Mike McQuaid, George Pocock Rowing Foundation September 16, 2004
SEATTLE, Sept. 15, 2004 - Over 150 rowers from Western Washington, California and British Columbia will take to the waters of Lake Union Sunday morning for the annual Row4Health regatta benefiting the Puget Sound affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation www.komenseattle.org. The 4.5k head race is the first regatta of the fall season for Northwest rowers and since 2000 has raised over $77,000 to help eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease.
Rowers ranging in age from 14 to 75, many of whom have been affected by breast cancer, are expected to participate in 14 separate races beginning near the Fremont Bridge and following the southern shore of Lake Union to the finish near the Lake Union Crew boathouse on East Allison Street. Spectators can view the regatta from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. near its midpoint at South Lake Union Park or Chandler's Cove.
"Row4Health is one of the many important fundraisers and efforts of individual donors that help raise more than $2 million annually for our local affiliate,"said Cherie Skager, Director of Grants and Education for the Puget Sound Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. "Seventy five percent of contributions to the Komen Foundation from events like Row4Health are invested back into the community to help medically underserved women get breast cancer education, no-cost screening and treatment or treatment support. The other twenty-five percent goes toward breast cancer research."
Row4Health will bring together rowers spanning five decades in the fight against breast cancer. The regatta's youngest competitor is 14-year-old Maddie Olanie of Poulsbo who will row with sisters Kate, 17 and Allison, 21 for the Bainbridge Island Rowing Club in support of their mother Marian who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.
"We definitely want to support our mom and our club," said Olanie, whose team is sponsored by Dr. Craig Hanson, Medical Director of the Seattle Breast Center at Northwest Hospital. "Last year our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's clear now but we want to help raise awareness. It's important for athletic women like our mom to be aware of the disease because early detection is so important."
The regatta's most experienced competitor is Chrissie Marshall, 75, of Madison Park and the Martha's Moms Rowing Club. For Marshall, an active rower who successfully competes with women twenty years younger in rowing competitions, breast cancer awareness is important as several of her family members have been affected by the disease.
"My late mother had a mastectomy and both my sisters are breast cancer survivors," said Marshall, whose daughter at age 46 was also diagnosed with the disease. "Breast cancer can affect you at any age ˆ awareness is important."
Additionally, eighteen rowers from the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center on Lake Washington will honor their teammate Dr. Dena Brownstein, 51, an attending physician in emergency services at Children‚s Hospital and Regional Medical Center. Brownstein completed treatment for breast cancer in June and will be in the boat with her fellow Mount Baker rowers during the regatta.
"Rowing has been a real source of inspiration and support," said Brownstein, a resident of Seattle's Mount Baker neighborhood who returned to competitive rowing nearly a month before completing chemotherapy treatment. "When I was diagnosed with breast cancer I was more fit than at any point in my life. Rowing has been a real source of inspiration and community to help me get through the very painstaking process of cancer treatment."
Individuals interested in making donations to the Komen Foundation on behalf of the rowing community should visit www.pocockrowing.org www.pocockrowing.org
About the Row4Health Regatta - The Row4Health Regatta at Seattle's Pocock Rowing Center annually attracts over 150 rowers from the Pacific Northwest to Seattle‚s Lake Union for a 4.5k head race to raise awareness for the eradication of breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. Since 2000 Row4Health has raised over $77,000 for its primary beneficiary, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. For more information please visit www.pocockrowing.org.
The following sponsors have made significant contributions to the 2004 Row4Health Regatta: ZymoGenetics, Pocock Racing Shells, Ryan Swanson & Cleveland PLLC, Concept2 Rowing, Regatta Central and the George Pocock Rowing Foundation.
About the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation - The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation was established in 1982 by Nancy Brinker to honor the memory of her sister, Susan G. Komen, who died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Today, the Foundation is an international organization with a network of more than 75,000 volunteers working through local Affiliates and events like the Komen Race for the Cure® to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease. A global leader in the fight against breast cancer, the Foundation fulfills its mission through support of innovative breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards and educational, scientific and community outreach programs around the world. Together with its Affiliate Network, corporate partners and generous donors, the Komen Foundation has raised nearly $600 million for the fight against breast cancer.
About the George Pocock Rowing Foundation - Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the George Pocock Rowing Foundation serves as a catalyst and a national model for the development and growth of rowing for all ages and abilities. The foundation was founded in 1984 and is named for the late world-renowned shell-builder George Pocock. Its facility, The Pocock Rowing Center on Seattle's Portage Bay, is home to over 400 Seattle rowers and six rowing clubs. The George Pocock Rowing Foundation provides public learn-to-row classes, rowing opportunities for at risk children in the community, meeting space for community events, and sponsors men and women training for the U.S. National Rowing Team.
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
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