Congratulations to our boats who raced this weekend. What a start to the season! We also had a very successful Chuckwagon Workday on Sunday. Big thanks to our volunteers for helping us get ready for the rest of the competition season. Read on for what’s to come this week!
1. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS
2. *NEW* UPCOMING VOLUNTEER NEEDS
3. REGATTA PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
4. SPRING SPORTS PHOTOS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
5. PRACTICE ATTENDANCE
6. SPRING BREAK SCHEDULE
7. BOATHOUSE WEATHERMAN JACKET
8. AT-A-GLANCE AND OTHER LINKS
ACTION ITEMS FOR THIS WEEK
Sign up to help out at our St. Andrews Travel Regatta.
(More info on the regatta itself can be found here.)
- THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS: We want to extend our profound thanks for all the volunteering you all have already done and are already signed up for. This sport is truly a team effort – both on the water and off. It is certainly not always glamorous, but the way we all come together benefits our athletes and the entire sport! The volunteer slots for this Friday’s team dinner and this Saturday’s regatta are currently full. THANK YOU. But, there are plenty of other positions opening up in the future, so please keep your eye on the various sign up geniuses and this newsletter to stay abreast of current needs. You can always find our current volunteer needs on our website: Woodson Rowing Volunteer Page.
- *NEW* UPCOMING VOLUNTEER NEEDS: The Noxontown Pond Regatta, aka St. Andrews Invitational, takes place on March 30, 2024 in Middletown, DE. This venue is amazingly beautiful and you get to witness racing up close and personal on the same grounds where the movie Dead Poets’ Society was filmed! We need parents to help with the following for this day-trip travel regatta:
- Set up the tent and food
- Serve lunch and maintain food tent
- Clean up and take down tent.
It is through your volunteer contributions that we are able to provide meals and snacks throughout the day to keep our athletes energized and ready to PULL FOR WOODSON. Sign up here: St. Andrews Volunteers Needed.
For more information on the logistics of getting the team to Middletown, DE, please check out our webpage dedicated to the trip: St. Andrews’ Invitational.
3. REGATTA PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Thank you to so many parents and athletes who took photos and videos at the Polar Bear Regatta. The BEST way to share your photos, to save them for posterity, AND to get them off your camera roll is to get them to the Woodson Rowing SmugMug site.
There are 2 ways to have your photos uploaded for the benefit of the team:
(1) You can upload them directly yourself. Each regatta will have its own gallery, so keep your eye on this newsletter and Slack for a new link each week.
UPLOAD YOUR POLAR BEAR REGATTA PHOTOS HERE: https://wtwoodsoncrew.smugmug.com/upload/bHRbvV/polarbear2024
(2) You can also send them to Colin, our team photographer, and he will get them on the site. Send your photos via email: [email protected]
Please note: All the photos and videos posted in SmugMug are FREE to download, despite the tab which says “Buy photo.” That’s only if you want the site to print a physical copy of a photo.
Questions or problems? Contact our team photographer, Colin via Slack or email ([email protected]).
4. SPRING SPORTS PHOTOS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE: The spring sports photos that our athletes took on Feb 29 are now available for purchase
BOYS TEAM: https://vando.imagequix.com/s1585061877
GIRLS TEAM: https://vando.imagequix.com/s1152002121
Any questions re: these photos should be directed to the Victor O’Neill Studios customer service team at [email protected]
5. PRACTICE ATTENDANCE: The coaches have been stressing the importance of attendance at practice, so this is a gentle reminder that consistent attendance is CRUCIAL for rowing. First and foremost, rowing is a new/newer skill for most athletes. Regular practice and instruction is the only way to develop more proficiency. Second, boats cannot practice when athletes are missing. This is not the kind of sport where you can shift to playing 3v3 or 5v5. An entire line-up is necessary to take a boat out on the water safely. A specific synergy is developed when a crew rows together over time that is critical to a boat’s success. As a result, attendance DOES influence race line-ups. Finally, of course illness and things will occasionally crop up, so open communication is key. Coaches encourage athletes to advocate for themselves and ask that athletes assume responsibility for initiating timely contact via Slack when they will be late or will miss practice. This allows the coaches to shift plans as needed to maximize practice time. Reminder: Coaches request that athletes contact ALL 3 COACHES ON THEIR TEAM to make sure that there aren’t any missed messages. Please have your athlete consult the coaches with any questions.
6. SPRING BREAK SCHEDULE
The spring break practice schedule below is for both the men’s and women’s teams:
Monday, 3/25: 8:30a – 12:30p
Tuesday, 3/26: 8:30a – 10:45a AND 4 – 6:30p
Wednesday, 3/27: 8:30a – 12:30p
Thursday, 3/28: 8:30a – 10:45a AND 4 – 6:30p
Friday, 3/29: 8:30a – 12:30p
Saturday, 3/30: Day trip Travel Regatta in Middletown, DE. Details can be found here. Volunteers are needed for this event! Sign up here: St. Andrews Volunteers
Sunday, 3/31: No practice
*REGULAR PRACTICE SCHEDULE RESUMES ON 4/1, despite Monday and Tuesday being days off from school.
7. BOATHOUSE WEATHERMAN JACKET: With the current cold weather, you might be wondering how to get your athlete one of the branded Woodson Rowing Weatherman jackets that some of the varsity athletes are wearing. Well, according to our Sportswear Chair, Cheryl, Boathouse will run another shipment if we have a minimum order of 6. She will be posting photos and pricing in Slack over the next day or so. Please contact Cheryl via Slack if you are interested.
8. AT-A-GLANCE AND OTHER LINKS
MARCH
On-the-water practice. (M-F: 4:15-6:45p)
2024 Racing Schedule
- Fri. 3/22: Team dinner. Athletes & Volunteers only. Cafe B, directly after practice.
- Sat. 3/23: Regional Park Regatta, Sandy Run
- Fri., 3/29: Team dinner. Athletes & Volunteers only. Cafe B, directly after practice.
- Sat. 3/30: Invitational at St. Andrews, Middletown, DE. Volunteers sign up here.
APRIL
- Fri. 4/5: Team dinner. Athletes & Volunteers only. Cafe B, directly after practice.
- Sat. 4/6: Tri-Meet, Anacostia River, Washington, DC
- Sat. 4/13: Bye Week. No racing.
- Sun. 4/14: Parent learn-to-row fundraiser. 9a-noon. Details TBD.
- Fri. 4/19: Team dinner. Athletes & Volunteers only. Cafe B, directly after practice.
- Sat. 4/20: Ryz Obuchowicz Regatta, Sandy Run
- Wed. 4/24: Panera restaurant fundraiser, 4-8p
- Fri. 4/26: SENIOR NIGHT & Team Dinner. Details TBD. Cafe B.
- Sat. 4/27: Al Urquia Regatta, Sandy Run
MAY
- Fri. 5/3:Team dinner. Truro Clubhouse (note new location).
- Sat. 5/4: Virginia State Championship (Day 1), Sandy Run
- Fri. 5/10: Last Team dinner. Cafe B, directly after practice.
- Sat. 5/11: Virginia State Championship (Day 2), Sandy Run
- Fri-Sat. 5/17-18: Stotesbury Cup Regatta, Philadelphia, PA
- Fri-Sat. 5/24-25: SRAA National Championships Regatta, Camden, NJ
(Only qualifying boats attend.)