Westminster Rowing

Athlete & Parent Handbook 2012

Westminster Rowing

2012 Athlete & Parent Handbook

2012 Racing Schedule...2 Team Communications..4 Rules and Expectations..5 Team Obligations and Odds & Ends..................................................................9 Directions...10 Regatta Tips for Parents13

2012 Tentative Schedule

Date: January 30 February 3 February 6 February 11 February 12 February 18 February 25 March 18 March 24 March 31 Race/Event: Practice Begins Team Try-outs Team Roster Posted Atlanta Erg Sprints Launch Supper AM Practice AM Practice Intramural Race John Hunter Regatta Baylor, Atomic Rowing CrewCat Sleepover April 5 & 9 April 14 April 21 April 27-28 May 5 Easter Break Practices Race or AM Practice ETRO, GPS Dogwood Regatta Race or AM Practice/ Senior Recognition Location/Time: Turner Fitness Center Turner Fitness Center Blog & Team Page, School Website Georgia Tech time TBD (~8 am-12) 6 pm, Shanors home Home: Azalea Drive Boathouse Home Home @ 4:00 PM Lake Lanier all day Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN After Baylor, Werners home Home 3-6:30 Home Chattanooga, TN @ 11:00 AM Oak Ridge, TN (all day racing) Home

May 11-13 May 20 May 24-26

Southeast Regional Champ. Sarasota, FL Year End Party Scholastic Nationals (selected boats) TBA

(all day racing)

Cooper River in Camden, NJ

Schedule Notes:
Boxed and shaded areas are overnights. ALL RACE TIMES ARE TBA.

Practice:
Monday Thursday: When on water - 3:30 - 6:30 / When on land - 3:45-5:45. Friday: When on water - 3:00 - 6:00 / When on land 3:00 - 5:00. Water Practices: Buses depart from Askew parking lot just to right of Adams Gate at 3:35 SHARP M, Tu, Th and 3:00 Friday.

Special Days
Both Saturday, February 11 and April 14 are ACT days. If you are planning to take the ACT, it should be the one in February. Your participation is expected on April 14. March 16th and April 13th are early dismissal days. We will be having practice from 1:00 4:00 on these days. Over Easter break, we will be having water practices on Thursday, April 5 from 3:00 6:30 PM and Monday, April 9 from 3:00 PM 6:30 PM While Wednesdays are usually reserved for our land days, we will be having water practice on Wednesdays leading up to our two major regattas. This means Wednesday, April 25 and May 9 will be on water

Team Communications:
E-mail The coaches with periodically send updates/results to the parents. The coaches e-mails are: Christine Wight ChristineWight@Westminster.Net Hall Carey hacarey@gmail.com Sarah Low low508@gmail.com Team web page Maintained by the Westminster Athletic Department at: http://www.westminster.net/athletics/catbackers_schedules.asp?TeamID=188 Team Blog wmscrewcats.wordpress.com check here for updates throughout the season! To subscribe to the blog: Go to wmscrewcats.wordpress.com On the right column of the screen it says Follow Blog via E-mail Enter your e-mail into the box and you will get a notification to your e-mail every time a new post is up! Phone & e-mail tree Urgent information is spread through a phone & e-mail network. 2012 Parent Volunteer Chairs The following parents will be organizing volunteer efforts: Food Chair: Beth Hauser (Blake 12) Publicity Chair: Kim Withrow (Brooks13) Team Treasurer: Charlotte Lee (Diana Turbayne 12) Sleepover Hosts: Tom & Carolyn Werner (Jennie 12) Additional Special Events: Susan Shanor (Leigh 13) Other volunteers are needed and encouraged to pitch in! Parent volunteerism is really critical to the support of the team especially at regattas and when we are travelling. Volunteer opportunities will be described and sign-up sheets available at the Launch Supper on February 12.

Rules and Rowing

Expectations

for

Westminster

PRACTICE (Land & Water): In many ways, rowing is the ultimate team sport. It is very important that every athlete make the commitment to be at practice every day. Once boat line-ups are solidified it is critical that continuity begin to form within the boat. Interrupted attendance of practice does not help continuity and has a ripple effect through the team. However, the coaching staff does understand that on occasion practice or even a race will be missed for an important family obligation or illness. Practice will be held each day after school beginning January 30, 2012. The first two weeks of February will be dedicated to land training for conditioning purposes and team selection and those practices will run from 3:45 till 5:45. When we begin to travel regularly to the river for practice, the vans will depart from behind Askew @ 3:35 SHARP and return to Adams Gate @ approx. 6:30. On Fridays, we will depart from behind Askew @ 3:00. Should there be inclement weather or a coach has scheduled a land practice that day, a typical practice will last from 3:45 to 5:45 and on Friday from 3:00 to 5:00. All rowers are expected to be at each practice. If you have an extenuating circumstance, please notify your coach in advance. If you are sick and not at school you may not practice. Please notify Christine Wight @ (914) 707-0424 or christinewight@westminster.net by NOON if you will not be at practice that day. If you are unable to practice at least three days in a week for any reason, you may be excluded from the subsequent race. The final decision is up to your coach. Please bring extra clothes to change into after practice on rainy and cold days. Keep things in their proper perspective. Family and school come before crew. Let your coach know as soon as possible if you need time away from rowing. There are also pre-set dates on the monthly schedule where we take practice days off during the week. Maintain a healthy balance. Please do not use rowing as an excuse for neglecting school. If a teacher needs to have you stay at school during extra help, then you must do so.

6 Due to the needs of continuity within boats and training, it is important that you schedule things like Discovery before the rowing season. The coaching staff understands that some of you are the most involved students on campus, but please be fair to yourself and your teammates when thinking about school offerings/programs that will take you off campus for extended periods of time causing you to miss practice. Rowers involved in winter sports MUST fulfill their obligations to that winter team before they come over to rowing. Train hard and compete hard for those other teams! You will be missed during those initial week(s) of training, but your spot on the team will not be in jeopardy while you are competing for another athletic team at Westminster. Being involved in other competitive Westminster sports is a great way to train for rowing! Wednesdays are our land days. These are critical days for strengthening as this is often times the only day during the week for erg workouts and weights. Please treat these like any other practice day and do not schedule doctors appointments, etc. on that day.

PRACTICE GEAR: First, do not feel compelled to buy expensive gear; however, rowing is an outdoor sport and clothing can make a big difference particularly when the temperatures are nippy. When dressing for practice keep in mind the concept of efficiency. Baggy and heavy clothing is not efficient. On the other hand, snug and stretchy materials that can be layered if it is cold are efficient. Also, try to use materials that wick moisture away from the body. Finally, keep in mind that temperatures on the water are generally lower than the ones at school. Heres a list of gear that you should have in a sports travel bag that goes with you to practice EVERY day whether we are here at school or going to the river (coxswains, this means you too and you should add light gloves and rain gear):

- Cotton / Poly Lycra tights - Cotton / Poly Lycra shorts ie spandex (required for all rowers) - Cotton / Poly Lycra long sleeve shirt or a long sleeve T-shirt - Hat (wool beanie or baseball cap depending on temp.) - snug fitting fleece or nylon/fleece vest (not a requirement, but nice to have) - sweatshirt (these are fine as long as they are not too baggy; are great for after practice) - sunglasses (sport type that wrap around and will stay on your head) - socks - extra T-shirt - sunscreen (required and at least SPF 15) - good running shoes - sport flip-flops - a snack and a filled water bottle (hydration is critical) - cell phone (stays in bag on race days)

Effective workout clothes can be purchased from a variety of places including Targettype stores, but if you are looking for rowing-specific clothing these sites should be helpful: www.jlracing.com (high quality and some stock items) www.regattasport.com (high quality Canadian company / good prices on exchange rate) www.boathouse.com (high quality and some stock items) www.sewsporty.com (relatively inexpensive and quick lots of stock items) RACES: All rowers/coxswains will wear the designated racing attire. Westminster rowers/coxswains are expected to exhibit the highest standard of sportsmanship at competitions. Exemplary conduct is expected at races, including bus rides, hotel stays, and team meals. All rowers/coxswains are expected to stay at a race site until all boats have raced and all of the equipment is loaded on the trailer. If there is a special family need, please see your coach in order to depart early from a race site. At regattas that include overnight stays, the Coach will assign hotel rooms. All rowers/coxswains are expected to be in their rooms at the designated time and abide by the request for lights-out and quiet. Rowers/coxswains must remain in their assigned hotel room throughout the night. Violations could lead to dismissal from the team and severe disciplinary action by the school.

TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES AND TRAINING RULES: No alcohol, drugs, or tobacco. Rowing is a high performance sport as well as one that demands a high degree of mutual trust amongst the athletes and coaches. Use or possession of alcohol, drugs, or tobacco at any time during the season could lead to dismissal from the team and severe disciplinary action by the school. The team is a self-policed group. You must watch out for each other. You have a responsibility to each other to keep yourself and your teammates eligible to compete. Please let the captains or a coach know as soon as possible if you think that there is someone on the team who is hurting the team and herself by breaking the training rules. 7

BOATHOUSE EXPECTATIONS: Please keep in mind that we are guests at the Atlanta Rowing Club and you should behave accordingly. When we arrive at the boathouse, it is important that everyone pitch in with getting set-up for practice as well as putting equipment away at the end of practice. The captain(s) will divide you into teams for that purpose. Standing around is not an option. If you are finished with your job, stretch or do sit-ups, push-ups, or jumpies.

SAFETY RULES: Everyone must take a swim test in the pool and view the USRowing safety video before going on the water for the first time. All boats will be accompanied by a coaching launch (motorboat) after moving out of the designated launching and docking area. Do not row if a coach is not in sight. All coaches launches are outfitted with life vests. If your boat swamps (fills up with water) or turns over, stay with the boat. It and the oars will stay afloat until you can be picked up by the motorboat. NEVER leave the boat. When the boat is on the water, follow the instructions of the coxswain and coach. If you or someone else is injured, notify the coach immediately.

EQUIPMENT RULES: Rowing equipment is very expensive and must be handled with care. Carefully follow all directions regarding the handling of equipment. Take pride in how you handle a boat or oars. Unnecessary talking is not permitted when handling equipment. Your attention to the task at hand is very important. All rowers must participate in routine cleaning and maintenance of equipment. Please report any equipment problems to a coach immediately. It is the responsibility of both the coaches and rowers to properly secure all equipment on the trailer before traveling to away regattas.

AWARDING OF VARSITY LETTERS: Since our team is relatively small by design, every member of the team will receive a varsity letter. However, a letter can be forfeited for an unexcused absence from a race or behavior that is unbecoming.

Team Obligations and Odds & Ends:

EXPENSES: Uniform. The principal pieces of your uniform are provided by the school. If you do not turn in your uniform at the end of the year you will be charged. Unisuit = $70.00 / JL jacket = $85.00 / Mesh shorts = $15.00 Other items like T-shirts, sweatshirts, or JL shirts will be paid for by students. There are overnight trips that involve hotel and travel expenses which are paid for by the rowers and their families. Every effort is made to minimize expenses by the parent volunteers and coaches and dues cover hotels and ground transportation; airfare is a separate expense. In order to be a competitive program, the coaching staff feels that it is vital for selected boats to annually attend either the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia or the Scholastic National Championships in May depending on Westminsters graduation date. Airfare for that trip will be a separate expense.

PRE-SEASON TRAINING: Rowers are encouraged to get in shape early, either through another sport during the winter or by taking advantage of the volunteer winter training sessions provided at the school four times a week. NUTRITION: One component of athletic success that is sometimes overlooked is nutrition. You are encouraged to eat filling and balanced meals with an emphasis on carbohydrates and protein and moderate amounts of fats, oils, and sweets. For more information, talk to your physician or coach, or see www.dietsite.com/dt/sportsnutrition/NutrientsAthletes/nutrients_2.asp

10 SUMMER CAMPS: Summer camps are a great way to stay in touch with rowing and also, given the location, get on a college campus for a week. On the web sites: www.row2k.com or www.boathouserow.org/camps.html there are listings of rowing camps held throughout the summer these lists are not exhaustive. Increasingly, it seems that every college with a rowing program is hosting these week long camps. If you want a more competitive experience and are seriously considering rowing in college then the Southeast Jr. Camp http://www.southeastjuniors.org/devcamp.html in Chattanooga, TN, is a fantastic camp! Please talk to Coach Wight if you want some assistance with selecting a camp.

Directions:
To Atlanta Rowing Club & home race course:
On 400 take exit #6 (Northridge) - it will be your second exit after you get on 400. Bear RIGHT off the off ramp onto Northridge and take it till it dead ends at Roswell Road. At light at the bottom of the hill, take a RIGHT. Stay on Roswell until it crosses the river. Immediately after crossing the bridge, take first LEFT onto Azalea Drive. ARC is second boathouse on RIGHT.

To Away Regattas:
To Clemson, SC (no races here in 2012) Take I-85 North to Exit #14 (Highway 187) Turn left (north) on Hwy 187 toward Pendleton and proceed approx. 6 miles until 187 ends at a traffic light. Turn left onto Hwy 76/28 West Turn left @ the 4th signal (3.7 miles) onto Perimeter Road (there is also a sign for S.C. Botanical Gardens & a U.S. Army Reserve post is on your right) Follow Perimeter around the Clemson campus. After 1.2 miles on Perimeter you will go through your first signal. Then, you will go through your second signal passing the football stadium on your right. After traveling 2.1 miles on Perimeter, you will go through your third light and go past the building on the left (McFadden). Immediately after the McFadden building, take the next left onto East Bank Drive at the Clemson Rowing sign. Follow the road to the boathouse or parking.

10

11 To GPS (race on 4/21): I-75 North to Chattanooga Take I-24 West then Hwy 27 N (Exit 178) to downtown Chattanooga From Hwy 27 take the 4th Street Exit (Exit 1C) At the sixth traffic light, turn LEFT onto Georgia Ave. Cross the Veterans Bridge At the end of the bridge, take first LEFT onto Frazier Avenue it is unmarked and comes up quickly. Then turn LEFT onto either Tampa or Tremont (they come up quickly) At the end of either street, turn LEFT onto River Road which will become Heritage Lane (continued on next page).

You are now headed back toward the bridge and you will weave your way back under the Veterans Bridge. The GPS track and tennis courts are on your left and the river on your right. The boathouse is on the left before you enter a gated community. To Baylor (race on 3/31): From Atlanta take 1-75 North to Chattanooga. At split before Chattanooga take I-24 West. Take exit 178 (U.S. 27 North) After crossing the TN River, take the 5th exit (U.S. 127 Signal Mountain) Proceed under the overpass, moving to the left turn lane after the second traffic light. The entrance to the campus is located on the left at the third traffic light, directly across from Harrys Citgo gas & convenience store.

To Langley Pond (no races here in 2011) http://www.augustarowingclub.org/ Traveling EAST on I-20 from Atlanta Cross over the state line from GA to SC Take exit #1 for North Augusta, South Carolina at stop sign turn RIGHT (this will be Martintown Road). Travel approx. 5 miles and exit to travel EAST onto U.S. Highway #1 (go over the overpass and around the onramp) turn LEFT at stop sign. Go a short distance (about 100 feet) to the next stop sign and turn RIGHT (this will be U.S. Highway #1) Travel approx. 6.5 miles to Langley Dam Road Turn RIGHT onto Langley Dam Road (there will be a law office: Bell, Surasky, and Brown just before the turn a cemetery is across the road to the left). Take the first fork to the LEFT the park will be on your LEFT.

11

12 To Lake Lanier via I-85 (for John Hunter Regatta on March 24) http://www.llrc.net

I-85 North Exit #113 - I-985 N/Lanier Parkway on left towards Gainesville Merge onto I-985 North 23.5 miles to Exit #24 KEEP to the LEFT at fork in the ramp and take LEFT onto GA 369 NOTE: Watch for Brown signs that direct you to ROWING AND KAYAKING Venue Turn RIGHT onto Limestone Parkway (129/11 North) stay on for approx. 1.8 miles Turn RIGHT onto GA 284 (Clarks Bridge Road @ Gas Service Station) stay on for almost 2 miles. Trailer parking on left, Boathouse side - Public parking on right, Olympic Finish Tower side

To Oak Ridge, TN (for Dogwood Regatta on April 28) www.orra.org/directions.html I-75 North to Knoxville Exit 84 onto I-40 East From I-40, take Exit 376A (Mayville / Oak Ridge) via Pellissippi Parkway (TN162 N) On a long ramp which in 0.8 miles will merge into Pellissippi Parkway (TN-162 N). Once on Pellissippi, continue 6 miles on TN-162 N until it merges with Oak Ridge Highway (TN-62) Continue on TN-62 west for .4 miles through the small town of Solway and over the Clinch River Bridge to Edgemoor Road (TN-170) Exit sign is on your right and the Edgemoor exit feeds onto Edgemoor Road Follow Edgemoor 2.3 miles to first traffic light. Turn LEFT at light onto Melton Lake Dr. (this is a weird light as you circle right in order to take the left). Follow Melton Lake Dr. for 2.2 miles to the boathouse.

12

13

Regatta Tips for Parents:

Regatta Day:
Westminster competes in regattas throughout the Southeast and sometimes point north. These races are organized by host schools or clubs, or by organizations such as the Southeast Region (SERA) or the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA), and include private as well as public school crews. Regattas are exciting to watch, though you'll almost never see the entire race from start to finish. Some people like to watch from the finish line, others from mid-course. Wherever you sit or stand, there's plenty of opportunity to join in the Westminster cheers.

About the Races:

In the spring season, regattas are sprint races. Crews are matched by age, weight or ability and race against each other side-by-side down a 2000 or 1500-meter course. Depending on the number of teams participating, there may be several elimination races, in which boats are seeded by past performance, leading to semifinals and finals. At the larger regattas, races are six boats at a time. The shells are followed by a judge-referee in a launch, who is responsible for timing the race and ensuring that it is conducted properly. Most races are launched from "stake boats," anchored platforms on which someone holds onto the stern of the boat until the command to "go." Stake boat holders, guided by an official, move the shells back and forth until their bows are aligned so that everyone starts from the same position. A race official gives the command to start, and they're off! The finish line is sighted from a judges' stand on the shore. A signal is given when each shell crosses the line - it may be a blast from an air horn, a flag, or both. Each lane is assigned a timer with a stopwatch, because some races may be decided by tenths of a second. More sophisticated races, like the Dogwood Regatta and SE Regional Championships, have electronic timing and photo finishes. For more tips on regatta watching, check the United States Rowing Parents' Page. Finally, please stay clear of the boats when they are launching or returning. You are more than welcome to stand on shore and snap pictures or yell encouragement to your daughter, but parents on a busy dock can be a distraction or lead to a possible accident. Think of the dock as an extension of the locker room

13

14

Who's Who?:
Crews are identified by unique designs on the blades of their oars. The Westminster oar design (above) is dominated by a field of dark green along with a white triangle on the bottom tip of the oar. For an exhaustive display of US high school blades (over 515 at last count), check out Blades of the World.

What To Bring:
Keep in mind that our regatta season is in the spring, when the weather can be unpredictable. Rowers row in the rain, but never in a thunderstorm, or if the wind makes conditions dangerous on the water. Check the forecast before you leave home, and dress appropriately. Remember you're going to be outdoors, and it may be muddy, so leave the good shoes at home. Wear layers, so you can peel off the foul weather gear when the sun comes out. Other things to bring include binoculars, camera, folding chairs, a cooler with water and soft drinks, and anything else you want to make yourself comfortable. It might also make sense to bring a book as there is often a good bit of time separating heats from the finals. At many regattas, we set up the tent and serve food for the rowers, and parents bring dishes for a potluck lunch.

14