LUCK FINDS DETERMINATION AT THE 2019 ST. PAT'S SPRING POWER HOUR

It happens every year. The City of Chicago celebrates its favorite holiday by dying green its namesake river, and in doing so they summon the costumed crews of the St. Pat’s Sprint for Recovery. Seasoned rowers and coxswains, all serving as representatives and fundraisers for Recovery on Water (ROW), brave potentially frigid temperatures and navigate heavy waterway traffic for their chance to become a central feature in the morning’s maniacal festivities.

Because there are relatively few seats to offer in its rowing shells, ROW decided that the 2019 St. Pat’s Sprint would feature an indoor component, too, and that led to us hosting our first ever Power Hour. The participant turnout was modest, but the impression left by this inaugural event was nothing short of epic.

It was all thanks to two teams and one community underdog, the latter of whom became the event’s unlikely celebrity.

MEET CASEY MCKENZIE

Casey McKenzie began attending indoor community rowing classes at Park 571—known to most as Eleanor Boathouse—in January 2019, taking the lead of his aunt and uncle, both of whom began attending classes when they were hosted at the Bridgeport Art Center. Casey’s athletic history has included high-school basketball and football, occasional solo runs and a bit of CrossFit, but there was no illustrious sport career behind him.

“I was never a good athlete, to be honest, and I’m not a competitive person overall,” Casey said. “I didn’t go [to the Power Hour] necessarily to compete, I just wanted to see what I could do for an hour as an athlete who was considering rowing.”

That curiosity about his own ability led Casey to sign up for the Power Hour just one day before the event and, in a sea of erg teams that numbered three and four members, he was the only solo rower.

FLASHBACK TO THE POWER HOUR: APPROACHING THE HALFWAY-MARK

By the 30-minute mark, things are already building toward a fever pitch. Casey and his closest contender—a team of four experienced and competitive rowers that include two ROW board members—are holding split times of just under two minutes, and they’ve been neck-to-neck the entire time. As luck would have it, their ergs are arranged directly beside each other, and it’s not lost on any of them that there will be no coasting to the finish.

Spectators are starting to tune in, too. They have become fully aware of the competition heating up toward the front of the room, and most of them have zeroed in on the one-man team giving everyone else an unexpected run for their money.

GIVING BACK TO HIS COMMUNITY

Signing up for the Power Hour was largely a personal challenge for Casey to discover what pace he could sustain for one hour on an erg. But he also saw it as an opportunity to support ROW and his surrounding community, recognizing the event’s primary function as a local fundraiser.

“I heard about [the Power Hour] through the community class. They talked about how it’s one of their big fundraising activities,“ Casey said. “I wanted to give back to it because I go to this free community class every week, it’s a great workout, and I enjoy the people and the coaches, so this was a way to help support the organization that’s given me a lot so far.”

Originally from the Canaryville neighborhood, Casey went to school in Bridgeport and spent several years abroad to attend university and take advantage of work opportunities. Back at home, he is a keen champion for establishments like the boathouse and Park 571 as a vital community hub, and he seems to specifically appreciate organizations like ROW that introduce opportunities for physical activity and that make use of municipal waterways, noting Chicago’s “tremendous rivers and access to the lake.”

“Strong local communities are the lifeblood of cities, and if you have activities or organizations that are involved locally in bringing people together, that’s gold, and we need more of that,” he said.

BACK AT THE POWER HOUR: 2 MINUTES TO GO!

Volunteers and spectators who didn’t even know Casey’s name when they woke up this morning are now screaming encouragement and even coaching cues in his general direction. For his part, Casey’s expression has changed as little as his pace, which is still holding steady.

Coach John Albrecht, who has volunteered with ROW for almost six years and is one of two ROW coaches overseeing the community classes, is within inches of Casey’s erg as he calls firmly but calmly for “ten big ones.”

There are just two minutes left in the one-hour race, and it remains impossible to guess who the victor—or victors—will be.

LEARNING, GROWING, AND ROWING

“I’m not competitive but I’m like everyone else: I like to win.”

Casey did not leave the 2019 Power Hour with the final victory, but he was triumphant in some very tangible ways that day. Following what had been a recent foray into rowing, where he discovered that his overall size provided some advantage and he had natural prowess for the sport, he learned just a little bit more about himself and enchanted his local community in the process.

“At the last two minutes, to be honest, I was ready just to stop,” Casey shared. “If everyone wasn’t there screaming at me, I think I would have.” But, of course, he didn’t stop. In fact, he came within two meters of winning, and along the way he discovered that he was capable of more than even he knew. He happily sums it all up as “a cool experience,” and has his goal-oriented attention now directed at things like Concept2’s “Million Meter Club” and continuing through his novice year on the water.

Reflecting on his experience with ROW’s community class, which ultimately brought him to the St. Pat’s Power Hour, Casey is quick to note that the “community” piece was key.

“The community aspect of it made me think, ‘I should go every chance I get.’ I like the people I’m rowing with, my family members are there, the coaches are fun and attentive—that all made me want to come. I’ve been to gyms where it’s just not fun, and I never picked it up, but when the work is enjoyable and it’s with people from the local area that you run into, it’s a motivation to go and see everyone. I may not have learned as much if I didn’t come here and row.

I have goals for rowing, and it will take a while to get there, but you can feel that you’re slowly marching there with every workout. That I have potential in this sport makes me want to see just how far I can go with it, and I want to satisfy that curiosity.”

Recovery on Water and the Bridgeport community hope to stay close as you keep driving, Casey.

Watch for registration to launch for the 2020 St. Pat’s Power Hour before January 11, 2020! A community open house and learn to erg event will be hosted shortly after registration opens. For more information, contact MaryRuth O’Neal.