3. Attention Rowers, Coxswains, Parents & Guardians...
In-Season Crew officially begins the second half of February (the beginning of the Fairfax County Public School's spring sports season as determined by the Virginia High School League Inc, “VHSL”) and runs through the end of May.
On-the-Water (OTW) Practice - Mondays-Fridays, 4pm-6pm @ Sandy Run Boathouse: Practice begins the first day of scheduled spring sports programs. Practice is generally held five days a week after school, including during Spring Break. Saturday practices during the first month are sometimes required to ensure that the team is ready for the first regatta in March. Practices on-the-water are weather permitting. Practice is held at the Sandy Run Rowing Facility on the upper Occoquan River. Practice sessions are both on the water in shells and on land (running, circuit training, etc.). Coaches and/or parent volunteers, as required, will supervise the athletes on the land; however, only coaches supervise athletes on the water.
Practice Cancellation Announcements: We follow Fairfax County Public Schools http://www.fcps.edu/news/emerg.shtml with respect to practice cancellations due to weather or decisions by the head coach for other reasons (high water, wind, etc.). At times it may not be possible to begin practice at Sandy Run the first day of the spring season due to weather conditions (e.g. Sandy Run closed due to snow on the ground / Sandy Run iced in). Such situations will be communicated to rowers via E-Mail and website postings. Other times, it may be necessary to cancel practice or move practice to another site e.g. SCHS due to e.g. bad weather.
Such situations will be decided by the Coaches as early as is possible and will be communicated to rowers and parents by any of the following: - texts via the Captains (to rowers only) - email via Captains and the South County Crew gmail site - the Announcements page at this SC Crew website - the message board at Student Activities - Stallion Sports website It is the rower’s responsibility on questionable practice days to check one of these to determine status of practice.
Mid-Atlantic ERG Sprints - February 2 @ TC Williams High School. The 28th MidAtlantic Erg Sprints, the world’s second largest indoor rowing event, is scheduled to be held in the Gerry Bertier Memorial Gymnasium at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria on Saturday, February 2, 2013. Last year, 1,572 athletes from 56 high schools, 38 rowing clubs, 10 colleges, and 6 fitness clubs competed in the event. This year's Erg Sprints are expected to draw an even larger field. The MidAtlantic Erg Sprints is an official satellite qualifying event for the CRASH-Bs. Medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each event and all individual event competitors will receive an Erg Sprints t-shirt.
Crew Kick Off Meeting - February 4 @ SCHS Cafeteria (7pm-9pm): Please mark your calendar... this "mandatory" meeting is geared for all NEW and RETURNING rowers, coxswains, parents and guardians. You do not want to miss this one! Great opportunity to hear from the Coaches, Team Captains, and Crew Booster Board Members. Please join us to learn about the spring practice schedule, regatta race dates, spring break training, fundraisers, crew service hours, volunteer parent positions, and more. Bring your friends who are interested in joining crew. Food and drinks will be available for small fee. Bring checkbooks. We will be collecting final dues payments and other fees for spirit wear and uniforms, etc.
Required Uni-Suits and Compression Shirts ($86) - February 4 @ SCHS Cafeteria (7pm-9pm). NEW rower and coxswains must see Coach King during the Crew Kick Off Meeting to get measured, order and pay for the "required" team uni-suit and compression shirt. RETURNING rowers should take a moment to locate and try on their unisuits & compression shirts for this ordering opportunity. These are the only two required team clothing items for competition purposes. All other crew clothing is optional. The cost is $86. Please make checks payable to South County Crew. Contact Coach King if you have any questions, email: southcountycrew@gmail.com.
Friends & Family Letter Campaign - Deadline to turn in ziploc packet: February 28. The letter writing campaign is the most important and, hopefully, biggest fundraiser of the year. NEW and RETURNING rowers/coxswains are reminded to turn in your ziploc bag with (10) assembled/addressed/stamped letters to the SCHS Activity Office (Crew Mail Box) or bring your packet to winter conditioining practice on THURSDAYS to turn into Shelley Bolt. Or, you may choose to "opt-out" of this fundraising event for $200. Please let us know if you did not receive the ziploc bag that includes: instructions, donation letters, large mailing envelopes, small return envelopes, and donation cards. Email: southcountycrew@gmail.com. Again, thank you so much!
Crew Family Potluck Meeting - Friday, March 1st @ SCHS Cafeteria (7pm-9pm). Please mark your calendars for this fun event. Raffle drawing! Winner's choice: iPad or ERG!!
Spring Break Crew Training - March 24-29 @ Camp Bob Cooper in Summerton, South Carolina.
Please mark your calendar.For the second time in South County Crew Team history, NEW and RETURNING rowers/coxswains/coaches have the opportunity to travel to Camp Bob Cooper for spring break training Sunday-Friday, March 24-29, 2013. This trip is highly encouraged. There is a separate fee to attend the camp. Please stay tuned for information about the camp registration, cost to attend the camp, and the Parent Information Packet including a detailed itinerary, packing list, required forms, etc. Camp Bob Cooper, located in Summerton, S.C., is operated by Clemson University's Youth Learning Institute. The camp motto is "Eat. Sleep. Row." Crew team members will experience intensive on-the-water training, with practices 2 or 3 times a day with few if any distractions. Amenities include: dorm-style lodging; dining hall meals;
four 50-foot floating docks; three miles of water for rowing, a 2000-meter course; motorless launches; workout facilites with ergometers; team building adventure courses; and recreation areas for bonfires, basketball, beach volleyball, soccer, softball, frisbee, and football only yards away from the docks. Details to follow.
Boat Assignments - Question: Do you know what coaches look for when placing rowers in boats and seats? "Coaches will be conducting “try outs” at the beginning of the season. They will be looking for the most compatible and competitive talent they can, factoring in initial erg scores, fitness, skill level and experience. This criteria is what will put rowers in boats to start, however boats can not and will not be set at the beginning of the season because crew is not a sport where “teams are chosen” and then stay that way. Things can and will change from week to week as rowers improve their fitness and their skills. Sometimes injury or sickness, or missed practices will cause a lineup change as well." Click on this link for more details:
http://sc-crew.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98:boat-assignments&catid=39&Itemid=63
Read this before first practice at Sandy Run -
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!!! VERY IMPORTANT - WATCH YOUR SPEED !!! Police are often in the area and they will issue tickets.
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Rowers are to arrive at Sandy Run for practice at 4:00. Rowers, bring water to stay hydrated during practice. The water fountains at the park are usually turned off until the danger of freezing is past. Once you drop off your rower, he/she will head down to the boathouse to get the boat ready to go on the water. If it is raining, there will be practice. Practice is almost never canceled.
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We must clear the park by dark. The coaches will have the rowers off the water by sunset. The rowers must store the boat for the night and receive any instructions/feedback. When you arrive at Sandy Run for pick up, there will be a long line of cars, sometimes stretching from the drop off point to the entry sign. If your rower has a cell phone, he/she may call you to determine your location. I suggest that all rowers in a carpool stick together when leaving the boathouse to ensure efficient loading and departure. This is important as we must clear the park by dark. Your rower may want to take a bag with warm, dry gear to put on after practice. Some rowers pack a snack to eat while waiting for pick up. After the first week, your rower will have a better idea of what works for him/her in the bag. If you have any questions about what to wear, consult the "Practices" tab under Spring
Season on this website.
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Getting boats in and out of the water takes practice. Remember, these boats are 60 feet long and heavy and EXPENSIVE. Novices have so much to learn to handle the boats properly even before they are on the water. Please be patient if some days the wait for pick up is longer than other days. The coaches are very experienced and plan for certain end times, but the reality is that safety issues arise and must be dealt with and this may result in delays.
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Missing practice during winter workouts only affected the individual rower. Missing practice now affects the 8 other people on the boat. If your rower is going to miss practice, be sure he/she has followed the notification procedures given by the coach. Once Daylight Savings Time begins, practice will end later.
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Sandy Run Parking Lot Traffic Flow: Click on this link: http://www.nvrpa.org/uploads/Files/content/Sandy%20Run%20Traffic%20Fl%20%20.pdf
