Slug Rowing Needs (Your) Help

Slime on!

Many of you have heard about the tsunami wreaking havoc in the Santa Cruz harbor. In fact, it was one of only a handful of places along the US west coast that really sustained much damage. The UCSC rowing club was the particularly hard hit. Some footage below if you can bear to watch.

What goes up (stream), must come down.

Why do I care?
To some extent, many (most?) of us tend to care if something bad happens, wherever it happens. We care about Japan, we care about New Zealand, we cared about Chile. We sometimes care more if it is in our walk of life.

In this particular instance, I care a bit more because I am a UCSC alum, a rower, and a big fan of club sports, which the UCSC rowing program is. A club sport at a UC school means that that you receive few or zero funds, you self-organize, and make your way as best you can.  For example, when the cross country team competed at the All-Cals (against the other University of California schools) at UC Santa Barbara one year, we slept in a park (and were rousted by police in the middle of the night). We had no money. And so, you can imagine that the UCSC rowing team probably operates with minimal funding in a sport that is relatively expensive.

I enjoyed my first rowing experience while a student at UC Santa Cruz. Someone had donated some ocean dories and I was given the lock combination down at the harbor and allowed to take these boats out whenever I wanted. I would row over to Steamer's Lane to watch the surfers, seals, porpoises and the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk with its Ferris wheel, roller-coaster and other amusements, all with Loma Prieta (of the eponymous earthquake) and the Santa Cruz mountains in the background. Rowing here provides a vantage point like no other from which to view the goings-on. 

Why you might care

1. Santa Cruz is a place where everyone should have the opportunity to row (see above paragraph), but since that won't happen, at least you can help someone take advantage of their location.
2. Surprise a kid with a random act of kindness. Imagine what that does to a young person's outlook: someone whom they don't know cares enough to help their rowing program.
3. If you help, maybe people will begin to know the difference between a kayak and a rowing shell (see the above video).
4. Helping has been known to elicit a warm, fuzzy feeling. 
5. The UCSC Rowing Club has an awesome logo. You don't want to see this logo disappear, do you? (Yes, the mascot of this University of California school is the banana slug.)

Slime on!

This logo is surpassed only by the Santa Cruz Rowing Club logo, IMHO.

Who cares that there aren't lobsters here.

How you can help
You can make a donation with a credit card by following these instructions:

1. Go the following link: This will get you onto the UCSC Online Giving page. Enter the amount you want to contribute
2. Click on the button "Click Here to Select a Gift Designation." This will open a box entitled "Select the program you wish to support." Click on the checkbox titled "Other Designation," then hit the "Continue" button under the white box to get back to the donation page. "Other Designation" should now be selected on the donation page.
3. Type "UCSC Rowing Club" into the box that asks you to enter a description of the program you want to support (Other Designation/Program)
4. Follow the rest of the onscreen directions to finalize your donation (it takes a few steps ...)

I know this works, because I did it.

If you want to send a check to support the program, make it payable to the UCSC Foundation with "UCSC Rowing Club donation" in the memo line and send it to:

Kevin "Skippy" Givens
c/o OPERS, UCSC
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
attn: Rowing Club donation

PS Two of the hardest hit places on the west coast were the two places I have spent considerable time surfing: Santa Cruz and Crescent City. Hmm.