S116 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 25, 2006 all are immensely proud of the con- ly because they were from the Northeast, largest two-day rowing event. Rowing teams tributions they have made to our coun- and started producing oars. By the 1980 from the University of Vermont and try and our State. I congratulate them Olympics, composite oars—made of carbon Middlebury College will be among the com- fiber and epoxies and glues—were standard, petitors, as will brothers Dick and Pete and wish them 50 more years of success thanks to the work of the Dreissigacker Dreissigacker from Morrisville. and prosperity in the great State of boys. The Dreissigackers, both former Olympics Utah. The company makes ‘‘sweep’’ oars, oars for rowers, have been competing in the Head of f sculling and oars for a small niche of rowers the Charles since 1978. In a way, they’ll be in who specialize in trans-Atlantic crossings. the majority of boats on the river, given that CONCEPT2 Oars range in price from about $200 to more most of the competitors will be using oars Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, like most than $400 each, and there are custom orders, made by the Dreissigackers’ Concept2 com- blade and shaft repairs and stylized custom pany. ‘‘It’s pretty much the most prestigious Americans, I start off the year with my fall race,’’ said Sarah Tousignant, women’s new year’s resolution to work harder painting jobs that keep the company’s em- ployees busy. Dick says there are two other team president of UVM rowing. ‘‘It’s the race at getting in shape. As always, my first companies that are viewed as competitors that everybody looks forward to and holds in stop is the Concept2 rowing machine in with the Dreissigackers, but Concept2 con- high regard.’’ The Head of the Charles was the Senate gym. I have used it for trols about two-thirds of the world’s com- first held Oct. 16, 1965. As many as 300,000 years, and always think of Vermont petitive oar market. spectators are expected to be on hand for the when I do. In 1991, the Dreissigackers struck again, weekend. The rowing machines are made in changing the shape of the oar blades to a big- f Vermont, and last fall the Burlington ger, ‘‘hatchet’’ style, a change that exploded through the rowing scene. At the 1992 Olym- ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS Free Press had an excellent article pics in Barcelona, Spain, said Peter, ‘‘boats about the company and its founders. I were on the water, changing their blades to ask that a copy of the article be print- our style.’’ There was some discussion of CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR ed in the RECORD. banning the bigger blade, which was more ef- ∑ Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take There being no objection, the mate- ficient and more effective, but the style this opportunity to recognize the Chi- rial was ordered to be printed in the quickly became the sport’s standard. Two nese Lunar New Year. 2006 is the Year RECORD, as follows: Middlebury teams and a University of of the Dog. Vermont women’s team will be using The Chinese calendar is based on the [From the Free Press, Oct. 14, 2005] Concept2 oars when they compete at the cycles of the sun and the moon, and the WHAT A CONCEPT Head of the Charles next weekend. ‘‘If 75 or Chinese Lunar New Year is the most (By Matt Crawford) 80 percent of the teams at the Head of the Charles are using our oars,’’ said Dick, ‘‘then important of Chinese festivals. Cele- MORRISVILLE.—Peter and Dick almost 100 percent of those teams will have bration begins on the first day of the Dreissigacker will be on Boston’s Charles trained on our indoor trainers. They’re pret- first moon of the lunar calendar and River next weekend, rowing their way to- ty much the standard.’’ ends on the full moon 15 days later, ward the finish line in the annual Head of The Dreissigackers started making the in- with the Lantern Festival. In order to the Charles regatta. door machines in the mid-1980s, the first The Dreissigacker brothers are two mem- prepare for the new year, families per- versions little more than bike wheels and form several rituals to cleanse the bers of an eight-man team called the Motley chains. Now the machines—their fourth Rowing Club—a team that captured third home and the spirit, to sweep away version—come equipped with computers to misfortune and to welcome in the new place in its division during last year’s race. monitor an athlete’s performance and sell If the Motley team is beaten again, part of for $850. There are hundreds of them in the year with good luck, health, happiness the blame can be placed squarely on the Morrisville factory, stacked up and awaiting and prosperity. broad shoulders of the Dreissigackers. the start of the Christmas buying season. The Chinese lunar calendar is associ- What Nike is to running, what Orvis is to The first indoor rowing machines were ated with a 12-year animal zodiac. Ac- fly-fishing, what Burton is to snowboarding, called rowing ergometers, or ‘‘Ergs,’’ for cording to ancient Chinese legend, Bud- Concept2 is to rowing. Concept2 is a Morris- short, and the Dreissigackers even developed dha asked all the animals to meet him ville-based company that employs 55 people, a formula that allows the machines to meas- on the Chinese Lunar New Year. and it is run and owned by Misters Peter and ure rowing ability—a number that the row- Dick Dreissigacker. The company leads the Twelve animals came, and Buddha re- ing world now refers to as ‘‘Erg scores.’’ ‘‘It’s warded each animal by naming a year world in producing oars used by crews and kind of like an athletic SAT score,’’ said sculling teams and controls a significant Dick, who attributes Peter’s higher Erg after each one. The 12 animals—Rat, portion of the global indoor rowing machine score to the fact that he’s four years young- Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, market, too. ‘‘Their products are found er, even though Dick rows almost every day Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog around the world,’’ said Alex Machi, director of the summer on a lake at his cottage in Al- and Pig—represent a cyclical concept of rowing at Middlebury College. ‘‘They eas- bany. There’s a gym for Concept2 employees of time. He told each animal that the ily dominate the oar manufacturing busi- at the company’s headquarters, and yes, it is people born in their year would inherit ness.’’ filled with rowing machines. No longer in the some of the personality traits of that How two Connecticut brothers maneuvered barn, the company moved in 1984 to a more their internationally successful company animal. It is said that those born in the industrial location, not far from the center Year of the Dog tend to be loyal, kind, into the center of the rowing universe from of Morrisville. The factory today is more a small town in northern Vermont is a re- than 45,000 square feet. and generous. markable tale, one that continues to evolve Sarah Tousignant, a senior at the Univer- America is rich with the cultural tra- on rivers and ponds and indoor gyms around sity of Vermont and president of the school’s ditions of many countries. In Cali- the world . women’s rowing team, knows how important fornia, the Chinese-American commu- ‘‘The challenge,’’ said Peter, ‘‘is trying to Concept2’s Erg machines are. The Cat- nity plays a vibrant and important continue to improve on what we’ve got.’’ amounts train six days a week on the part of our State’s history. Celebrating Dick Dreissigacker, now 58, was a member Lamoille River using Dreissigacker oars. the Chinese Lunar New Year allows us of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Rowing Team and a They’ll soon move inside for the winter and Brown University product. He drifted out to to embrace this significant and most shift onto Ergs. ‘‘We just ordered 12 new Ergs important cultural festival of the Chi- California to take a rowing coaching posi- from them,’’ she said. tion at Stanford, a school Peter, who’s four Most of the Head of the Charles athletes nese calendar. years younger, was attending. will be using Dreissigacker oars, and nearly I hope that the Chinese Lunar New Dick was looking for a ‘‘secret weapon’’ all will have trained and honed their skills Year brings good health, happiness, after the 1972 Olympics and began to explore on Dreissigacker indoor machines. So even if peace and prosperity to all. I give my ways to improve oars, which had been craft- the Motley crew team gets beaten to the fin- very best wishes for an auspicious New ed out of wood pretty much since humans ish line on the Charles River next weekend, Year.∑ started rowing boats through water. ‘‘There the Dreissigackers still win. With the Boston f were quite a few companies making com- Red Sox out of baseball’s playoffs, the eyes posite boats,’’ said Peter, ‘‘but nobody was of the sporting world turn to Boston this TRIBUTE TO THE NORTHERN KEN- making oars.’’ month for one thing: The Head of the Charles TUCKY UNIVERSITY CHEER- By 1976, the Dreissigackers had built a pro- Regatta. LEADERS totype of a composite oar and began making A stretch? Consider that more than 7,000 them in the back of a bread truck.