see the finish of the race at Gate 3.

And the winning crew crosses the finish line.

The arms of the cockswain are thrown up in victory.

The faces on the young men who finished second are not so joyful.

I drove to the Main Beach and caught these young men carrying their skiff up the incline.

I’m not sure if these two crews are coming or going. Maybe one in and one out.

I found out the winner of the race was New Trier’s B Team.

Sweat suits, blankets and coats were the order of the day.

Tomorrow the Women’s 8 Varsity Race.

Proving that a resourceful blogger just has to keep his eyes open to find stories, Heck of A Guy blogger Allan Showalter has one heck of a story.

In his mailbox, he found a tax district giving unneeded money back.

His Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District refunded 95.6% of last year’s pension fund bill.

That’s as a result of the deal struck with the Crystal Lake Fire Department and because Lakewood struck out on its own, forming its own fire department.

That is so startling as to merit a story in the Northwest Herald, although it may take a day or two.

As Showalter asks,

What’s Wrong With This Letter?

I have the uneasy feeling I’m missing something. This letter arrived without warning, accompanied by a check of a size that prompts one to cash it immediately, lest the folks who signed it come to their senses and stop payment.

What can it when a governmental agency declares “… the District does not need all the money levied for the Fire District Pension fund” and then returns 95.6% of a tax payment – to the taxpayer?

‘Tis a mystery.

In an earlier post, he notes a correction is needed in his estimation of spectators at the high school rowing regatta I wrote about that he wrote about.

At Lakewood’s Gate 3, it’s true there were only two spectators. But, as Crystal Lake Park District Recreation Director pointed out in his correction, there were many more spectators at the Main Beach.

And Showalter has a much more significant way of apologizing for mistakes than my “Oops.”

You should look at his graphic.

Here’s more McHenry County Blog.

Proving that a resourceful blogger just has to keep his eyes open to find stories, Heck of A Guy blogger Allan Showalter has one heck of a story.

In his mailbox, he found a tax district giving unneeded money back.

His Crystal Lake Rural Fire Protection District refunded 95.6% of last year’s pension fund bill.

That’s as a result of the deal struck with the Crystal Lake Fire Department and because Lakewood struck out on its own, forming its own fire department.

That is so startling as to merit a story in the Northwest Herald, although it may take a day or two.

As Showalter asks,

What’s Wrong With This Letter?

I have the uneasy feeling I’m missing something. This letter arrived without warning, accompanied by a check of a size that prompts one to cash it immediately, lest the folks who signed it come to their senses and stop payment.

What can it when a governmental agency declares “… the District does not need all the money levied for the Fire District Pension fund” and then returns 95.6% of a tax payment – to the taxpayer?

‘Tis a mystery.

In an earlier post, he notes a correction is needed in his estimation of spectators at the high school rowing regatta I wrote about that he wrote about.

At Lakewood’s Gate 3, it’s true there were only two spectators. But, as Crystal Lake Park District Recreation Director pointed out in his correction, there were many more spectators at the Main Beach.

And Showalter has a much more significant way of apologizing for mistakes than my “Oops.”

You should look at his graphic.

Here’s more McHenry County Blog.

I can’t keep up with Crystal Lake “Heck of a Guy” blogger Allan Showalter.

In a recent post, he seems to say that I am in danger of losing the label “political blogger” because I did a story on a high school girl’s rowing race this past weekend. It was called the Chicago Junior Rowing Championship.

He has created this graphic of my driving my car over the racing skiffs, which, once I figured out I was supposed to be the driver, amused me.

In an email, Showalter suggested I pilot the Goodyear Blimp. That would be an excellent observation platform.

The subtitle of the article is

Row Girls Row
Go Cal Go

Showalter covered the Gay Games, as did I, but can’t work up enthusiasm to watch another rowing regatta.

Now, I’ll admit that the motorboat regattas that I watched as a kid at the Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels, Maryland, had more action and, frankly, more appeal.

But you know there will never be a motorboat regatta on Crystal Lake, even though it would actually draw spectators.

So, we must be satisfied with rowing regattas and the Cardboard Boat Regatta—certainly the most spectator-friendly.

“So, why did McHenry County Blog cover this regatta?” Showalter asks.

“What’s in it for Cal? Is there a (well) hidden political agenda? Is it the self-aggrandizement that will inevitably follow this astounding sports scoop?

“OK, most of Cal’s posts are openly political as all get-out (and, for what it’s worth, his politics are incongruent with mine) so he may be promoting one partisan goal or another. And it is, one supposes, possible that some individuals spending too much time publishing a daily blog sans commercials or salary might be partially motivated by one of the less egregious variants of narcissism. (And here he has a footnote 4, which I don’t know how to replicate.)

Footnote 4. On second thought, forget the narcissism notion – that’s just crazy talk. Independent bloggers are self-sacrificing, altruistic, and good looking folk with smiles on their lips and songs in their hearts.

And, Showalter has found a role model for me in Flash Evans, Camera News Hawk.

Never heard of Flash Evans?

Me neither.

Two books were written in 1940, two years before I was born, by Mildred A. Wirt (as Frank Bell), the author of the Nancy Drew girls’ mystery series.

Flash wants to be a newspaper photographer and is the only one around with a camera when two notorious criminals are captured.

Sounds a bit like me when I was the only photographer around when the unannounced minor league baseball stadium promoters came to spin their dream web around the minds of the McHenry County College Board.

Or being the only one to take pictures through the (soon closed) Venetian blinds of the screaming woman board member in the Prairie Grove School’s library before being threatened with arrest for such activity, plus laughing out loud and, as Showalter puts it, “and suspicion of intent to heckle.”

Tune in tomorrow for another of Showalter’s rowing regatta stories that I missed last year.

I can’t keep up with Crystal Lake “Heck of a Guy” blogger Allan Showalter.

In a recent post, he seems to say that I am in danger of losing the label “political blogger” because I did a story on a high school girl’s rowing race this past weekend. It was called the Chicago Junior Rowing Championship.

He has created this graphic of my driving my car over the racing skiffs, which, once I figured out I was supposed to be the driver, amused me.

In an email, Showalter suggested I pilot the Goodyear Blimp. That would be an excellent observation platform.

The subtitle of the article is

Row Girls Row
Go Cal Go

Showalter covered the Gay Games, as did I, but can’t work up enthusiasm to watch another rowing regatta.

Now, I’ll admit that the motorboat regattas that I watched as a kid at the Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels, Maryland, had more action and, frankly, more appeal.

But you know there will never be a motorboat regatta on Crystal Lake, even though it would actually draw spectators.

So, we must be satisfied with rowing regattas and the Cardboard Boat Regatta—certainly the most spectator-friendly.

“So, why did McHenry County Blog cover this regatta?” Showalter asks.

“What’s in it for Cal? Is there a (well) hidden political agenda? Is it the self-aggrandizement that will inevitably follow this astounding sports scoop?

“OK, most of Cal’s posts are openly political as all get-out (and, for what it’s worth, his politics are incongruent with mine) so he may be promoting one partisan goal or another. And it is, one supposes, possible that some individuals spending too much time publishing a daily blog sans commercials or salary might be partially motivated by one of the less egregious variants of narcissism. (And here he has a footnote 4, which I don’t know how to replicate.)

Footnote 4. On second thought, forget the narcissism notion – that’s just crazy talk. Independent bloggers are self-sacrificing, altruistic, and good looking folk with smiles on their lips and songs in their hearts.

And, Showalter has found a role model for me in Flash Evans, Camera News Hawk.

Never heard of Flash Evans?

Me neither.

Two books were written in 1940, two years before I was born, by Mildred A. Wirt (as Frank Bell), the author of the Nancy Drew girls’ mystery series.

Flash wants to be a newspaper photographer and is the only one around with a camera when two notorious criminals are captured.

Sounds a bit like me when I was the only photographer around when the unannounced minor league baseball stadium promoters came to spin their dream web around the minds of the McHenry County College Board.

Or being the only one to take pictures through the (soon closed) Venetian blinds of the screaming woman board member in the Prairie Grove School’s library before being threatened with arrest for such activity, plus laughing out loud and, as Showalter puts it, “and suspicion of intent to heckle.”

Tune in tomorrow for another of Showalter’s rowing regatta stories that I missed last year.

Saturday, May 5th, was a windy day on Crystal Lake.

White cap weather.

Gray skies.

Starting the girls’ high school rowing race was difficult.

At least there was no competition from the fair weather motor and sail boaters.

Lining up the skiffs was probably the hardest part of the race, as you can see from the photographs.

There were taken from the Country Club Additions Property Owners Beach at Gate 21.

I had to climb up on two concrete blocks to be able to shoot over the chain link fence on its eastern edge.

After the race had started, I ran to my car to drive to Gate 13, one of three subdivision association beaches where one can see the lake from the road.

The next three shots are take from the beach called Gate 13.

The lake shore is highest here.

The race appeared pretty tight.

In the second photograph, you can see some boys rowing to the starting line in the background.

Then it was on to Gate 7.

The black boat was in the lead by then, as you can see from the first photograph in this series.

Its girls seemed well ahead.

But, one white boat seemed to be pulling up.

South Shore Drive at Gate 7 is closer to lake than at any other spot.

The road is almost at lake level, so I had a good view.

I stopped twice to take pictures.

I think I got pretty good shots of all the skiffs.

You can enlarge them and get much better views by clicking on the images.

By the time I and a bicycler got to Gate 3’s beach, the black skiff was still ahead.

You can see the black skiff with the officials’ motor boat at the left hand side of the shot.

But the one in second place was trying to challenge the leader.

The man yelled, “Go UA! Go UA!” several times.

Having seen a room reserved for Upper Arlington at the Holiday Inn, I assumed he was referring to that team and asked which was its boat.

It was the black one.

Come to find out, he had a real reason for cheering.

The Upper Arlington girls were in the black boat leading the pack.

= = = = =

All of the photographs of this Chicago Junior Rowing Championship can be enlarged.

Saturday, May 5th, was a windy day on Crystal Lake.

White cap weather.

Gray skies.

Starting the girls’ high school rowing race was difficult.

At least there was no competition from the fair weather motor and sail boaters.

Lining up the skiffs was probably the hardest part of the race, as you can see from the photographs.

There were taken from the Country Club Additions Property Owners Beach at Gate 21.

I had to climb up on two concrete blocks to be able to shoot over the chain link fence on its eastern edge.

After the race had started, I ran to my car to drive to Gate 13, one of three subdivision association beaches where one can see the lake from the road.

The next three shots are take from the beach called Gate 13.

The lake shore is highest here.

The race appeared pretty tight.

In the second photograph, you can see some boys rowing to the starting line in the background.

Then it was on to Gate 7.

The black boat was in the lead by then, as you can see from the first photograph in this series.

Its girls seemed well ahead.

But, one white boat seemed to be pulling up.

South Shore Drive at Gate 7 is closer to lake than at any other spot.

The road is almost at lake level, so I had a good view.

I stopped twice to take pictures.

I think I got pretty good shots of all the skiffs.

You can enlarge them and get much better views by clicking on the images.

By the time I and a bicycler got to Gate 3’s beach, the black skiff was still ahead.

You can see the black skiff with the officials’ motor boat at the left hand side of the shot.

But the one in second place was trying to challenge the leader.

The man yelled, “Go UA! Go UA!” several times.

Having seen a room reserved for Upper Arlington at the Holiday Inn, I assumed he was referring to that team and asked which was its boat.

It was the black one.

Come to find out, he had a real reason for cheering.

The Upper Arlington girls were in the black boat leading the pack.

= = = = =

All of the photographs of this Chicago Junior Rowing Championship can be enlarged.

A repeat of last year’s high school rowing regatta will be held on Crystal Lake Saturday.

Races will start at 8 and run until 4 in the afternoon, according to Brian Beringer.

This is the second regatta of the year.

The first was on April 21st.

I misidentified it as a teen regatta.

Commenter buoy46 revealed it was really “a collegiate scrimmage featuring Marquette University, University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University.”

This one is a repeat of the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championship.

I even saw a banquet room reserved at the Holiday Inn for the Upper Arlington, Ohio, team. (And I even know where Upper Arlington is, having had a college girl friend, Melinda Kunz, from there. I stayed at her parents’ home while attending the National Student Congress, being the only conservative representative from Oberlin College.)

I think McHenry County Blog was the only one to run a story on the 2006 Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championship. In fact, there was a second one with what a race looks like from the Main Beach.

= = = = =
The top photo was taken at Crystal Lake’s West End in 2006. The lower one is from Friday afternoon.

A repeat of last year’s high school rowing regatta will be held on Crystal Lake Saturday.

Races will start at 8 and run until 4 in the afternoon, according to Brian Beringer.

This is the second regatta of the year.

The first was on April 21st.

I misidentified it as a teen regatta.

Commenter buoy46 revealed it was really “a collegiate scrimmage featuring Marquette University, University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University.”

This one is a repeat of the Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championship.

I even saw a banquet room reserved at the Holiday Inn for the Upper Arlington, Ohio, team. (And I even know where Upper Arlington is, having had a college girl friend, Melinda Kunz, from there. I stayed at her parents’ home while attending the National Student Congress, being the only conservative representative from Oberlin College.)

I think McHenry County Blog was the only one to run a story on the 2006 Greater Chicago Junior Rowing Championship. In fact, there was a second one with what a race looks like from the Main Beach.

= = = = =
The top photo was taken at Crystal Lake’s West End in 2006. The lower one is from Friday afternoon.