Fall Season Report

Even though we compete as a spring season sport, I do have some news to share. Mrs McIntyre has put together a scrapbook of last season and is available HERE . One of our alums has news to share -- check out about half way down on THIS LIST .

I recently got an e-mail form Courtney about her experiences at the University of Texas. She seems really stoked, but I'll let her tell the story:

"Mr Bousquet,

I made the Texas Crew team! After a long week of tryouts, I made the team. This means I am now a NCAA D1 rower. I am so excited!!!! No experience was necessary but it definitely helped seeing that I am not a runner. We had tryouts for about a week and a half and everyday we had to run .8 miles for a warm-up run. That got easier as the days went on. Twice we had to run an extra 2.6 miles and it was times. That was extremely hard and I really need to work on getting my time down.

For the erg portion, we had to do a broken 2K. 500, 1000, 500 meters. Our splits had to be 2:00.00. That was so much harder than the 2:09.00 I am used to from high school. I managed to do average in this. Coach looked at my technique on the erg and said I am a "butt-cruncher." So I learned that means that from the catch to the finish, I lead with my back first and then my legs. I should not move my back before my legs. So I should go back more hunched over. I didn't even realize I did this until they corrected me.

Everyday we have to stretch as a group and do 30 jumps (which are jumping from a squatting position), 10 push ups, and 50 abs, all 3 times through. We're not even on the water yet!!! Then, on the water, I sit in stroke seat because I have experience and I know what I'm doing. We just paddle around and work on technique. It's so fun and the scenery is so beautiful. We row on a lake so there is no tide, not many wakes, and almost no wind. When we row, they want us to learn how to do so first by rowing on the square. We never did this so it's confusing to me. I struggle with it a little but it's not too bad. What's really funny is when some of the girls freak out because the balance of the eight is off a little. I keep thinking to myself, this is so normal, novices are like this and it could be worse; we could be in a four. We usually only race 8's and the last few people who don't make top eights will be racing in the fours.

I am just super excited and I thought I'd tell you all about it! I will hopefully be back for my spring break and I will definitely try and come out to practices! I have the Crew Blog bookmarked and I will be checking it when the season starts! I hope you're having a great school year! "

    On the equipment front there's two new developments. The dilapidated Vespoli Four Mile Run, that Norfolk Academy gave us at the end of last season, is about ready to go. If you remember loading the hull, it was missing everything but the seat tracks: no riggers, seats, stretchers, or fin. It had missing bulkheads and the floor was cracked in numerous places. NA had given the boat up for dead. After working on this project for most of the summer I have just about finished a major re-work that includes hull repairs and a new paint job. I scavenged seats and riggers from the old yellow Dirigo eight, and built new stretchers. The only piece left to complete the boat are the actual shoes and I'm thinking of installing clogs instead (like used by the Villanova crew...) The pics below show the new look. Four Mile Run sports the Catholic chevron and a new cox seat. The speaker system uses a new cable but recycled speakers. We'll probably be needing an additional cox box to support this boat (an excuse for more fund raising!)
 

 

I am also working as time permits on a "new" eight, to be named Wildcat. This boat, a Kaschper "International" model, was the top men's eight at Villanova University and was severely damaged in a fall off their boathouse lift system. Coach O'Brien and I took a trip to Philadelphia in late September to pick up the pieces (yes, "pieces" as both the bow and the stern broke off in the fall.) Because the damage was so severe, including a cracked keel, bent rudder, snapped off fin and a major break at seat two, the insurance wrote off the boat as a total loss. Not to worry, though! I can fix most anything...

 

 

 

The pics below show the work to date. The ends are glued back on and some major carbon fiber repair is underway, including vacuuming bagging down new hull panels at seat two. I expect that the finished hull will be out "best" eight. It sports wing riggers and clog-style foot stretchers. After the major breaks are repaired and faired, this hull will also recieve a new paint job turning it white and green.  The name "Wildcat" is in honor of the Villanova crew, where coach O'Brien went to school, and where Mairin is now a junior and the cox of the second women's eight. Stay tuned as Wildcat becomes more and more complete.

 

 

And on the rowing front, we had a crew of girls that wanted to compete in the Head of the Lafayette, an annual race sponsored by the HRRC. They committed to make six practices prior to the race and these ended up being all before school. So, yes, at o'dark hundred (between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.) these intrepid girls gathered to row on the river. It was amazing how much traffic is out there. We consistently saw the ODU women's varsity and crews from the HHRC that practice before dawn on a regular basis. We bought a nice set of  running lights from Chesapeake Rowing so if any other crew gets the urge, we are ready! Unfortunately for Meagan, Meredith, Natalie, Corey, and Hana, the race ended up being canceled due to Sandy. At the height of the storm I did snap a couple of pics of the river. The shots below show the launch and recovery docks, and a couple of shots from my parents' yard. Note the island is completely underwater and the #12 channel marker (the first one we encounter when rowing out) has water just about up to the placard. Yep, it's been an interesting fall season.

 

 

 

So as we transition into the winter sports season I congatulate our fall athletes (cross country, football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey and tennis) and wish them well in the upcoming swimming, basketball and wrestling seasons. We'll all be back on the ergs soon, so until then, keep tough and pull hard, Crusaders!

 

 

 

 

Updated Crew Manual

All:

Below is the updated crew manual, especially useful for new rowers, coxswains, and their parents. Thanks for all those who dropped by for the crew meeting. I hope to have a few learn-to-row sessions in September and October, probably on Sunday afternoons (so as to not conflict with football.)  The dates will be announced at school and via the group e-mail distribution.

Pull Hard!

Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School Crew Manual         (revised 2012)

Background Information

    Crew is the sport of rowing a lightweight boat (shell) as fast as it will go! At Bishop Sullivan, our shells are powered by four or eight sweep rowers and are steered by a coxswain (cox-n).  In sweep rowing, each rower handles a single oar in a shell approximately 42 feet long (for a 4-person shell) or 68 foot long for an eight.

    Crew as a sport has several unique characteristics. While teamwork plays an important role in all "team" sports, it is absolutely critical in rowing.   A boat's success is dependent on all the boat’s rowers putting forth 100% effort, in unison. Crew is as much a mental endeavor as it is a physical one; the psychological pressure not to let your team down can be astounding. This concept of teamwork serves team members well, in school and throughout life.

    Physically, rowing requires a near-perfect blend of power, coordination and endurance: power in the delivery of each independent stroke, coordination in the timing of the delivery of the strokes, and endurance in the ability to sustain that output for up to 1500 meters.  The integrated delivery of the legs, back, upper torso and arms for each stroke, up to 35 strokes per minute over a race lasting 6 minutes is unlike any other athletic endeavor.  Post-event exhaustion can only be partially overcome by the satisfaction of a job well done and the occasional thrill of victory. See the appendix for a list of rowing terms.

    Crew also imparts a serious sense of discipline, which seems to carry over to better performance academically by requiring careful budgeting of time between sports and schoolwork.

Bishop Sullivan Catholic High Crew

    The BSCHS crew program was established in the spring of 2000 and continues to grow in size. We will continue to build on the experience and success of last year when our men's varsity 8 finished 2nd in the regional championship (with 14 schools competing) and when we entered both our top men's and women's eights in the state championship. Last season we also acquired an additional four and a single, both of which increase the rowing opportunities for the team.

Goals

    The BSCHS crew program has established the following goals that reflect the nature of the program as a varsity sport and the needs of the program over time:

1.      To have everyone row as often as possible in as many regattas as possible.

2.      As a team, to have all members compete in a crew at every regatta.

3.      To acquire additional equipment, in particular ergs and oars, to provide additional rowing opportunities for students.

4.      To promote a spirit of camaraderie, enjoyment, responsibility and dedication where students learn the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, in addition to learning to row.

The Bishop Sullivan Catholic High Crew Program

    The sport of rowing (a.k.a. “crew”) is a relatively new addition to interscholastic athletics in the Hampton Roads area. Both public and private high schools participate in crew. BSCHS will compete against Norfolk Collegiate, Norfolk Academy, Cox, Maury, Granby, Hickory, Great Bridge, First Colonial, Cape Henry and Saint Margaret (of Tappahannock). Crew has strong support from the administration, the athletic director, and the Crusader Club. The majority of the support for the program, however, comes from the student/athletes and/or their parents. The contributions of the both the student/athletes and their parents in time and transportation are the cornerstone of the program's success.

Inventory of Equipment

     Bishop Sullivan’s crew program has benefited from the dedication and commitment of student/athletes and parents. We have acquired the following inventory:

2 WinTech shells (4+), new in 2007

2 older fiberglass shells (both Schoenbrod Intercollegiate 4+)

1 older Schoenbrod Intercollegiate 8+

1 older Vespoli 8+

1 older Vespoli 4+

1 older Hudson single 1X

26 oars

4 ergometers

2 outboard motors

2 safety boats

1 trailer capable of holding up to 9 shells

and considerable support equipment (life vests, gas cans, spare parts, etc.)  Boats and equipment are maintained by the coach and coxswains.

 Transportation

 Transportation to practice and regattas is the responsibility of each family. Junior and senior members of the team often form carpools. The school has a bus that can transport rowers to the afterschool practices for a nominal fee (there is no return but to school, however.) Ultimately transportation to and from practices and local regattas is the responsibility of individual families. The school will provide transportation to “away” regattas.

Rower's Equipment

    The equipment required for the rower consists of running shoes, workout clothes, and a water bottle. Suggested clothing include: polypropylene or spandex pants or shorts, long underwear shirt, wool or fleece hat, long running tights, wool socks, a polar fleece jacket, sweats (tops and bottoms), and a hat for sunny days. Weather in March, April and May can be very cold. Crew team shirts are provided by the crew club. Racing uniforms shirts for the boys and girls are provided by the school.

Fall Training

     Learn-to-row training will take place in the fall. Scheduled sessions will be arranged to accommodate students’ availability. The boat will often consist of a mixed crew (boys and girls). There are a couple of long “head races” in the fall in which we hope to enter our most experienced crew.

Off season Conditioning

    The off season conditioning and weight training begins on the first of December. Winter conditioning is optional for those students who are not involved in a fall or winter sport at Bishop Sullivan. It is highly recommended for all other rowers and is a very important part of the program. Off-season conditioning will consist of 2-3 days of weight training and aerobic conditioning per week.  A completed VHSL Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form is required before participation in winter conditioning will be allowed. There is an indoor “erg race” sponsored by the Hampton Roads Rowing Club in mid-February where team members can compare their conditioning with other high school students on indoor rowing machines.

Practices

    On-the-water practices are currently held on the Lafayette River from the Sigrid Robertson Rowing Center at Lakewood Park in Norfolk. When on the water, the shells are accompanied by a safety boats manned by the coaches and containing life jackets and other safety gear, such as blankets. The safety boats remains within 100 yards of the shells at all times.  Megaphones are used to communicate between the safety boat and the shells. All student/athletes must pass a swim test to demonstrate their ability to handle themselves in case of an accident. The coaches at the start of the season hold demonstrations on safety and recovery.

    Weight training and conditioning practices are held in the BSCHS weight room, in the gym, or on the track. When students are not on the water they should be working out with their crew. Distance running is a team effort headed by the team captains.

Boat Selection

    The coaches select individuals for boats based on many factors. Rowers demonstrate their physical ability on rowing machines called ergometers. The coaches also look for good rowing technique in the boat, which is developed over time and with concentration at practice. Attitude and attendance at practice play a role in boat selection as well. In all cases, the coaches reserve the right to use a certain amount of subjective judgment in making these decisions.

Student/Athlete Standards

    The Bishop Sullivan Catholic High crew program adheres to all BSCHS athletic standards. In order to participate in crew, the student/athlete must subscribe to each of the following standards to remain eligible. These standards include, but are not limited to:

* Proof of a valid physical exam within the last calendar year. All physicals are to be turned into the Athletic Director’s Office.

* Demonstrated ability to pass a swim test that consists of swimming 50 yards and treading water for 10 minutes, fully clothed.

* Compliance with VHSL and crew program eligibility rules.  This includes maintaining passing grades to participate.

* Attendance at all scheduled practices. Only those absences approved by the coach will be excused.

* Failure to attend practices will affect team status.

* Missed practices may be made up at the discretion of the coach.

* Absolute compliance with Bishop Sullivan’s no smoking/alcohol/drug abuse policy.

* Completion of the EVSRA/USRowing liability waiver.

2013 Crew Season

   

    Crew season officially begins March 1st and goes through mid May. Practice during the season is held before or after school on weekdays and on some Saturdays and Sundays. Regattas are held weekends (usually Saturdays.) The scheduled regattas typically include four local regattas held at Botanical Gardens, including the EVSRA Championships and the Independent Schools Championships, one or two regattas at Mathews, Virginia, a regatta at Richmond, and the state championships in Occoquan. The schedule is posted on the team’s website.

    Regattas are almost always on Saturdays and start as early as 7 a.m. and last for the better part of the day, ending around 3:00 p.m. “Away” regattas usually require either a Friday departure (for Occoquan) or a very early Saturday departure (for Mathews or Richmond.)  All crew parents and family members are invited to cheer for BSCHS at regattas. You should bring your own lawn chairs, seat cushions and/or blankets.

Regatta Events

   A regatta consists of races referred to as events.  Events consist of different sizes, classes and configuration of shells. The events during a regatta include varsity and novice classes. Boys and girls compete is separate races. All schools in the area compete in fours. Some schools also field eights.      

Regatta Locations

    Regattas are held at one of four locations. Locally, the Lake Whitehurst venue adjacent to the Botanical Gardens is the preferred site due to the sheltered conditions. Most regattas will be held there. Entrance to the Gardens costs $5 per car, but a yearly family pass allowing unlimited admittance is available regattas are held on adjacent to Azalea Gardens. The Lafayette River regattas are held at the Robertson Rowing Center where we practice. We also travel (about a two hour drive north of school) to participate in the Mathews Regattas held at Williams Wharf in Mathews, Va, near Gloucester, Va, and to James River High School, just west of Richmond. Students should arrange their own transportation to regattas, except for the Mathews and James River regattas to which transportation will be provided by the school’s mini-bus.

Lettering

    To letter, a student/athlete must meet Bishop Sullivan Catholic High's academic criteria, be in good standing and be a superior athlete. In good standing means participation in support activities, fund raising activities and helping to maintain the equipment. As a club sport with varsity status, varsity letters are awarded according to standards established by the school and the coaches. As a general rule, varsity letters are awarded to rowers who compete in interscholastic competition. All athletes who participate on the crew team for three years will also be awarded a letter.

Coaches and Parents

    Our program is fortunate to have dedicated, experienced and involved individuals on our coaching staff. The head coach is Mr. Bousquet, a math teacher and senior class moderator at BSCHS. Mr. Bousquet is a US Rowing Level I certified coach. The assistant coach is Mr. Jay O’Brien. Assisting both are parents of team members. Parents are also needed to assist at regattas (as timers, skiff operators, even “go-fers.”) There is an opportunity for parent volunteers to receive free training in regatta positions and to become US Rowing-certified referees.  Strong involvement from parents allows the crew program to grow and succeed.

Bishop Sullivan Catholic High Crusader Club

    The Crusader Club works with the school to support the Bishop Sullivan Catholic High crew program. The Crusader Club consists of parents of student/athletes who help support all the extra-curricular activities of the school. Parents who wish to support the crew team should join the Crusader Club to coordinate their efforts.

Liability Insurance

    The United States Rowing Association (USRA) provides liability insurance to all involved in conducting its sanctioned regattas. Such insurance facilitates the conduct of regattas with the large number of volunteer workers without whom the events would not otherwise be possible. The EVSRA/USRowing waiver must be completed and on file with the coach before students attend on-the-water activities.

Directions to rowing sites

Robertson Rowing Center at Lakewood Park in Norfolk: From the I-264/I-64 interchange go north on I-64 towards Richmond (outer beltway or I-64West).  Take the 2^nd Tidewater Drive exit (#277A, Tidewater Drive/Rte 168 South). Once on Tidewater, go about a mile and a half, through 4 lights and turn right onto Willow Wood Drive. The entrance to Lakewood Park is about 300 yards on the right. The Rowing Center is at the end of the driveway, on the Lafayette River.

Botanical Gardens. Take I-64 to the Norview Avenue/Airport exit. Head towards the airport, turn left on Azalea Garden road. Proceed about 1 mile and turn right into The Botanical Garden. The rowing site is on the left after crossing the bridge. There is a $5 per vehicle fee for admittance into the Botanical Garden.

Glossary

Shell - The racing boat. Shells come for single rowers, pairs, fours, and eights. Fours are the most common type in local interscholastic racing. A four is approximately 42 feet long, narrow (about two feet wide at its widest point), and weighs about 180 pounds. Shells are finely designed and constructed pieces of equipment.

Oars - Longer than the garden variety type for rowboats - some 12 feet in length and like shells, lightweight and finely designed.

Riggers - The metal apparatus from the side of the shells upon which oarlocks are fitted to handle the oars.

Slide - Two tracks upon which the rower's seat is fixed. The seat moves forward and backward on the slide, enabling the rower to "gather up" his or her body at the start of the stroke and then use the combined power of the legs, back, and arms when actually executing the slide.

Sweep - A shell configured so that each rower has one oar. Oars on a sweep shell are normally alternated from side to side.

Scull - A shell configured so that each rower has two oars, one on each side of the boat.

Coxswain - The person who sits at the stern of the shell and steers, gives commands to the crew and generally acts as an "on-site" assistant to the coach. Because coxswains don't pull an oar, relatively lightweight people are sought for the position; however, a good coxswain will have as much competitive spirit as the rowers and can make a considerable difference to a crew's success.

Stroke - The stern-most rower in the boat that sits just in front of the coxswain. The stroke sets the pace for the rest of the crew, responding to the urging and encouragement of the coxswain.

Port and Starboard Rowers - In sweep rowing, the designation of a rower according to whether he or she normally rows with an oar on the port or starboard side of the shell.

Catch - The start of a rowing stroke. The crew literally "catches" their oars in the water while beginning the stroke.

Release - The act of getting the oar out of the water at the end of the stroke and beginning the recovery (gathering the body with the knees coming up) for the next stroke.

Crab - Not the hard or soft-shelled variety. A rower catches a "crab" when his or her oar doesn't enter the water properly at the catch, and the blade buries itself to varying degrees in the water instead of flowing smoothly through the stroke. Crabs slow a boat down and are to be avoided if possible, but all rowers experience them at one time or another.

Set - The term "set" refers to the extent to which the boat is balanced from side to side while rowing. A crew rowing in such a way that the shell is not dipping to port or starboard continually is said to have good "set" in its row.

Power 10- a set of strokes when the crew makes an extra effort to "get everything on the oar" and make the shell go faster. (Can be power 15 or 20 also). Used in a race to try and get a tactical advantage on the other crew(s).

Ergometer - A rowing machine. An "erg" allows beginning rowers to learn the basics of the stroke before going on the water and all rowers to develop their conditioning.

Single-Minded

 

  Perhaps the name should be "Single-Minded Obsession" since that's what my wife has called my rather continuous work on the donated single that we received in April. The boat, a 20 year old Hudson, was in pretty bad shape, but after some carbon patches, a couple of coats of paint, and some new parts she's as good as new, albeit a few pounds heavier. I had to fabricate a new fin, get the rigger cleaned up and powdercoated, and replace the bowball. Of course, I included the distinctive green Catholic High color scheme. The minimum weight for a single is 31 pounds and Single-Minded comes in at 37 pounds. Those who want to take up the challenge will find new stretchers and shoes, a new seat, and new oarlocks. At this time we're stuck with using borrowed oars (a new set of C2 sculling oars costs $500.) At any rate, here is a video of world champion David Calder's first time in a single...

Below are some more pix of our Hudson. If you're interested in learning to scull drop me an e-mail and be ready to swim. At the end of this post is a short snippet of Natalie rowing Single-Minded. Not too bad for her first time in the boat!

Next up is the repair of the Vespoli 4 that NA gave us at the last regatta. 

 

End-of-the-Season Wrap-up

Well done to all! We have officially wrapped up the 2012 spring sprint season and we are winding down to the summer off-season. We'll miss our graduating seniors: Andrew, Holt, Jaime, Mike, Matt, Phil, Thomas, Alex, Hyunjin, Andi, Courtney, Reagan, Caroline, and Laura. Please stay in touch if any of you would like to row during the summer.

A huge thank-you to the Sigalas for hosting the end-of-the-year party. If anyone has any pictures they want to share, feel free to send them and I'd add then to this post.


For those wishing for additional opportunities during the summer, consider attending a camp. There are a number of "crew camps" in the mid-Atlantic region. Some that team members have attended include William and Mary and the Naval Academy. Others nearby include ODU,  UVA, George Washington, Carolina Rowing Camps, and Chesapeake Crew Camp.

Some web links:

Naval Academy

William and Mary

ODU 

UVA 

George Washington

Carolina Rowing Camps

Chesapeake Crew Camp

In addition to the above overnight camps, I will be having some rowing opportunities, especially for incoming freshmen, during August. I'll need some team members to assist (a couple of pairs in the eight, for example.)  More info is to come.

Also, as mentioned at the party, I'll be repairing the Hudson single and the Vespoli four that we got at the end of the season. Those wishing to help should drop me a note and I'll shoot e-mails as those projects come around.  Once the single is repaired, I'll teach whomever wants to learn the technique of sculling. Again, just drop me a note.

Lastly, we still have the concession operation at the May 30th middle school track meet as a huge fund-raising opportunity. I know it's during exam week, but since we get out at 1:00 it would be a nice break from cramming to relax and hawk a hot dog or soda. Last year we raised almost $2000 at this track meet! PLEASE plan on helping, even if it's only for a couple of hours.

Thanks, again for a great season.

48 pieces of teamwork!

Mr. B.

State Championships

 Pix needed from this regatta!  Send them to me and I'll include them in the near term.

For the first time in the history of the program, we sent crews to the State Rowing Championship Regatta in Occoquan. We couldn't make it out of the heats, BUT consider the following:

(1) No other school in the EVSRA even entered the W1stV8 event.
(2) Of the three EVSRA schools that entered the M1stV8 event, none made it out of the heats. All three (us, Cox, and Princess Anne) finished a distant fifth in their respective heats. We bettered PA's time by three seconds, and were but 4 seconds slower than Cox's.)
(3) All the other schools that entered eights in the EVSRA championships (e.g., Great Bridge, Norfolk Academy) opted to either break their boats into fours, row as qualified lightweight eights, or pull seniors and enter the junior eight event.

So,... lessons learned? It's obvious to me now, and possibly should have been before I registered, that rowing in the V8 events in Northern Virginia is a quantum leap from what we experience here in our region. Consider Georgetown Visitation Prep (who were placed in an adjacent lane in our WV8 heat  race.) This all-girl Catholic high school in downtown D.C. (with an enrollment of 450 girls)  only rows eights. They start their freshmen in eights (and compete in freshman eight events, none at the state championship regatta), then by sophomore year those same girls row in the junior eight event. In their junior year those same enter the second varsity eight event and finally as seniors row in the WV8 event. Our girls faced GVP and hung tough with them for the first part of the race only to fall behind and eventually finish 40 seconds off their pace. GVP finished 4th and qualified for the petite finals, we finished 5th and went home.

The schools that row out of Sandy Run also include trail running in their practices. I believe I heard from the boathouse area to the grandstands and back, twice, each practice.  Them be some conditioned athletes!

Below is the video of the M1stV8 heat race. I included the platform loading sequence for future coxswains.

The full results are available on Row2K at this link.

A word about the required progressions: At each level (M8, W8, M4, W4, etc.) schools must enter a 1st varsity boat before they are allowed to enter a 2nd varsity boat. Any junior entries must have all athletes in 11th grade or below, with no one 18 years old.  A school may enter a light event without a varsity entry, but all light athletes must be certified by the school's trainer at the start of the season (in February.)

With our seniors and with our available hulls we could enter the 1st V8 events, or we could have entered the 1st varsity 4 and 2nd varsity 4 events (assuming I could borrow 2 other competitive hulls for the 2nd V4 entries.)  For next year I'll seriously be looking at going the "four" route.

The 2012 Independent Schools Championship

subtitled... "Were we 2 tired?"

After a grueling 14 hour day at Mathews in the sun, 90 degree heat, and light winds we competed 16 hours later in the Independent Schools Championship at Botanical Gardens with a strong North East wind and much cooler temps. Perhaps we were running out of steam; perhaps NA is just that much better than us. At any rate we failed to win a race, but finished 2nd in nearly all of then.

Congrats to Norfolk Academy. They wooped us!  ...and we won't get a chance to face their MV8 nor their WV8 again since they are breaking each into a 1st and 2nd four for the State Championship.

Below are the videos and the score sheet.

The MV8 Race:

The WV8 Race:

The WV4 Race:

The score sheet:

Lastly, our entries at States:

The WV8 entry

and the MV8 entry

Pull Hard, Crusaders!

Mathews Regatta

The crew team participated in the "Big" Mathews regatta on Sinko da Mayo. We performed admirably against many schools from Northern Virginia that we haven't rowed against before. The only win was in the mixed novice events but we did place second in some significant events, including the MV8, MV4, WJr8, and WNov4.

Highlights at the end of the include a cox race and a coach race. Below are the results and some selected videos. More commentary to follow.

The MV8 race:

The cox race!

The coach race!

The results:

EVSRA Championships

The school reached a significant new level with the performance at today's EVSRA Championship regatta.  With the Men's Varsity 8 winning the silver medal we have made a statement to all that we can compete at the highest level in the conference. In past years seldom did any crew make it out of the heats; this year almost all of our crews did so.

Below are the two videos and the score sheet, with commentary to follow in the near term.

 

 

Below is the score sheet for overall points (for the Thompson Cup).  Schools earned points for their six highest event finishes. The highest scoring sweep events are the varsity 8s, the lowest scoring sweep events are the novice 4s. Our three high point events were the MV8 silver, the WV8 5th place, and the W2V4 bronze (75, 30 and 25 points respectively.)

Also note the Sunday paper sports results reproduced below. Our mention in the MV8 Grand Finals is significant as the MV8 is the traditional marquee event in any rowing regatta.

Spring Fling II Regatta

Below are the results of yesterday's regatta and four of the videos shot of the racing. Congrats to the WV8 with their first win of the season. Also I can note that y'all clean up pretty well after getting off the water!

Below is the Men's Novice 4 event with Will coxing. The waterproof back to the camera housing  has been removed allowing some audio to be discernible. It's interesting hearing the starter's polling and the coxswain's calls.  Obviously the crew still needs to work on timing and solid oar placement. Perhaps a slightly lower stroke rate would have helped.

Below is the MV8 heat race. A 4th place finish in a very fast heat (If the crew was in heat B they would have won by over 18 seconds. This just goes to show that for next week's regatta we are hoping for a favorable heat placement so we can get out of the heats to the finals.

Below is the WN4 race. The girls got off to a very solid start, and are rowing extremely well balanced on their way to a run away heat win. That is, until the monster crab in the bow seat at the 1:28 mark of the video. Looking at various videos of Synchronicity with other crews rowing this boat, it does appear the pitch of the oarlock on the bow rigger is too shallow, leading to the tendency to catch a crab. Some pitch adjustment is in order! Even so, after completely stopping the boat, this crew managed to catch and pass both First Colonial and Norfolk Collegiate to finish 2nd. There's a lot of potential with the crew!

Lastly we have below the W2V4, heat B race, with Anna coxing and Reagan stroking. A 2nd place finish just 2.6 seconds out of first, but still almost 15 seconds off the pace of the other W2V4 crew in heat A. One item of note is Anna's squeaking at the end. Was the cox box amplification  not working?

Overall both coach O'Brien and I are well pleased. We're still working toward the EVSRA champs next week and the Independent School Championships in two weeks. We've decided in order to get as many athletes competing as possible, we'll enter the following events (remember, no double rowing is allowed at the EVSRA champs): MV8, MV4, MN4, WV8, WV4, W2V4, WN8, then a mixed event to get everybody else on the water. As of now the only person that I know who cannot attend the EVSRA champs is Juan.

Spring Fling I Regatta

Below are the results from the second regatta of the season. Three more wins than in the season opener and some more insightful videos. We were again fortunate with the weather, with light winds, little rain and no storms. Congrats to the four guys in the MV4 for their heat win (and for dropping the time delta between us and Academy.) Overall a good day with still lots of room for improvement. The videos from the previous week are still available but not to the public.  Great job all!
Below is the Men's Novice 4 race. Special kudos to Brendan who successfully "threaded the needle" at the 1:20 mark to keep the boat safe as both NoCo and FC encroached into our lane.

Below is the Men's Varsity 7 race (actually, only a MV7 for the first half dozen strokes, then back to a MV8.) Here are Coach O'Briens observations:
"MV8: Mixed results. I can hardly believe how much these guys have improved, I am exceedingly proud of them. Awesome out of the start and breakdown zone, them Jaime (7) jumped out of his seat. I thought it was all over, and then, god bless him, Jaime holds himself up with one hand, gets his seat back under him, and they are back in it. While Jaime was struggling, all I could do was stare in disbelief as the rest of the guys kept PERFECT time and power on the boat with full strokes, like nothing happened. Wow. They can be really, really good: I want to work with them on stroke length, and pace, they can row at a higher count for race pace. I also want to do some posture and hesitation drills to get them sitting up straighter instead of trying to pull around the oar. "
At any rate, the top Granby 8, in a new Wintech, has us breathing down their necks for two races now. Good job, guys.

Below is the Women's Varsity 4 race, beating NoCo and CH, but still off NA's pace. Bill Evans, the senior Cox HS coach and one of my mentors, told me we can row more "through the pin" so we might adjust the seat tracks a bit and add risers to the aft end of each seat. Coach O'Brien added that we have good synchronization and a natural good cadence, so that if we can get the oar through a true full stroke, we will be competitive.  Getting better, but the Independent School Champs are coming up fast in less than 5 weeks.

Below is one of the Women's Novice 4 heat races. A win for the first time down the lake for Yuna and Yunji, but still lots of work to do with timing and pulling together. Let's plan on shuffling the two women's novice 4 crews for the next regatta.

Below is the Women's 2nd Varsity 4 heat race. Another win for this crew, but I notice our "B" entry in the following heat finished their race 18.2 seconds faster rowing the arguably slower VeniVidiVici hull. Here is Coach O'Brien's note on our "B" crew: "They were in first place past mid-course. They were way to the left on the course, and ran out of gas......With any endurance, the other boats wouldn't have been able to catch them." It's obvious to me that our "A" and "B" W2ndV4 crews will go head to head over the next few practices to establish the faster crew. Remember, for the EVSRA championships in four weeks we can only enter one crew in each event and double rowing is not allowed.

Lastly, The Women's Varsity 8 video was cut short by a low battery. The only item of note is that Caitlin and Courtney didn't understand the new rule at the start: after polling (now called the "announcement" of crews), hands are NOT recognized. The starter will start the race if he or she decides the boats are aligned. Coxes and rowers need to be ready to go at a moment's notice. No amount of hand waving will cause the starter to delay the start. Here're the applicable rule revisions:

2-305 Start

(a) After the Judge at Start signals that alignment has been achieved, the Starter shall announce the name of each crew.

(b) If alignment is lost during the announcement of the crews the Starter may suspend the process and resume when the previous condition is restored. If there is a significant delay, the Starter may repeat the entire procedure.

(c) Once the announcement of the names of the crews begins, the Starter shall disregard any crew signaling that it is not ready under this procedure regardless of when such signal is given.

The results include the unfortunate waking of the M2ndV4 by the ref's launch.