Welcome to Fall Season!
Katie Donnelly
Hello Novices Parents!
First, I would like to welcome you all to WWRA. You have joined an amazing group of athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers. I want to provide you with some important information for the upcoming season. Much of this information was covered during last night's parent meeting, but thought I would send a summary since we covered A LOT.
Attached, you will find the WWRA Guidebook; this is a great resource that provides a significant amount of information about WWRA, the team, the expectations, and general rowing information. Our website is also a very valuable resource for all things WW crew.
Please bear with me, this will be a long one...
Communication
Email will be the primary method of communication. You will get lots of emails throughout the season from coaches, Mike Baker (Program Director), and Deb Marchiony (Volunteer Coordinator). We ask that you please read all emails in their entirety. Additionally, coaches will use email to communicate with the athletes. Our regular day-to-day communication will take place directly with the athletes; larger informative emails (regatta info, scheduling changes, etc.) will be sent to parents.
Emails will be pulled from the Family ID registration and added to an email distribution list. PLEASE make sure your email address is correct, and that YOUR CHILD's email address is listed under "participant/rower email." This is EXTREMELY important in ensuring everyone is getting the necessary and appropriate information.
**We kindly ask that when reaching out to coaches, that you use email first. We also ask that phone calls and text messages not be made to coaches after 8:00pm. We are students, parents, and athletes; we have jobs and children and families. In order for us to provide our absolute best for your athletes, we need an opportunity to turn off our "rowing brains" and recharge. We sincerely ask for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.
Safety
Safety is our number one priority. We do our best mitigate any potentially unsafe situations and conditions. We will cancel practices, end practice early, or send athletes home if we feel that athlete safety may be compromised. These choices are at the coaches' discretion and we ask for your trust and understanding in these matters.
CLOTHING
What athletes wear while rowing can make or break their experience. Clothing is essential to the safety of our athletes. Early in the season, while it is still warm, light colored clothing, shorts and t-shirts, lightweight long-sleeve shirts, hats, and sunglasses are essential. Sunscreen is also necessary. Toward the end of the season when it begins to get cold, warm, NON-COTTON, layers, socks, hats, gloves, and a waterproof jacket are essentials for athletes. They should be prepared for all weather (cold, rain, snow, sun – we row in it all!) Athletes should also bring a FULL change of clothes to each practice. A pair of sneakers and slides (flip flops, slip on sandals, crocs, etc.) should also be brought to every practice.
Please note, if an athlete is not wearing clothing appropriate for the weather, they will be sent home.
If you have questions about what is best and appropriate rowing attire, please feel free to email our athletes' coach.
Practice Schedule
Practices will take place Monday through Friday from 3:45pm to 6:15pm, and Saturday morning from 8:00am to 10:30am. We ask that athletes be early to practice. Wednesday practices are considered optional for novices; if an athlete has an appointment, lesson, or other activity, we ask that whenever possible, it is scheduled for Wednesday. As always, it is important that your athlete communicates other commitments and attendance questions with their coaches directly. Practices are essential to the progress of the athlete and the team, and therefore (other than Wednesdays) should be considered mandatory.
Regattas
Regattas take place on weekends (the full schedule is available on wwcrew.org). Every novice will have the opportunity to race at least once this season. Depending on the number of athletes, race schedule, and available entries for each race some novices may not race at every regatta. Coaches do our best to ensure that this is as fair a decision as possible. Boating decisions will be made prior to regattas and will be sent out to athletes and parents (along with all regatta details) no later than the Thursday prior to the race. Should your athlete have questions regarding their boatings, we encourage them to speak to their coaches directly. We will send out more information regarding regattas as we get closer to the day.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is critical. Rowing is the ultimate team sport; rowers have to literally match their every motion to other rowers in the boat. Athletes not attending practices will not only impact their progress, but that of the other rowers. An athlete missing practice may result in their boat not being able to row at all for that practice. We understand that athletes have a lot going on in their lives - heavy course load, jobs, other activities, and family adventures. We ask that athletes communicate any attendance matters with their coaches.
Cancellations
Weather happens, and unfortunately is the most unpredictable and difficult factor in rowing. Weather is the primary reason for cancellations. We will not row if the coaches feel as though the weather conditions could be dangerous for athletes - this includes, wind, heat, cold, and storms. We will do our best to make decisions early enough to allow for alternate arrangements. Athletes and parents will be contacted by email as soon as the decision is reached.
Registration and Trial Period
All athletes must be registered through WWRA as well as their respective school. This is for liability reasons, and is an absolute requirement for all athletes. Athletes will not be able to participate in practices until registration is complete.
If your athlete is still deciding if rowing is for them, they can "trial" rowing for the first two weeks of practices. If after two weeks, your athlete decides rowing is not for them, we will provide a full refund of the registration fee.
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Whew - thanks for sticking that out! Attached is the guidebook, and below is a link to a "Novice Cheat Sheet" on our website. Please read through both; also, take a look around our website, this is a great resource for all information you may need.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
We are looking forward to a great season!
Thank you,
Katie, Sandra, Pat, and Rae