Arlington Belmont Crew - Team Meeting Spring 2019 - Arlington-Belmont Crew

Arlington Belmont Crew

         Team Meeting
          Spring 2019

Agenda
u   Welcome
u   Our Mission
u   Introduction of Board and Coaches
u   Competing for AB Crew
u   Expectations of Athletes & Parents
u   Practice Schedule & Clothing
u   Health & Nutrition
u   Regattas
u   Fundraising
u   Parents only/Athletes Break-Out Sessions

AB Crew Team Mission

u   Arlington Belmont Crew is a competitive junior rowing team that
    is coach led, Board directed and parent supported
u   Our mission is to promote an appreciation for the sport of crew
    and the teamwork of rowing
u   Our program includes skill building, physical conditioning, and
    the introduction to competitive rowing

AB Crew Team Organizational Structure

  Board of Directors
                            Volunteer
                                                   Committees
                       leaders/coordinators

                                                Varsity Boys Coach
                       Head Coach &Girls
                         Varsity Coach          Novice Girls Coach

                                                Novice Boys Coach

                                              Consultant

Board of Directors
u   Co-Presidents: Rosemary Burke and
    Doug Rosner
u   Treasurer: Bob Voges
u   Assistant Treasurer: Open
u   Secretary: Ariadne Wright
u   Director: Pam Sass
u   Director: Tara McCabe
u   Director: John Gillis
u   Director: Linea Rowe
u   Director: Open

AB Crew Coaching Staff

          A CENTURY OF ROWING EXPERIENCE!
u   Head Coach and Varsity Girls Coach—Alyssa Pomfrey
u   Varsity Boys Coach—Andy O’Brien
u   Novice Girls Coach—Joanna Coombs
u   Novice Boys Coach—Jon Raichek
u   Rowing Consultant—Buzz Congram

Competing for AB Crew
Rowing is the ultimate walk-on sport
    No experience necessary!

Rowing is the ultimate team sport
      The camaraderie of rowers and coxswains is special. They share an experience of intensive
training and compete at the highest level of youth sports. We compete in regional and national
regattas! And Yes we are going to SARATOGA!

    Our athletes overcome the physical and mental challenges together as a team. Supporting
one another, each rower will achieve personal bests. The Coxswains will become more self-
confident and drive their crews to exceed expectations.

     For Novice parents, before you know it, your teens will be varsity athletes. You will watch
from the shore with pride as their boats glide through the water almost effortlessly – hopefully to a
top finish!

Athlete Expectations
u   As with all high school sports, your athletes are expected to
    communicate with coaches themselves
u   They and you must check the website and emails for information
    and updates
u   Read all emails through to the end, even if they are long!
u   Active participation in fundraising
u   Have Fun! Crew is a great opportunity to make new friends –
    lifelong friends. We encourage rowers to get together, host parties
    and eat dinner as a team.

Practice Schedule
u   Practice times and locations are on the website
u   You can receive notifications via email or text from TeamSnap.
u   Coaches may set up additional ways to communicate for each squad
    such as Facebook, Instagram or Google docs.
u   Practices are Monday through Friday with generally one day in the erg
    room and four on the water
u   There may be Saturday practices when not racing
u   Rowers may not leave until all equipment is put away
u   Rowers are expected to attend ALL practices (as long as they attended
    school that day)
u   Absences are okay if for good reasons, such as illness, appointments,
    etc. Rowers should communicate with coaches in advance regarding
    expected absences. Remember one absence can take out an entire
    boat! The more notice, the better, for planning purposes.

CODE OF CONDUCT
All Arlington-Belmont Crew participants are expected to pledge to adhere to the following
Code of Conduct, which includes in summary form:
u   good sporting behavior,
     u   *showing respect for my teammates, coaches, officials, volunteers, other teams and
         spectators
     u   *making efforts to improve
     u   on-time attendance
     u   Following instructions of the coaching staff
     u   treating all equipment and property with care
u   must be present in school to participate in practice
u   If I am unable to attend practice I will notify my Coach in writing no later than 9:00pm the
    night before, except for medical emergencies in which case I will notify my Coach as soon
    as possible
u   Coach has the authority to determine racing opportunities and line-ups
u   I understand that I will be cut from the team for persistent violations of this Pledge, as
    determined by my Coach in consultation with the Head Coach and after one warning by
    electronic mail or text, and that I will not be entitled to any refund of the fee if the cut is
    made any time after the second full week of practice or the final drop day, whichever
    comes last.

Practice Gear
What to bring to EVERY practice:
u   Water shoes (flip-flops, crocs; no boots/shoes (or bare feet)
u   Sneakers if dry land workout
u   Socks (warm ones!)
u   Hat/Visor
u   Sunglasses
u   Sunscreen
u   Extra clothing for after practice, particularly if it’s rainy or cold
u   Snack for after practice

Team Clothing and Competition
Gear
u   All regatta/competition gear/team uniforms are ordered from JL
    Racing.
    u   Orders are placed online on the JL website>AB Crew team store
    u   The store is open for a short time DON’T MISS IT!
u   Spirit wear is being ordered locally and will be purchased directly
    from the team. Watch your email!

Health & Nutrition
u   Rowing workouts are difficult…rowers will burn a lot of calories!
u   Light, easy-to-digest snacks are good for before practice and high
    calorie/protein foods for after. Protein is very important!
u   Rowers and coxswains need to make sure they are getting enough
    sleep and food.
u   The rowers will get blisters on their hands. It is extremely important
    that they wash their hands regularly (expecially before and after
    practice) and use Neosporin to avoid infection. Blisters will
    eventually heal on their own and harden into callouses.

Race Schedule
u   Saturday April 20 – Greater Lawrence (Lawrence)
u   Weekend of April 26-28 -Saratoga
u   [May 4 or 5 - Ergathon]
u   Weekend of May 11 and 12 – Lowell
u   Weekend of May 18 and 19 – US Rowing (Lowell)
u   Sunday May 26 – MPSRA Championships (Lowell)

General Regatta Information
Races require a full-day commitment.
Sorry. No buses other than Saratoga. Carpool!
Rowers are:
uExpected     to be available as early as 6:00 or 7:00 a.m.
uCommitted     to staying with the team until the end of the regatta
uEncouraged     to bring their homework to races!
Avoid scheduling other events for the athletes on race days; they will
likely be at the race course all day.

Typical Race Day Schedule
u   Race schedules are announced by race officials 1-3 days before the
    race.
u  Coach Pomfrey will send an email usually by Thursday with detailed
   information on the regatta location, including boat line ups and race
   schedule/timing.
u Novice squads often have morning races when the water conditions
   are generally optimal
Sample schedule for one boat:
7:00-7:45 Arrive; unload and rig boats
7:45-8:15 Warm up on land, discuss race strategy, review race course,
bring oars to launch site
8:45-10:15 Row up to the start of the race and race down the race course
10:15-12:00 Review race as a team, de-rig boats and load onto trailer

Parent Expectations
u   Ask questions!
    u   All of us on the Board have been or are parents of rowers and coxswains
        and are happy to help

u   Volunteer
u   Check the website and emails for information and updates
u   Encourage your student athlete to participate in fundraising
u   Most of all have fun! For us adults, regattas can be social events!
    Cheer, laugh and sometimes cry with your fellow parents!
u   Host a team or squad party or dinner
u   Host a parent social

Regattas Are Run By Coaches and Parents
Coaches coach - Parents organize the food tent

                  Parent Volunteering
 § Sign up to be a “Regatta Captain” for one of the regattas
         §   4 Captains for each regatta
         §   Organize food donations and lead set-up and clean-up
         §   You’ll get help from the Regatta Coordinators
         §   No experience necessary!
 §   Donate breakfast and lunch food
 §   Work a shift in the tent or on the grill
 §   Help with set-up and clean-up
 §   Drive food trailer to/from regattas

Parent Committees

u   Development-led by the                 u   Website-led by the Web Master -
    Fundraising Coordinator Tara               Linea Rowe and Steve Szaraz
    McCabe
                                           u   Team clothing led by Mary
u   Registration-led by the Registrar(s)       Metelmann
    - Bob Voges and TBD
u   Travel led by Janice Hayes-Cha:
     u   Saratoga
u   Communications/media led by
    TBD
u   Regattas led by Regatta
    Coordinators – Linea Rowe and
    Andrea Loeb

Parent/Guardian Participation
Responsibilities
1.       A parent or guardian of each athlete must sign up for at least one
         volunteer role each season.
     u       Watch for an email with a link to the Signup Genius (should go out within
             the next couple of days)
     u       Sign up as soon as it comes out to get the job you really want!
2.       A parent or guardian of each athlete must sign up to help bring
         food and staff the tent at regattas. We’re ALL responsible to feed
         the athletes and ourselves!
     u       A Sign up Genius is sent out prior to each regatta
         u     First tier of responsibility is the parents of the squad responsible for the regatta
         u     Second tier of responsibility is parents of every athlete participating in the
               regatta

Spring Fundraiser: Ergathon

Why an Ergathon?

     •    AB Crew needs to raise 25K+ to purchase equipment and maintain the current fleet. A good
          used 8 cost anywhere between ~$15K-$20K, a new 8 is ~$40K.

     •    An ergathon is a fun, collaborative event for rowers and families to participate in, & is an easy
          concept for donors and sponsors to understand. Every MA Public Club Team does an ergathon,
          including those getting financial support from their towns.

How Does It work?

•Organized and Led by 4 Volunteer Parents, 1 from each squad &other volunteers

•Rowers/Coxswains will raise a minimum of 250.00 over several weeks by asking family, friends, neighbors to
support them for erging 25,000 meters on mixed teams .

Arlington Belmont Crew

Parent Meeting
Spring 2019