Welcome to a special edition newsletter about ALL THINGS REGISTRATION!! Read below for all the steps you need to take and what to expect from here on out!

1. HOW DO I GET REGISTERED?

2. ENSURE YOU’VE COMPLETED ALL THE STEPS!
FIRST STEP: Register and pay for Woodson Rowing.
SECOND STEP: Complete the Woodson High School Activity Registration
THIRD STEP: Complete Required Forms

3. PRACTICE BUS SURVEY

4. WINTER CONDITIONING STARTS MONDAY

5. JOIN SLACK

6. CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE

WAIT – THERE’S MORE?

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1. HOW DO I GET REGISTERED?
It’s easy! Visit our website at: https://woodsonrowing.org/registration/

A $50 discounted early bird pricing is in effect until December 15, 2024. Don’t delay to take advantage of this discount.

2. ENSURE YOU’VE COMPLETED ALL THE STEPS!
Registration is a multi-step process. All parts are vital to ensure your athlete’s eligibility to participate in crew. Some items are required for winter conditioning, but ALL are required prior to on-the-water practice. To ensure your athlete is eligible to participate in all aspects of training, please follow the guidance provided below. 

FIRST STEP: Register and pay for Woodson Rowing.

Complete on the Woodson Rowing website at: https://woodsonrowing.org/2025registrationform/. If you have more than one student-athlete competing for Woodson Rowing this season, please note that you will only be able to register one rower at a time. After registering your first rower, you will be given the opportunity to link back to the homepage to register your second rower. There is a $50 sibling discount added on-top of the early bird discount, so it’s worth it to get them all registered at the same time.

SECOND STEP: Complete the Woodson High School Activity Registration

Complete on the Woodson Athletics website at: https://woodson-ar.schooltoday.com/viewmyaccount. This is a separate registration required for all athletes at Woodson with required concussion training. If your athlete has already participated in another sport at Woodson this year, you may have already completed this step.

THIRD STEP: Complete Required Forms

• VHSL Physical form. The VHSL Physical form is REQUIRED prior to beginning winter conditioning. If this has not already been completed please do so as soon as possible! The appropriate form can be found on the Woodson Athletics website, must be dated after May 1, 2024, and must be on file with the Woodson Athletic trainers. The Rowing team does not keep a separate file or copy of the form. Click here for instructions on how to submit your completed forms.
  
• FCPS Travel Forms: These forms allow students and parents to drive athletes to regattas and other events related to crew. Please fill out one driver form for each possible driver (student, parents, step-parents, etc.). Hard copies with signatures are required. The 3 forms below can be found on the Woodson Rowing website at: https://woodsonrowing.org/physicals-and-required-documents-for-rowers/

Please note: Emailed/electronic copies of the forms will not be accepted. Completed forms should be provided to the Woodson Crew Membership Chair, Catherine Backmeyer. The easiest way to do this is to send the form with your athlete to Winter Conditioning. They can provide the forms to Sarah or Madeline Backmeyer

Still have questions? Reach out to our membership team at [email protected].

3. PRACTICE BUS SURVEY
If you answered “YES” to the practice bus question on the registration form, please take a moment to fill out a 5 question survey designed to get baseline numbers so that our V.P. Activities can pursue receiving quotes to charter a practice bus for the 2025 season. Fill out the survey here: https://forms.gle/iTDTDWVwdWy2eTHd8

4. WINTER CONDITIONING STARTS MONDAY
Don’t forget, Winter Conditioning starts Monday! Meet in Cafe B at your designated time and be dressed to work out! Recommended attire: sneakers, shorts (not baggy/basketball style) or tights, t-shirt or tank top and a sweatshirt and/or windbreaker for running or to wear afterward so you do not freeze on the way home.

Please visit our website to learn about all things winter conditioning (whether you are a novice or experienced rower): https://woodsonrowing.org/winter-conditioning/. This site has recommendations for nutrition and recovery, which is especially crucial if you are new to working out this frequently. Please note that participation is highly encouraged for all athletes to develop the cardiovascular fitness and camaraderie needed to make winning boats. Winter conditioning is when you make the most important investment in your spring racing

5. JOIN SLACK
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 green days or optional strength training. 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.

6. CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE
This calendar is constantly updated as events are added. Scroll here for a quick rundown of what’s up and coming. Where relevant and/or available, links are provided for more information. You can also see a visual representation of our calendar on our website: https://woodsonrowing.org/calendar/

DECEMBER:

• Sun, 12/1: Registration Begins!
• Mon, 12/2: Winter Conditioning Begins.
• Sat, 12/7: 3rd Tag Day
• Wed, 12/18: Taco Bamba restaurant fundraiser
• 12/23-1/3/25: Winter break
• 12/30-01/03: Tentative optional training. Stay tuned for more info.

JANUARY 2025:

• Mon, 01/06: Winter Conditioning resumes

FEBRUARY:

• Wed, 2/5: Chipotle restaurant fundraiser, 4-8p
• Sat, 2/8: Boathouse Workday. Stay tuned for details.
• Sat, 2/8: Swim test for new recruits, 11a-12p, Audrey Moore Rec
• Sat, 2/15: Swim test for new recruits, 11a-12p, Audrey Moore Rec
• Fri, 2/21: last day of Winter Conditioning
• Tue, 2/25: first day of on-the-water practice!

MARCH:

• Sat, 3/22: Polar Bear Regatta (Varsity Only), Sandy Run

WAIT – THERE’S MORE?

STAY UP TO DATE: Join the newsletter by sending an email to [email protected] or view the newsletter archives on our website.

VIEW AND UPLOAD PHOTOS: Visit our Woodson Rowing photos page for more information on how you can help protect our legacy with photographs!

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