FOX
CHAPEL CREW
2009-2010
Novice
Parent Handbook
Coaching
Staff
Head Coach............................ Mark Bellinger
Assistant Coaches................. Chelsea Breitenbach
Lauren Thorpe
Sara Shippen
Jess Modrall
FC Crew
Board
President................................. Mark
Bellinger....................... 412-973-6653............. bellinger@peduro.com
Secretary................................ Evvy
Diamond....................... 412-782-0418............. jindiamo@comcast.net
Treasurer................................ Bharti
Patel............................. 412-967-0585............. ramgeet729@gmail.com
VP Communications.............. Kristi
Sparta........................... 412-600-7067............. kristisparta@yahoo.com
VP Events.............................. Elodie
Ghedin........................ 412-968-0366............. eghedin@gmail.com
VP Travel/Food...................... Sharon
Genser........................ 412-967-9727............. genser.family@verizon.net
............................................... Kathy
Good............................ 412-782-0418............. crkbgood@comcast.net
Other
Contacts:
Media Relations................................. Shelley
Taylor............ 412-772-1612............. shelleymtaylor@comcast.net
FCHS Liason...................................... Nan
Cohen................. 412-782-5667............. nanondivorce@aol.com
Merchandise/Crew Gear.................... Kim
Power................. 412-963-6482............. japowerjr@comcast.net
Jane
Groomes............. 412-767-0201............. jagroomes@aol.com
Patty
Todd.................. 412-767-4802............. gympretzel@aol.com
SRO
Rep............................................ Gary
McKaveney....... 412-400-0794............gary.mckaveney@usfood.com
Giant Eagle Cards Fundraiser............ Pat
Miller................... 412-967-0623............. pmillerpgh15@aol.com
Car Wash Fundraisers........................ VACANT
Equipment Trailer Coordination........ Jane
Groomes............. 412-767-0201............. jagroomes@aol.com
........................................................... Tom
Sparta................. 412-215-3874............. tom.sparta@comcast.net
........................................................... Stu
Donaldson............ 412-951-7777............. donaldson703@gmail.com
Banquet Committee........................... Kim
Power................. 412-963-6482............. japowerjr@comcast.net
........................................................... Fran
Lagasse.............. 412-782-6332............. franzlagn@yahoo.com
........................................................... Kristi
Sparta............... 412-600-7067............. kristisparta@yahoo.com
........................................................... Barb Barry.................. 412-512-1239............. barbara@in-visionstudio.com
Welcome to all parents
and athletes. Since most of you
are new to crew, we are providing a brief, yet direct, introduction to being a
parent and rower with Fox Chapel Crew Club. It won’t answer all of your questions but it may help give
you an idea of how things are structured.
History
of Fox Chapel Crew
The Fox Chapel Crew Club was created in the spring of 1995
with a roster of 8 girls and 5 boys, led by Head Coach Mark Bellinger. Today our team has grown to include
over 50 student athletes, and we are fortunate to still have Dr. Bellinger at
the head of our coaching staff and President of our board.
The Fox Chapel Crew Club is not simply a team, but an
organization of coaches, students, and parents. FC Crew parents play a fundamental role in the continuing
success of the club and each parent should try to become involved in some
way. Club parents have learned
that participating in the crew experience provides them a rare opportunity to
mingle with their child’s friends, as well as share in their child’s triumphs,
building long-lasting memories.
Giving one’s time does entail making some sacrifices. When only a few people volunteer, the
sacrifice for them is huge. When
all our families volunteer, the sacrifices are small, and the rewards are the
greatest.
Rowing benefits its participants in ways that go far beyond
fitness and competition.
Discipline, leadership, dedication, teamwork and time management are
among the skills developed from participation in crew. Fox Chapel Crew rowers are consistently
ranked at the top of their classes and have a record of academic excellence and
scholastic leadership.
Coming fresh from a 14th season that saw our
Lightweight Four with cox rank 12th in the nation at the US Rowing
Junior National Championship—making last year the fifth year in a row in which
FC crews have participated in Nationals—we look forward with great anticipation
to the challenges and triumphs of the 2009-2010 rowing season.
Practice
Facilities
The team trains at the newer of the Three Rivers Rowing
Association’s two boat houses on the quiet channel beside Herr’s Island. Located in Millvale’s Riverfront Park
under the 40th Street Bridge, 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. It
also has a weight room, a large room with indoor rowing machines, lockers,
showers, meeting rooms, and room to house equipment. The boat house is shared by many teams and appropriate
security measures should be observed.
The locker rooms are open to all who use the facility, and rowers are
advised to bring a lock and use a locker during practice. Locks cannot be left on all the time
without paying a fee to Three Rivers.
Directions
to the Boat House: Take the Millvale exit from Route 28
South. After continuing straight
at the traffic light, turn left at the stop sign, following signs to re-enter
Route 28 South. Turn immediately
left at the bottom of the Route 28 entrance ramp into Millvale Riverfront Park,
and follow the road to the right and all the way to the end.
Practice
Schedule (schedule is tentative as of August 15, 2009)
*Varsity-all returning athletes
*Novice –all new athletes
Fall Schedule
|
|
Mon |
Tues |
Weds |
Thurs |
Fri |
Sat |
|
Novice |
3:15-5:30 Millvale |
3:15-5:30 Millvale |
3:15-5:30 Millvale |
3:15-5:30 Millvale |
3:15-5:30 Millvale |
off |
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
Varsity |
5:00 – 7:00 Millvale |
5:00 – 7:00 Millvale |
5:00 – 7:00 Millvale |
5:00 – 7:00 Millvale |
5:00 – 7:00 Millvale |
off |
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|
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|
|
|
Winter Schedule *begins
approx. Jan 5th and continues until able to get back on water
(schedule is based on 2008-09)
|
|
Mon |
Tues |
Weds |
Thurs |
Fri |
Sat |
|
Men |
5:00-7:00 Millvale |
4:00-5:30 Millvale |
5:30-7:00 Millvale |
4:00-6:00 Millvale |
4:00-6:00 Millvale |
off |
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
women |
4:30-6:00 Wash. Landing |
3:00-4:15 Millvale |
5:00-6:30 Wash. Landing |
TBA At school |
5:00-7:00 Wash. Landing |
off |
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|
|
|
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|
|
Spring Schedule
(more information provided at parent
meeting)
Commitment
Practice is the foundation of success in any sport. Rowing is a unique sport in regards to
practice because if just one member of a boat does not attend practice, the
eight other athletes in that boat are unable to practice. Therefore, all athletes are expected to
attend all scheduled practices.The coaching staff recognizes that legitimate
conflicts arise and ask when at all possible, that athletes and/or parents
notify coaches in advance of an impending absence.
Carpooling
Due to the nature of being on the water, it is not always a
sure thing that practice will end exactly on time, so parents who plan to pick
up crew members should not be surprised if practice runs over 15-20 minutes on
occasion.
This sort of delay can wreck havoc with the finely balanced
schedules crafted by many a parent, so it is suggested that team families and
neighbors form carpools for travel to and from practice. Check the team roster to find crew
members in your neighborhood.
Cancellation
On the water practice continues in all weather conditions,
except lightening. Indoor practice
continues in all weather conditions.
When practice is cancelled for transportation weather reasons BOTH men
and women will be cancelled. When
classes at FCHS are cancelled, practice will be cancelled as well.
When practice is cancelled while students are in class Mark
Bellinger will call FCHS by 1:00 pm so an announcement can be made before
school ends.
The
Season
The crew season extends through the entire school year. Students commit to the fall and spring
racing season, and the majority participate in winter training, while a few
substitute another sport for the winter.
The fall racing season is composed mostly of training and
conditioning in preparation for two or three head races (head races are timed
races in which boats go down the course individually, as opposed to sprint
races which are side-by-side racing and generally take place in the spring).
Over the winter, the team works hard on technique and
conditioning to build endurance and to be ready for a quick start in the spring
racing season.
Spring is by far the busiest season, with several sprint
races, many of them requiring travel out of town. The season builds in anticipation of the US Rowing Midwest
Championships in late May, where the Foxes row against 50 teams from across
Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia. Finishing first or second in a Midwest final qualifies a
boat for national competition, the goal of every Fox Chapel boat.
Spring
Break
There
is often mandatory practice scheduled for part of spring break, updated
information regarding the 2009-10 season will be given at the fall parent
meeting on August 31st.
Tentative
2009-2010 Race Schedule
October 3 Head
of the Ohio (Pgh)
October (TBD) Local
Scrimmage
October 24 Speakmon
(Columbus, OH)
November (TBD) Allegheny
Boat Race (v. Central Catholic)
December 12 Central
Catholic Biathlon (optional)
January (TBD) Pittsburgh
Indoor Sprints Championship
April (TBD) Weigand
and Skuban Cups (v. CC)
April (TBD) Upper
Arlington Scrimmage
April (TBD) Governor’s
Cup (Columbus, OH)
May 2 Pittsburgh
Scholastic Sprints (Lake Arthur)
May 7-9 Midwest
Scholastic Championship (Cincinnati, OH)
May 27-30 SRAA
Nationals (Saratoga Springs, NY) *invitation only
June 11-13 US
Rowing Youth Nationals *invitation only
*additional scrimmages TBD
*dues do not cover events in which participation is by
invitation only. It is up to the
individual participants to cover the costs for these events.
Financial
Obligations
Without a doubt, running a crew program is expensive and
with limited support from the school district, we raise all our money through
dues and fundraisers. Equipment
costs are high, there is insurance to pay for, rack fees, hotel expenses,
transportation cost, coaching stipends, food and regatta entry fees.
The cost per rower for the 2009 fall season is listed
below.
Fall
Dues
Fall Dues:
$325 ($275 for additional siblings)
Travel Fees: $90
Total:
$415
Payment 1: $215
(half) due by September 1st
Payment 2: $200
due by October 1st
Please send a check payable to FCCC to our treasurer:
Bharti
Patel
406 Jamesborough Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
**rowers will not be able to continue training beyond
September 1st unless their dues have been paid.
Spring Dues
The spring estimated costs per student are approximately:
$325 Spring dues ($275 for second family member)
$350 Spring travel fees
Other
Important Dates
August 17 Novice
Camp Begins
August
18 Shell
Dedication Ceremony
Location: Millvale Boathouse
Time: 7:00 pm
August 29 Team
BBQ
Location: 126 Springhouse Lane
Time: 6:30 – 9:30 pm
August 31 Fall
Parent Meeting (at least one parent should attend)
Location: FCHS LGI Rm
Time: 7:00 pm
Sept. 12 Carwash
Fundraiser (mandatory for rowers)
Location: Jack’s (corner of Hart’s Run Rd. and
Dorseyville Rd)
Time: 10 am
October 17 Carwash
Fundraiser (mandatory)
Location: Sunoco (FC Rd)
Time: 10 am
What is
Rowing?
Rowing is a sport for recreation or competition in which
athletes’ race against each other on rivers, lakes or on the ocean. The boats
move across the water by person power through the use of oars. Rowing
competitions have been established for juniors (under 18 years old), Masters
(from 36-100+ yrs), and is an Olympic sport.
Fitness and
Health
Rowing is one of the few non-weight bearing
sports that exercises all the major muscle groups, including quads, biceps,
triceps, lats, glutes and abdominal muscles. Rowing improves cardiovascular
endurance and muscular strength. Rowing reduces fat but does not tend to build
muscle in itself, though the associated weight training may do this.
High-performance rowers tend to be tall and muscular: although extra weight
does increase the drag on the boat, the larger athlete's increased power tends
to be more significant.
The
Equipment
Rowing is done in a boat called a ‘shell’. Perhaps this name
comes from the very thin veneer like hull, once made of wax paper and later a
thin layer of wood, fragile as an egg shell. Currently, shells are
significantly sturdier; made of carbon fibers and plastic. Still, a 60 foot
long and 2 foot wide shell big enough for eight 200 pound rowers and a 120
pound coxswain (almost a ton in total) weigh little more than 210 pounds and
costs about $35,000 these days.
There are several different types of boats. They are
classified referring to one of five variables and use a shorthand notation. The
notation is crucial since race programs and results use the shorthand
regularly:
- Number of rowers in the shell. In all forms
of modern competition the number is 1, 2, 4, or 8.
- Position of ‘coxswain’. Boats are either
coxless, ‘bow’-coxed, or ‘stern’-coxed.
‘Sweep’ or ‘scull’. In sweep rowing, each athlete has one
oar, either port or starboard (port is on the left facing the bow of the boat)
and so each athlete is either a ‘port’ or ‘starboard’. In sculling, each
athlete has two oars, one in each hand.
· Sculling options and notation: single
(scull) (1x), double (scull) (2x), quad (or quadruple scull) (4x), octuple
(scull) (8x) . Note the designation
(x). This is shorthand to denote a sculling shell.
· Sweep options and notation: straight pair
(or coxless pair) (2-), coxed pair (2+), straight four (or coxless four) (4-), coxed four (4+), eight (8+) (always coxed). The
designation has no “x” for sweeping, and the + or – indicates whether there is
a coxswain.
· Lightweight or Openweight: Lightweight
men maximum weight in high school is 150lbs, for women it is 130lb. Put an “L” in front of the
boat designation to indicate lightweight.
· Gender. Men’s crew is designated with an
M, women is with a W. So, a Men’s lightweight 4 with coxswain would be
designated ML4+.
Oars, Riggers,
and seat
Sweep Oars are long poles
(360 cm or 11.8 feet) with one flat end about 50 cm (20 inches) long and 25 cm
wide, called the blade. Modern oars are made from synthetic material, the most
common being carbon fiber. The current blade shape is called the cleaver or
‘hatchet’ and was first introduced in 1991. This replaced the tulip or Macon
blade in use from the 1950’s that replaced the long blade used since the turn
of the century.
Oars are adjustable. The most common adjustment is at the
‘collar’ (Blue ring on the green ‘sleeve’ in the picture below) that determines
how much of the oar is inside or outside the ‘oarlock’ that holds the oar to
the boat on the ‘rigger’. Each oar (whether it is a sweep or sculling oar) is
designed to be a port or starboard one. Both the asymmetric hatchet blade and
collar determine which side the oar fits on.
At each athletes seat is
a rigger (a metal wing or triangle of tubes) that is attached to the hull of
the shell. The rigger serves to hold the swiveling oarlock well away from the
side of the hull permitting a much longer oar and narrow hull quite different
from typical rowboats. Riggers are highly adjustable to accommodate to weather,
athlete build, performance, etc.
The seat that the rower sits in rolls up and down on tracks.
This sliding seat permits the rower to use their legs as a major propulsive
force. The feet of the athlete is tied into sneakers (called foot stretchers)
that also adjust to permit the many different sized members of the crew to use
the equipment.
Rowing
Basics 
So, how
does an athlete row? When rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards
(towards the back of the boat or stern), and uses the legs, back and then arms
to lever the boat forward. The major power comes from the legs that ‘jump off’
the footstretchers, rolling the seat toward the bow (front) of the boat. It is
a demanding sport requiring balance as well as physical strength and
cardiovascular endurance.
Anatomy of a
stroke
Rowing technique consumes much of the attention of coaches,
rowers and coxswains. Good technique is essential for crews to go fast enough
to cover 1500 meters in less than 5 minutes.
There are two reference
points in the rowing stroke cycle. The ‘catch’ where the oar blade is placed in
the water, and the 'finish' or ‘release’ where the oar blade is removed from
the water.
After
the blade ‘catches’ the water, the rower ‘drives’ the boat forward. While on
the drive, the blade must be down in the water, ‘square’. If the blade is not
square it either jumps out of the water (over-squared), or dives deep
(under-squared) in what is called ‘catching a crab’.
After the ‘finish’ the blade is taken out of the water and
the rower is on the ‘recovery’ to bring him or herself to the next catch. When
on the recovery, the blade is ‘feathered’ flat to minimize air drag before it
is ‘rolled up’ square to be ready for the next ‘catch’.
Boat
Speed
Boat speed is determined by the amount of water covered
between strokes and the ‘stroke rating’ in terms of ‘strokes per minute.” The
power of each stroke, and the length of the stroke in the water combine to add
speed to the boat during the drive.
With races often decided by a second or two over 5 minutes,
fractions of a centimeter difference in the run of a boat between strokes
(around 200 strokes for a high school race) can be a deciding factor in who
wins and who loses.
Of course, a fast boat steering all over the place will take
much longer to get down the course than one that steers straight. Steering is
in the hands of the coxswain, but is made much easier by a well rowing crew.
Though it would seem easy, steering a shell is very challenging due to the
large weight of the boats with crew, uneven pressure between port and
starboard, and the very small rudder.
Crews of 2 or more move the best when the members of the
crew are in time with each other. The unison of body swing on the recovery,
blades in at the catch, swing through the drive, and exit of the blades at the
finish is required for fast boats.
Perhaps more than any other feature of the moving boat, the
‘set’ or balance of the boat is attended to the most. A shell can roll so that
either side can be lower than the other. The seat is now slanted. The oar on
the recovery may ‘chip’ the water. On the drive, the roll puts strain on the
back and shoulders. Upright posture, uniform movement, and timing at both catch
and finish are crucial for maintaining a boat’s set and a constantly set boat
is the dream of every rower.
The coxswain
The coxswain is the ‘captain’ of
the crew. 5 vital skills for
coxswains are: 1) Steering. 2) Technical coxing/liaison. The coxswain can feel
the boat move and communicate this to the crew and the coach. 3) Flow of
practice. It is often the coxswain who can make a practice ‘work’ effectively.
4) Motivation and Teamwork. 5) Racing and strategy. The coxswain is required to
implement the ‘race plan’ as unlike all other sports, Crew is raced without the
input of the coach who is not allowed to communicate to the crew in any way.
Moreover, every race plan has its strengths and weaknesses. Though a plan may
be rehearsed, it is the adjustments made in the race in response to real
conditions that can determine victory or contribute to defeat.
Team Spirit
Trust me, you will love crew. You will meet wonderful parents and exceptional teenagers,
have a great time at regattas, and make life-long friends. Your child will grow and develop both
physically and emotionally. With
each day, the effort on all to improve individually and together, the benefits
of sacrifice and a strong work ethic, the increased sense of self-confidence
and personal integrity, develop into team loyalty and mutual respect and help
to turn athletes into a crew.
Many of us who have participated in the sport as parents of
athletes, have come to believe that crew is one of the best uses we have ever
made of our family’s resources.
Fox Chapel Crew has taught our children about discipline, motivation,
respect, dedication, competition, winning and losing, humility, joy, teamwork
and lasting friendships. The
character development our kids have gained has been far greater than any
financial commitment we have made.
It has been worth every penny, and much, much more.
Regattas
Regattas are one- or two-day racing meets with a large
number of teams competing in a wide array of events. Most race courses have
space for six or seven boats to race at once, so events with more than six
registered boats have qualifying pre-races or heats. The top two or
three boats in a heat advance to semi-finals or finals for that particular
event.
Individual FC team members may compete in one or two events
over the course of a regatta, which may work out to three to six actual races,
depending upon the number of entries and the number of heats required to reach
a final. Although this seems like a small number of races to watch over the
course of a day-long event, there may be as many as 10 or 12 Fox Chapel events,
and most parents join the team to cheer enthusiastically for any FC event.
Team members should bring a sleeping bag & pillow (in a
water-proof bag), and a duffel bag containing:
Racing tank and black racing shorts
Extra pairs of socks
Sneakers and sandals
Long-sleeved t-shirt to wear under racing tank in cool
weather
Several changes of clothes to layer for warmth
Rain gear (poncho)
Warm jacket, mittens, and hat
Towel
Water bottle
Sunscreen
Something to pass the time (cards, books, games, music and
HOMEWORK!)
Parents and spectators may want to bring lawn chairs,
binoculars, and cameras in addition to plenty of clothing options.
Due to the weather-dependent nature of the sport, the timing
for the end of a regatta may vary significantly from the schedule. If parents
are not attending a regatta, it is advisable to have their son or daughter keep
them informed by either bringing a cell phone or arranging to use a friend’s
cell phone to contact them should the regatta end earlier or later than planned.
Stay
In Touch
FCCC maintains
a website at www.foxchapelcrew.org which is your source for information about
the team. On the website you can read about our coaches, find the season’s
racing schedule, check out practice schedules and recent announcements, and
browse through the photo gallery. The club has also created a blog for parents,
thereby allowing discussions amongst one another. The blog can be reached via a
link on the FC crew website www.foxchapelcrew.org.
Volunteers
Needed for 2009
The participation of crew parents is crucial to the
continuation of this club. We have no professional club managers; everything
the club does is accomplished by parents like you, most of whom knew nothing
about rowing when their children joined the team.
Our new motto is “many people, tiny jobs.”
We would like each parent to invest some time in helping with one
task. Here is a list of some of
the volunteer positions. Please
contact a board member to volunteer.
· Car Wash Czars: Minimum two parents per carwash needed
to supervise these fundraisers.
· Hauler: Provide a pick-up truck (or equivalent)
capable of pulling the equipment trailer to a race. If you are experienced in trailer driving but don’t
currently have a vehicle up to the task, let us know in case there is a need
for a substitution driver.
· Cook: The food committee provides the menu
and supplies. Cooking positions
are available in shifts on regatta day.
· Server: The perfect spot for those who like to
nurture. Servers keep the food
coming, re-supplying the team throughout the day. It requires only 2-3 hours volunteering and several parents
can work together.
· Kitchen Supply Cleaner: Following a regatta arrangements are
made between the food committee and cleaner for all the dirty cooking and
serving utensils to be cleaned and returned before the next regatta. A great
task for someone who is unable to attend a regatta but wants to help.
· Set-Up Team: Occurs a little before the team bus
arrives at the regatta site. Set
up tents, grill, food tables, etc.; there are plenty of tasks for all levels of
physical ability. Get your volunteer task in early and relax and enjoy a day of
competition.
· Tear-Down Team: During the last hour or so of the
regatta the campsite and kitchen gets packed up while the rowers are busy
getting the boats ready for travel.
Perfect for those who cannot attend the entire regatta but can come
towards the end of the day.
· Many more options available!
**Sign-ups
will be available at the fall parent meeting on August 31, 2009 at 7:00 pm in
the LGI room at FCHS.