Oakland Catholic Crew Handbook School Year 2019-2020 Table of Contents Introduction 2 Mission, Values and Motto 2 THE SEASON 3 THE BOATHOUSE 3 RACING SCHEDULE 4 FEES 4 THE PAPERWORK 5 CREW GEAR 5 Regatta Info 6 Oakland Catholic Crew Traditions 7 Student Athlete Leadership 7 Oakland Catholic Crew Awards 7 Oakland Catholic Crew Varsity Letters 8 Expectations 8 THE COMMITTED PARENT 9 Contacts 10 Glossary of Rowing Terms 11 ​ Safety 14 1 Introduction Dipping an oar into the water on the first stroke of a Fall or Spring afternoon is always a ​ ​ ​ memorable moment. Crew, or rowing, is a sport in which team members row boats that hold 8, ​ 4, 2 or one rower(s), in races against time or other boats. Crew is an activity that requires both physical and mental strength and stamina, putting participants in peak condition. Oakland ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Catholic High School offers Crew as a club, or "non-WPIAL" sport at the Varsity and Novice ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ levels. Oakland Catholic Crew focuses on boats with 8 or 4 rowers. There is also another ​ ​ ​ individual, a coxswain, who sits in the stern (back of the boat), steers the boat, and motivates the rowers. The program begins in the Fall with instruction and head races, and continues in the Winter ​ with conditioning that will prepare athletes for the demands of Spring competition with a series ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ of regattas that culminate in the Midwest Junior Rowing Championship and, if we qualify, the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ SRAA National Championships Regatta. Weekday and Saturday practices on the beautiful ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Allegheny River train rowers for exciting weekend races on waterways throughout the region. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The active involvement of the parents of our Crew members is critical to the success of the program. We encourage all parents to be involved in some way. Mission, Values, and Motto The Oakland Catholic Crew program is dedicated to helping young women achieve excellence in rowing by training them to develop physical and mental Strength, requiring that they always ​ ​ show Respect for others, and teaching them that Teamwork is the ultimate path to success. ​ ​ ​ ​ The mission of the program is to provide a safe, yet physically and mentally challenging environment where Oakland Catholic student athletes can learn and compete in the sport of rowing at a championship level, and thereby realize: ● The rewards of hard work and determined preparation⎯There are no shortcuts to ​ ​ success in Crew. Talent alone does not naturally win out. The most physically fit, best coordinated, most disciplined, and mentally toughest Crews are the ones who experience the satisfaction of seeing their hard work rewarded. Crew members spend long hours conditioning and practicing over many months to prepare for races that last minutes. Crew is 95% preparation and 5% competing in regattas. ● The value of total commitment to the Crew⎯Rowing in an eight or four is the ultimate ​ ​ team experience. Each and every rower needs to exert maximum effort while doing so in complete synchronicity with others in the boat. Rowers must care about each other, have faith and trust in one another, and subjugate their individual success, recognition, and glory to that of the Crew. ● How to compete in a forthright fashion⎯ Learning to compete with teammates while ​ genuinely encouraging, supporting, and appreciating their achievements, even at the cost of one's own individual position, is a highly valuable life-skill well-learned through a student athlete's participation in Crew. ● How to push beyond artificial limits⎯ Crew provides student athletes the opportunity ​ to learn that they are capable of digging deeper, pushing beyond what their mind may 2 be telling them is not possible, and accomplishing far more than what one might expect to accomplish. STRENGTH, RESPECT, TEAMWORK ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ THE SEASON Crew extends through the entire school year. Most students commit to the Fall and Spring racing seasons, and the majority participate in Winter conditioning. A few substitute another sport in the Winter, and some row in only one season, the Fall or Spring. Fall Season The Fall racing season is composed mostly of training and conditioning in preparation for 2 or 3 head races. Head races are timed races in which boats start one-at-a-time down a race course (about three miles long) about 10 seconds apart. In the Fall, OC Crew has typically attended the Head of the Ohio, our local race on the Allegheny River, and the Blake Haxton Invitational (near Columbus, OH). We may also participate in some sprint racing with other local high school teams. Our Fall season ends with the Central Catholic Biathlon (indoor ergometer racing and a 6-mile run) in early December. Winter Training Over the Winter, the team works on strength and conditioning to build endurance and prepare for the Spring racing season. The indoor season consists of training and competing on indoor rowing machines (ergometers or ergs), running, and lifting weights. The team will participate at several indoor racing events during the Winter season. In the past, OC Crew has participated at the Three Rivers Rowing Association’s Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints and North Allegheny High School’s Indoor Rowing Championship. Spring Season Spring is the busiest season for high school rowing, with several out-of-town sprint races. In sprint races, the boats take off side-by-side in a race to the finish line. These races are typically 1,500 meters long and take 5 to 7 minutes to complete. In past years, Spring practice on the water has started in March (weather-dependent). The season builds in anticipation of the Midwest Scholastic Championships in mid-May. Finishing in the top three or four in a Midwest final qualifies a boat for national competition. Plan for practice to end in early June. THE BOATHOUSE The team trains at the Millvale facility of Three Rivers Rowing Association on the quiet channel beside Herr’s Island. Located in Millvale’s Riverfront Park under the 40th Street Bridge [90 River ​ Front Drive, 15209], the Millvale Boat house is actually two buildings, one for storing boats and the other for training. The training center has two indoor rowing tanks that allow 16 people to simulate rowing. OC Crew members are only permitted to be at or in the boathouse as a part ​ 3 of a coached practice, and an OC coach must always be present at each practice. The ​ boathouse is shared by many teams, and appropriate security measures should be observed. Please drop off/pick up your daughter in the parking area in front of the red, white and blue building. While the coaches do their best to end practices on time, it is a good idea to bring a good book with you while you wait for practice to end! RACING SCHEDULE (subject to change) 10/5/19: Head of the Ohio 10/26/19: Blake Haxton Fall Invitational (Columbus) 10/27/19: Speakmon Regatta (Columbus) 12/2019: Central Catholic Biathlon 1/2020: Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints 2/2020: North Allegheny Indoor Rowing Championship 4/12/2020: Dillon Lake Scholastic Sprints 5/9-10/2020: Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association Championships While practice dates and times will vary with the season, expect to practice 4-5 days each week. FEES Without a doubt, running a rowing program is expensive! Most of the cost is attributed to equipment and maintenance. A new, 8-person boat costs between $28,000 and $40,000; oars run $375 each; and ergometers cost more than $900 each. Launches and motors are also expensive. The team must also pay fees for boat storage and regattas, insurance, and general operating expenses. These are some of the items that are covered by dues payments: ● Insurance for our boats and equipment ● Storage fees for our boats ● Membership fees to US Rowing, Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association, Three Rivers Rowing Association ● Race Costs: regatta registration fees, travel, hotel, food, truck rental, and fuel ● Equipment purchase and maintenance Crew is a club sport at Oakland Catholic, and due to the significant expense of maintaining the equipment, travel, and day-to-day operations of the sport, individual dues are necessary for a competitive team. We operate on a net-zero budget and raise money through dues and fundraisers. Average dues run $650 for the Fall Season and $750 for the Spring Season. Actual dues will vary based on projected expenses and the number of rowers per season to share the expense. 4 Fundraisers For a number of years, Oakland Catholic High School Crew has partnered with Central Catholic High School Crew to co-sponsor Irish Night, which is a concert, a tribute to Brendan Foley, and a fundraiser for the rowing teams. All parents are asked to contribute to this fundraiser through donations of gift baskets or auction items, sponsorships, advertisements, and attendance. In 2018, Oakland Catholic Crew raised approximately $5,500 from this event. Each rower and coxswain is requested to fundraise a minimum of $100 toward Irish Night. In addition, families that are able to contribute to the Oakland Catholic Fund are encouraged to do so since this ​ fund supports the operational programs and budget of the school, including OC Crew. THE PAPERWORK US Rowing Membership: All athletes must join US Rowing and complete all necessary waivers. ​ The basic membership carries a $9.75 admin fee. You must complete this process before the ​ ​ first race (including indoor events). Our club code is: JNYY7 https://membership.usrowing.org/individual/join Three Rivers Rowing Swim Test: Basic swimming skills are required in the unlikely event a ​ rower should go into the water. A swimming test is required by OC Crew and Three Rivers Rowing for each rower. CREW GEAR The only gear your daughter needs to row is a pair of shorts, a tank top or t-shirt and a pair of socks.