With the 2nd Tag Day behind us, we begin looking forward to the start of winter conditioning and getting everyone registered for the spring season!
1. WINTER CONDITIONING BEGINS TODAY!!!
2. TAG DAY THANK YOU
3. SLACK – WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
4. DO WE ROW OR DO WE DO CREW?
5. HOLIDAY SHOPPING?
6. FUNDRAISING NEVER ENDS
7. LOOKING AHEAD: AT-A-GLANCE
8. ALL THE REGULAR STUFF
ACTION ITEMS FOR THIS WEEK
REGISTER FOR THE SEASON!
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Still have questions?
Reach out to our membership team at [email protected].
1. WINTER CONDITIONING BEGINS TODAY!!!
IF PHYSICALS OR REGISTRATIONS ARE NOT COMPLETE, YOU CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN WINTER CONDITIONING. Everyone that was missing either of those was sent an email earlier this week. If you have questions re: your eligibility, contact our membership team at [email protected].
The schedule for winter conditioning is below. Participation is highly encouraged for all athletes to develop the cardiovascular fitness and camaraderie needed to make winning boats!
REMEMBER, before you can participate, all athletes must have a VHSL physical dated after May 1, 2023 turned into the Woodson Athletic Trainer (hard copies delivered to Rm. C158, soft copies emailed to the athletic trainer, [email protected]). Athletes should also be registered with the Woodson Athletic System.
2. TAG DAY THANK YOU
Huge thank you to all the athletes and parents who showed up for Tag Day on November 11. We raised $5,000 more toward our goal of $20,000. Congratulations to the top earning teams from the morning and afternoon session!
3. SLACK – WHAT IS IT AND WHY DO I NEED IT?
Slack is a communications tool combining the best elements of text messaging and email. We use Slack for more immediate communications than this newsletter. There are 2 separate Slack spaces: one for coach and athlete communications and a separate space for parent/guardian communications.
Parent / Guardian Slack: In addition to push notifications for team related information such as weather or other cancellations, Slack creates a space for parents to be able to coordinate carpools, and other team related logistics. If you are a parent or guardian and are not yet on Slack, please send an email to [email protected] with the following information: (1) your name, (2) your email address, and (3) the full name of your athlete. Once your request is processed, you will receive a separate invite link from Slack to join. There is an app you may download on your mobile devices to access Slack or you may log-in using any browser.
Coach / Athlete Slack: Coaches will ensure that all athletes are added to this Slack space. Athletes not currently on Slack should let coaches know at winter conditioning. Please note that you must have a NON-FCPS email to join this space. Parents and guardians do not have direct access to this space. This is your athlete’s responsibility and an opportunity for them to learn to communicate more readily and effectively with their teammates and coaches.
4. WE ARE A CREW WHO ROWS
You might have noticed some branding changes (or not!) on social media and a transition from “W.T. Woodson Crew” to “Woodson Rowing.” Why the switch? Well – the answer is two-fold. With the recent school board vote to change the school name from W.T. Woodson High School to Carter G. Woodson High School, as a team we must represent the school effectively by removing the W.T. from our brand.
As for the switch from “Crew” to “Rowing” – read this article in the Washington Post for a quote from Head Coach Bryan Tylander on this pet peeve. (tldr; a crew is a group of people who rows, rowing is the actual sport and what our athletes “do”).
You’ll likely see a slow roll of changes in this rebranding effort. Please be patient with us as we work through rebranding over the course of this year!!
How can you help? By referring to our team as “Woodson Rowing” you’re giving potential recruits and their families a much more descriptive picture of this sport. Is it semantics? Perhaps – but anything that exposes more folks to the joys (and pains – wait until the hand blisters start), the better. Also, don’t throw out your W.T. Woodson Spirit Wear! Continue to wear it until other options are available. Everything in the team store is compliant with the school’s name change. Plus, maybe the old stuff will be worth some money some day. 😏
5. HOLIDAY SHOPPING?
If you didn’t finish your holiday shopping at the Woodson Craft Show, don’t forget that Woodson Spirit Wear is the perfect holiday gift. Grandparents can show their support from afar while athletes can participate in passive recruiting just by wearing their favorite sweatshirt! Visit our team store to buy your Woodson gear – a portion of the proceeds does benefit the team.
Don’t forget about our new croc charms this year! Great stocking stuffers. Cost is $6 for 1 charm and $10 for 2 charms. Contact Ana at [email protected] or on Slack to arrange payment and delivery.
6. FUNDRAISING NEVER ENDS
Although our major fundraising efforts have passed, fundraising never really ends. We didn’t quite meet our goals through Tag Day efforts – so now what? Well, donations are a mainstay of our funding efforts. Please continue to spread the word. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in becoming a sponsor of our team, the Donors page on the website is a great resource. In addition, please check with your employers to see if they have any matching programs! Some employers will match charitable donations made by their employees. Please contact our fundraising team at [email protected] with any questions, to arrange sponsorships or set up employer matching!
7. LOOKING AHEAD: AT-A-GLANCE
NOVEMBER:
- Registration available.
- Thu. 11/16: Winter Conditioning begins.
- Wed. 11/29: Paisano’s in Burke restaurant fundraiser. 11a-10p.
DECEMBER:
- Wed. 12/13: Kokee Team restaurant fundraiser
- Fri. 12/15: Deadline for early bird registration discount
- 12/18-12/29: Winter break
- 12/18 – 12/22: Optional winter conditioning. Tentative. More info to follow.
JANUARY 2024
- Thu. 1/18: Noodles & Co. restaurant fundraiser.
FEBRUARY
- Fri. 2/16: Last day of winter conditioning
- Mon. 2/19: Deadline for returning athlete refunds
- Mon. 2/19: Practice begins. At school (baseline erg testing). Time TBD.
- Tue. 2/20: On-the-water practice begins. Pull for Woodson!
(Mon-Fri: 4-6:30p; Sat: 8:30-10:30a) - Thu. 2/22: Mamma Lucia restaurant fundraiser.
MARCH
- Thu. 3/7: Deadline for novice athlete refunds
- Racing season begins! 2024 Racing Schedule.
- Sat. 3/16: Polar Bear Regatta, Sandy Run
- Sat. 3/23: Regional Park Regatta, Sandy Run
- Sat. 3/30: Invitational at St. Andrews, Middletown, DE
APRIL
- Sat. 4/6: Tri-Meet, Anacostia River, Washington, DC
- Sat. 4/13: Bye Week. No racing.
- Sat. 4/20: Ryz Obuchowicz Regatta, Sandy Run
- Sat. 4/27: Al Urquia Regatta, Sandy Run
MAY
- Sat. 5/4: Virginia State Championship (Day 1), Sandy Run
- Sat. 5/11: Virginia State Championship (Day 2), Sandy Run
- Fri-Sat. 5/17-18: Stotesbury Cup, Philadelphia, PA.
- Fri-Sat. 5/24-25: SRAA National Championships, Camden, NJ. (Only qualifying boats attend.)
8. ALL THE REGULAR STUFF
STAY IN THE KNOW!
NEWSLETTER: Join the newsletter or Slack by sending an email to [email protected].
CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP/FUNDRAISING: Visit the Donors page on the website or contact our fundraising team at [email protected].
VOLUNTEER: Visit our Volunteer Webpage to find out our current needs.
REMINISCE: Current season, previous season or upload your own! Find out all you need to know about Woodson Rowing photos and videos.
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