It surprised no one who knew Bill Kalenius that conditions at Vancouver Lake on Saturday morning were ideal for a good row.
As 60 or so of Kalenius’ friends gathered to remember his life in the best way possible, it figured that the founder of Vancouver Lake Crew — who died in September — would have enough pull upstairs to make the weather as calm and comfortable as late November allows.
Of course, Bill Kalenius figured just about any day was perfect for a row.
The first Row to Remember was scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving so that alums of Vancouver Lake Crew who missed Bill’s funeral had an opportunity to honor a mentor in the most appropriate way.
Among those who gathered were a half dozen who were around in the spring of 2002, when Kalenius and some rowing buddies founded the Vancouver Lake Crew.
Some from that original crew have given up rowing but used the life lessons it taught them to launch successful lives.
At least one of the originals is still a committed rower.
Staci Reynolds, who was inspired by a video of Olympic rowers that Bill Kalenius showed during a recruiting presentation at Columbia River High School, still harbors that vision.
She’s a college graduate now, and a four-time member of NCAA Division II national champion crews while rowing for Western Washington.
Rowing remains a centerpiece in her life. She is working in the admissions office at WWU to support her rowing habit. And, while Reynolds is pondering graduate schools, her undeclared dream is to one day be one of those Olympic rowers who eight years ago inspired her to grab an oar.
“I’m going to continue to make progress,” she said. “But every year you work and work and work and work and get an inch closer. I know it’s going to take a lot of time, and I don’t know where it’s going to go, and that’s fine. I’m going to get as fast as I can and see where it takes me.”
Reynolds’ passion for rowing is a tribute to Bill Kalenius, and his love of the sport and his devotion to the students. But, his son Will said, it was not only the rowing success of Vancouver Lake Crew graduates that made Bill Kalenius glow.
Will Kalenius told those gathered for Saturday’s post-race reception that his father was as proud of their successes off the water. Will wants current Vancouver Lake Crew students to appreciate their club’s history, to understand his father’s fath in the connection between hard work on the water and hard-won success off it. Will wanted current rowers to hear from folks such as Ryan Mills, one of the first students to row for Vancouver Lake Crew in 2002.
Mills is no longer a dedicated rower. But he credits the lessons learned — particularly the rewards from hard work — for helping him through his time in the military and into his career with Portland Fire and Rescue.
“He taught me so many life lessons,” Mills said.
Those lessons stuck, Mills said, because he was having so much fun.
“Bill’s whole thing was (about) having fun out there,” Mills said.
In that spirit, they hit the lake on Saturday, 18 boats of varied crew sizes pushing through their Race to Remember. After the race, the folks whose passion for rowing — and for living — is Bill Kalenius’ legacy gathered for food at their dream home.
It’s a new base that the VLC program moved across the lake to just before Bill’s death. It is a place on the south end of Vancouver Lake Park from where on clear days Cascade peaks are visible. It is a place that gives Vancouver Lake Crew a foundation for lasting success.
“Perfect,” Will Kalenius said. “It’s a beautiful day. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
PAUL DANZER covers Community Sports for The Columbian. he can be reached at 360-735-4521 or paul.danzer@columbian.com.
