About Us

Charter & Implementation

In the spring of 1998 a safety committee was established with the agreement and cooperation of all major programs that row on the Georgetown section of the upper Potomac River (between Haines point and Fletchers Cove). This was deemed necessary to deal with increasing river traffic caused by the explosive growth in rowing, canoeing and kayaking. The purpose of the committee is to provide the rowing/paddling community with guidelines for safe use of the river, and to provide an avenue for concerns. The committee will do this by supporting enforcement by the Metropolitan Police Department of existing legal requirements for equipment and boat safety through aggressive awareness, educational, and self-help initiatives.

The information found in the following pages has been drafted by the committee with the greatest concern for safety. The guidelines are based on DC Harbor Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and USRowing guidelines in addition to the extensive experience brought to the committee by it's members. The committee considers safety to be the number one priority of all organizations, coaches, coxswains, and rowers who use the river. It is often easy to underestimate the potential for disaster. This document is meant as a means to educate and provide the tools for safe use of the river. These rules are written for everyone's benefit. Furthermore it is emphasized that all coaches should go over regularly with their crews proper safety procedures and ways to handle emergency situations of all kinds.

All coaches and individual scullers/paddlers are expected to make themselves familiar with the guidelines and work to make sure others are aware of them also. Through out the fall and spring members of the safety committee will be actively reminding users of the river if they are not following the guidelines. Frequent disregard for the rules may prompt the committee to inform the governing authority for the individual, be it a club president, boat house manager, athletic director, or police of the person's actions.

The safety committee shall be composed of representatives of:

• Georgetown University Crew
• Georgetown Local Organizing Committee (GLOC) (for the NCASRA)
• George Washington University Crew
• Potomac Boat Club
• Thompson Boat Center
• Washington Canoe Club
• Individuals designated by the current committee as a whole.

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Individuals on the committee are volunteers appointed by their respective organizations with extensive experience with boating and/ or coaching on the Potomac river in addition to a interest in river safety. First formed in 1998, the charter members of the committee were:

Martin Duby- Thompson Boat Center (TBC) Manager
Gretchen Ellsworth- Regatta Director for GLOC and Vice President of the NCASRA
Mike Harbold- Past Commodore and coach of the Washington Canoe Club
Tony Johnson- Head Coach of Georgetown University Crew
George Kirschbaum- Coach and coxswain, P.R. S.C. Acting Chairman & draftsman
Steve Peterson- Head Coach of George Washington University Crew
Margo Zalkind- At-Large rep. and Chair, USRowing Master's Committee
John White- USRowing Judge/Referee
Matt Russell- Head Coach, Walt Whitman HS

Tasks of the Safety Committee shall include:

• Develop and maintain on the water rules and recommendations
• To meet a minimum of 3 times per year, prior to each season to review safety issues
• To hold fall and spring safety meetings with mandatory attendance by all coaches
• Sponsor safe boating and other educational classes
• Respond to breaches of rules and other unsafe practices referred to it for action

Implementation:

The major programs and organizations shall be responsible for implementation and enforcement of on the water rules issued by the safety committee. Violations should be dealt with within the sanctions available. Recurring incident evidencing blatant disregard of the rules may be referred to the Safety Committee for resolution in accordance with the following procedures:

• 1. Individuals or organizations not satisfied with resolution of reported violations by individual organizations should refer the matter to the Safety Committee. Referrals should be in writing and should describe the incident in as much detail as possible.
• 2. The Safety Committee will review the referral as follows:
  
  1. Review the facts of the incident(s) at issue
  2. Establish the seriousness of the matter against the relevant rule orsafety protocol
  3. Determine action to be taken, to include:
     • Dismissal of complaint with reasons
     • Meet with individual or organization who/which is the subject of the complaint
     • Formulate action to be taken with parent organization

The safety committee will make decisions binding on organizations, and/or individuals and be subject to institutional rules with which he/she is affiliated. If sanctions are imposed they could involve the following:

1. Revocation of privileges, e.g. Limitations on use of facility and/or equipment
2. Denial of entry to sponsored regattas

Any questions concerning the committee or issues requiring resolution should be first addressed to the Safety Committee member who represents your governing club. In the event that individual is unavailable, contacting of another committee member is acceptable.

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