Youth National Championships (YNC)
YNC takes place over three days on the first or second weekend in June. This year it is June 10-12. This year YMC is in Lake Mercer in NJ. We will fly out of Arcata on Tuesday, June 7th to give us plenty of time to be at the course and acclimatize. (Unless we have a large group going it is usually more cost effective to pay the more expensive ticket cost rather then driving to SFO and possibly getting a hotel and paying for gas)
Expect plane tickets to cost between $700 and $1200 each.
Costs: Plane tickets
Entry fees: $70 for a single
Parking fee: $25 – 40 for three days
Entrance fee for spectators: $0-$10 a day depending on venue
Food: If we have a small soft cooler available it might be good to have some quick snacks for Isaac as well as something cold to drink and possibly wrap around his neck. I have had success with bandana’s wrapped over ice keeping rowers cool for a moment. We can go to the grocery store and get sandwich makings or some sort of food for lunch. We will kind of figure it out as we go along. There will be some great food vendors at the course, including a fantastic soda truck. Avoid these if possible. Spectators and coaches may eat to their hearts content but Isaac needs to stay away from these until he is finished racing.
Clothing: plan for hot but be prepared for anything. Bring a hat and sunglasses. Isaac should bring a practice uni as well as his race uni.
Bring a water bottle or two. Camel backs are good – plan on drinking a lot of water.
Tentative itinerary:
Tuesday June 7th:
Arrive and find Hotel
Go for a walk or light jog to work out the post flight laziness
Wednesday, June 8th:
Go for a light run in the morning
Be outside
Row if the boat has arrived – check it over
Find something fun to do, explore
Become familiar with area outside venue for things like food and supplies
Thursday, June 9th:
Official Practice row, generally starts at noon
Practice weigh in boat – gives us an idea of how much weight to add to the boat. The Single must weigh 14kg (30.8 lbs).
Regatta check in – Coach Scott or Lissa will take care of this
Regatta meeting – 5:00 pm
Friday, June 10th:
The Men’s 1x is the second event, race times are approximate but this is pretty much how this will look.
8:00-8:30am – Heats – this year there are 22 entries so their will be 4 heats. Top two finishers go on to semi-finals. Everyone else will go to reps.
A note on reps. It is short for repechage which is French for second chance. It is the rowers second chance to get into the semi-finals.
Saturday, June 11th:
8:00 – 8:30 am– Reps – top to go to semi-finals. The rest go to C finals.
2:30 – 3:30pm – Semi Finals – top three finishers go to A finals. The rest go to B finals.
Sunday, June 12th:
8:15 – 8:45 – Finals
Isaac needs to remember to rest when they are not racing, stay out of the sun, and, if possible, the heat, wear a hat and sunglasses and sunscreen, and drink lots and lots of water. Plan it being over 100 degrees F. with a super high humidity.
Be prepared for all sorts of weather. It will be hot but it may also rain, and there are likely to be delays for thunder storms. That is fairly regular. Temperature may even drop into the 80’s for a moment. Last year in Florida it did actually get a little cold for a period of time and mornings are often very cool.
Between races we are likely to leave the course and find somewhere to hang out where it is cool and relaxing. After the final on Sunday it is a lot of fun to watch the other finals.
The venue:
More info can be found at and at
Spectating:
There will be a live video feed for the finals and possibly the semi-finals. I will send the link out as I get it.
There is a fee for parking but I have already paid that. ($25)
There will be lots of venders and other booths to check out. There will be tents along the finish line. I often find one not in use and “borrow” it while I wait for racing to come down. Generally, right before the race I disappear down the course and do my pacing thing. I will be at the finish line by the time the boat crosses. That is where I like to end up.