Rowing Is Organized Differently Than Many Highschool Teams, and Parents Need to Understand
HIGH SCHOOL ROWING
INFORMATION PACKAGE
2009 season
(PLEASE PASS ON TO YOUR PARENTS!)
Rev. Jan 09
PDCS & SCS & club kids Rowing team information (please pass on to your parents)
Rowing is organized differently than many other high school teams, and parents need to understand the roles and responsibilities of the school, coaches and rowing club in the sport. No high school can, alone, support a rowing team. There is a close relationship between the local Silver Lake Rowing Club (SLRC) and the high schools to enable area students to row. In general, the coaching, facilities and equipment are organized and provided through SLRC. Because rowing cannot be offered in every high school, it is not recognized by OFSSA (but we have comparable and higher level regattas).
The high school coaches all volunteer their time as do the officials at high school regattas.
Coaching by:
Sue Fairley has offered to coach at PDCS and SCS this year in addition to coaching the HT and possible other club kids from last year that are committed to rowing club in 2009. She is not on staff but volunteers to coach at these schools.
Five years ago was the first year we tried grouping SCS and PDCS together for training purposes and were very pleased with the success of that training merge. Some HT club competitive athletes may be joining in with PD/SCS for 2009 Although HT, SCS and PDCS will be boated and compete separately under their own school title, they will continue to be uniquely co-coached by the same coach.. Our program has produced Canadian and US National High School Champions
BIO: Sue has coached since the onset of SLRC (1999), which has included 10 years at SCS and 6 years at PDCS. She helped coach the adult recreational program the first summer and has since coached the club competitive team in the summer for the past nine years. She is a fully certified 3M-NCCP level 2 coach and has level 3 theory and technical as well as 4 of the 5 level 3 practical tasks completed. She has completed the majority of theses practical tasks of her level 3 under the direction of a couple of the national coaches. She rowed competitively from 1977 to 1984 for the Don Rowing Club of Mississauga and was a junior lightweight provincial and national champion.
She encourages any feedback from rowers and parents.
She can be reached at:
Sue: 519-583-0461 or by e-mail at or
Coach Assistants:
Tyler Wilson: Tyler is a graduate of SCS and attending University of Guelph. Tyler started high school rowing in grade 11 and was fortunate as starting as a senior to have good success by grade 12. Tyler was in one of the first set of doubles ( lightweight mens double) we sent to Stotesbury cup regatta in Philadelphia (largest high school regatta in North America) . Prior to that we had only sent singles to this regatta. He and his partner ranked 7th overall.
Tyler has rowed in every type of boat (descriptions of boats late in booklet) and raced in every boat other then a single(and may do so this summer).
Tyler has his boating license, first aid (CPR), is a lifeguard and got certified at the Learn to Row clinic and has attended the RowOntario coaches training conference this year. Tyler has volunteered with the bantam program the past two years and assisted Sue with high school last year.
Samantha Fairley: Samantha is a graduate of PDCS and attending the University of Guelph. Samantha started rowing as a bantam after grade 7 and continued rowing all through high school with many accomplishments. Of most recent noteworthy was bronze at Stotesbury Cup as well as at CSSRA (Canadian high school championships) Samantha was honored with ROWONTARIO’s first $2500 bursary awards given to academic athletes (only 2 were awarded in Ontario). And at the Ontario University Association (OUA’s) rowing championships, fall 2008, she and a new partner from Nova Scotia earned bronze in the lightweight double
Samantha has also rowed in every type of boat and raced in every boat other then a single.
Samantha has her first aid (CPR) and has attended the RowOntario coaches training conference the pas two years. She has volunteered with the bantam program for the past four years, since graduating form it herself. She will be getting her boating license this spring before we hit the water.
Mrs. McGovern has offered to be the staff advisor for PDCS
and Mrs. Amy has offered to be the staff advisor for SCS
and . Ms. Aiken is the staff advisor for HT in addition to coaching past high school only rowers from HT as well as the learn to row program for HT/SCS/PD for those who start in April 2009.
Costs and Liability of Rowing High school
Rowing requires a considerable amount of expensive equipment. An average 8-person shell costs approximately $26000, a four $16,000, a 2 person shell $12,000 and oars each $400-600. There are additional costs for parts and maintenance, coach boats, gas, the gym equipment and dock maintenance. The equipment and most of the boats that high school rowing teams use have been purchased by SLRC or were donated when the club was formed. It is thanks to the dedicated efforts of many SLRC volunteers that rowing is possible for students.
Each high school rower pays a fee of approx. $170 per high school season. This covers insurance, boat maintenance, coach boat gas, and boat and trailer transportation of boats for regattas and 3 months of indoor training
All junior and senior crews should do at least one fund-raising effort with your student council to help raise funds for regatta fees. Some regatta fees may not be covered by your school (lately more and more cannot be covered by schools).
Parents must sign permission forms for their rowers to participate in the activities of the season. SLRC is insured for activities directly related to rowing and the School Board carries responsibility during transportation and non-competitive aspects of regattas out of town. Some rowing activities, such as erg competitions, may be under the authority of SLRC, in which case rowers are not accompanied by a school staff advisor. A staff advisor should accompany student rowers in all school-authorized activities, such as regattas.
How Does the Rowing Season Work?
Training
Land training occurs through winter), and on-water training begins at the start of April when the ice is out. The school team starts mandatory team training in the beginning of January (indoor training in the upstairs workout room).
SCS and PDCS, as well as HT club kids will train together and have winter land training (Jan. to March) workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday after school from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Kids are asked to book these times off work now in order to make all of these workouts. Participation in other high school sports is supported and kids are asked to communicate these activities directly with the coach. Some of the higher levels rowing programs agree to only certain sports as cross training in order to focus the muscle groups and cardio demanded by rowing. There is more flexibility for junior (grade 9 and 10) athletes but please see the coach about it.
On water workout times (April and May) are Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 5:30am to 7:15am plus Mon. Wed. and Friday after school to 5:30pm and Tuesday nights 5:30-7:30pm for a total of 6 on water workouts per week. Two extra workouts on Saturday morning, 9-11am, will be booked in April on a crew by crew basis but try and book off your Saturdays in April ready for extra practices..
……………..Rowing requires strength, endurance, and technique……………
Strength training involves the legs, abdomen, back, and upper extremities. Strength is built by weight training. This is usually done in the high school gym, home gym, or in the SLRC weight room(for PDCS/SCS) with a schedule established by the coach(noted above). Novice rowers normally weight train 1-3 times a week. Experienced rowers may train 3 to 5 times a week. You may notice a change in your rower’s appearance! We like to have the club weight room open 3 after school days per week for our team to come and get monitored for technique and progress.
Endurance is developed by regular aerobic exercise such as swimming or running. "Ergs" are training exercises done on rowing machines (ergometers) and form the basis of a rower’s endurance training. Some sessions may be done at a steady rate while others may be composed of sprints of various rates and duration. Ergs are booked at the SLRC as a team activity by the coach. Fall training should come from a rower’s participation in other school sports or their own cross training program at home. We are happy to provide guidance with that and have done so for some of our experienced rowers already.
Erg tests are race simulations performed on the erg. They are usually 2000 or 6000 meters in length and improvement is measured by the decrease in the time taken to do it. A rower will usually do an erg test once a month. Rowers should avoid eating for several hours before a test, and take water and a simple grain snack (e.g. a bagel) for afterwards. Erg tests are very hard work and you may notice that your rower is quite fatigued afterwards. As the competitive season approaches, rowers’ times may be used for team selection. Erg times are used as entry criteria for rowers who wish to try out for high-level teams such as Junior Nationals. SCS and PDCS are required to compete in at least one indoor race in the winter.
Technical training is mainly acquired on the water but some initial basic technique can be taught on ergs to new kids. It involves both individual technique and team coordination. Technical skill is needed to translate strength into speed on the water. It takes a great deal of practice to make each of the elements of the stroke automatic and to coordinate the team.
Each crew develops a race strategy that capitalizes on both the individual and group skills. Some crews may have the ability to have fast finishes, while others can sustain a faster average race pace.
One of the attractions of rowing as a sport is the demand for individual excellence and team interaction for success. Silver Lake website:
The rowing season continued…
The school off season offers erg competitions called “ergattas” and these are highly recommended events for the athletes to participate in. SCS and PDCS are required to take par t in at least one of these ergattas as part of their try-outs for high school rowing. Exact dates will be provided soon but they always start at the beginning of February and there are a few until the middle of March. There is usually a special event in the middle of February for novices only. The Ontario Ergometer championships (anyone welcome to participate in] take place in St Catharines the first Sunday in March. Refer to our website, “events” page for dates at the start of 2008.
The school competitive season is made up of 5 consecutive weekend regattas. Interested rowers can continue to compete with SLRC through summer club rowing. Athletes will have the chance to commit to club rowing early in the year and with that comes extra privileges. Please see our web-site for all the details.
Regattas are good fun for parents and well worth attending. There is something wonderful about witnessing the concentration, effort and teamwork of rowers in a race. It makes those early morning or after school practices worthwhile!
Most crews are organized by the middle of April, but crew membership will continue to be refined with experience in the regattas.
High School Regattas (our main goal):
High school athletes are asked to help with the new elementary ergatta to be held tentatively, April 25/09 in the morning.
Silver Lake Invitational (May 2, 2009)
This is the first regatta of the season. The 1-day event is attended by all SLRC area high school teams, as well as teams from Kitchener, Tillsonburg, Guelph, London and St. Catherine’s Collegiate. This is the first chance crews have to test their race strategies and to discover their strengths and weaknesses. The course is now only 500 m long. And is the first regatta before their official 2k racing starts
Mother’s Day Regattas (May 10, 2009)
Crews go to Mother’s Day at the Henley Course in St. Catharines. The Mother’s Day regatta is the first chance for crews to experience a 2000 m course and our only chance to test 2k race performance to decide on who goes to Canadians.
Welland regatta (May long weekend…Sat and/or Sun.) (May 16/17, 2009)
Some crews may attend this regatta on the Welland canal and depending on which crew you are in, you may race just Sat. or just Sun. or both days if in two different crews.
WOSSA in London (May23, 2009)
This is held in London, Fanshawe Lake, and may be the last race of the season for many. This race has grown in competition and participation so much that they have considered extending it to two days. So far it is just the Saturday and can be a long day, depending if your crew makes the finals.
US NATIONALS: (May 23, 2009) and Stotesbury Cup (May 15 and 16 Fri/Sat):
These regattas are not attended by all schools or crews and require time standards to be met as well as substantial funds to attend.
They also require a good volunteer base of not just persons but also vehicles (vans to transport athletes), drivers, boat and equipment transportation
Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Championships (aka Schoolboys or CSSRA)(May 29/30/31, 2009)
This is the Canadian High school Championship regatta, and the last race of the high school season. Only junior and senior crews that meet some club/school set standards should attend the CSSRA but the high school guidelines do allow for some exceptions. Others are encouraged to go and watch….it is a three day event (Fri to Sun.) so those going will miss one day of school. In 2005 we had our first Canadian high school champion (she was from SCS) and in 2006 we had another girl win in her single. We have had double crews wind medals in 2007 and 2008 and look forward to one day boating 4’s or even 8’s
There are several opportunities for rowers who wish to compete through the summer as part of the Silver Lake Rowing Club competitive team. Club clinics for those with experience will be offered the 2 middle weekends of June at which time crews will be selected(sorry: there is no learn to row at that time since it is not enough prep time for the summer season).
Silver Lake website:
What Happens at a Regatta?
- Regattas are fun for rowers and parents. They are an intense time for rowers. There is a lot of team bonding before and after the race and the rowers are very focused on their races. There is also usually a lot of high-spirited fun. Parents have a defined job as spectators. We cheer for each other’s teams, provide practical help for rowers (food, rides, and dry clothes, usually on short notice) and share stories of being rowing parents. As parents, we admire the skill and commitment of our rowers but we don’t spend a lot of time with them.
- The race schedule is often delayed by changes in the wind and water conditions. Small boats usually race early and late in the day when the wind is least. The order of the races may be changed if the conditions require it. Spectators are wise to arrive on time, but be prepared to wait.
- Rowers at regattas need to remember sunscreen, clothes for rain or wind, a sun hat, glasses, water bottles, and food or money to buy it Parents at regattas also need to be prepared with a sun hat, glasses, sunscreen, clothes for wind or cold and support for rowers. The races happen far from shore, and a pair of binoculars is handy. To get decent pictures of races, parent photographers require a camera with a large zoom or telephoto lens. A blanket or lawn chair to sit on can be a good idea, and some really prepared folks bring coolers or a thermos.
Rowers are required to help load their boats on the trailer, usually the day before the regatta. Then they are required to help unload their boats after the regatta, usually that same night. Riggers have to come off the boat for travel so a 7/16” wrench will be most helpful for each rower to own even though the coach has his/her own toolbox with a number of supplies they personally own and lend out. If a rower cannot make it for some reason it is their responsibility to communicate that with the coach and to arrange for someone else who isn’t already in their crew to be responsible for taking their place on their racing boat and doing their duties.