Posted on by VP Communications

March 6, 2025 Newsletter

On-the-water is in full swing!! With regatta season upon us, your newsletters will begin coming out TWICE per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) beginning March 18. Generally, Tuesday newsletters will be full of “things to do” while Thursday newsletters will be more regatta focused. If there are other people in your family that need to be added to the newsletter list, please make sure to send an email to [email protected] to be added to the newsletter list. In the alternative, you can always view our newsletter archives on our website.

1. *TODAY* SPRING PICTURES FOR ATHLETES!!
2. LAUNCH BOAT DRIVER TRAINING, CHECK YOUR EMAIL BEFORE MARCH 8
3. ALLERGIES FORM DUE MARCH 12
4. WEATHER NOTES, FROM YOUR COACHES
5. REGISTRATION & NOVICE REFUND POLICY
6. VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
7. GET YOUR SPIRIT WEAR BEFORE THE FIRST REGATTA
8. ENSURE YOUR SLACK APP IS UPDATED
9. CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE
WAIT – THERE’S MORE?

1. *TODAY* SPRING PICTURES FOR ATHLETES!!
All athletes should report to the Main Gym at 3:05p to have your pictures taken for the yearbook. Your team shirts will be handed out at that time. Once in the gym, all girls should head to Photographer 1, boys to Photographer 2. Seniors should have a separate senior headshot taken with photograph 3. SENIORS: please make sure you take TWO photos before you leave!

Carpools should be staged in front of the school (by the big rock is a good place to meet) so that athletes can hustle to the water as soon as photos are finished.

2. LAUNCH BOAT DRIVER TRAINING, CHECK YOUR EMAIL BEFORE MARCH 8
If you have already signed up for the launch boat training, you should have received an email  with an attachment and video to review prior to attending the training. 3 spots still remain, however! If you are interested in participating, all parents/guardians are welcome to learn from our very own Coach Joe! Sign up to attend training right after our Saturday practice, here: Launch Boat Driver Training.

If you have already completed launch boat driver training in a previous season and are willing to be a driver again this year, please join the #launch-boat-drivers channel on Slack.

3. ALLERGIES FORM DUE MARCH 12
To ensure everyone can safely enjoy our Friday Night Team Dinners and snacks at regattas, we need to know about any food allergies, intolerances, or religious dietary restrictions. If your athlete has any dietary needs, please take a moment to fill out our Dietary Restrictions & Allergies Form.

Your input helps us plan meals that accommodate everyone. Please complete the form by March 12 so we can make the necessary arrangements. Thank you for your help in keeping our team dinners safe and inclusive! Please contact Gloria Totten, Team Dinners Coordinator, via Slack with any questions.

4. WEATHER NOTES, FROM THE COACHES
While weather forecasts have gotten quite good, they generally do not have the level of granularity to tell us exactly what is going to occur at the exact location we are rowing, especially with regards to thunderstorms. If there is a high level of uncertainty in the forecast, generally the team still goes down to the boathouse so that the weather conditions can be evaluated real-time. Options can be delayed launching and/or stay on shore and work out on land. In rare instances, practice will be canceled ahead of time. Weather certainly is unpredictable for any outdoor sport, but know that our coaches are diligent in balancing athlete safety as well as the need to have consistency in training! If there is impending weather, decisions will be made as soon as possible and disseminated via Slack, social media, and, if needed, announced over the PA system at school. Thank you, as always, for your flexibility!

5. REGISTRATION & NOVICE REFUND POLICY
All the information you need to know is located on our registration website: https://woodsonrowing.org/registration/.

Novice athletes are granted 2 weeks on the water to fully commit to Woodson Rowing. As a result, any first time athlete must submit a written withdrawal to Woodson Rowing Membership by this Friday, March 7, 2025 to receive a refund of all fees minus a credit card fee.

Still have questions? Reach out to Catherine, Membership Chair, via Slack or at [email protected].

6. VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
Each family is required to do 5 volunteer shifts/credits, one of which should be a VASRA task. Athletes are also expected to volunteer (3 credits for novice athletes, 5 for returning athletes). Failure to meet your volunteer credits by the end of the season will result in a $200 per credit charge. If you want to learn more about volunteering, sign up to participate or just keep up with the current volunteering opportunities, visit our website: www.woodsonrowing.org/volunteering.

7. GET YOUR SPIRIT WEAR BEFORE THE FIRST REGATTA
Sport your support AND help the team financially (portions of all proceeds are donated back to the team) with Woodson Rowing Spirit Wear!

8. ENSURE YOUR SLACK APP IS UPDATED
Beginning March 15th, 2025, Slack will be ending support for older app and browser versions. As a result, users will need to ensure they are using the most updated version of Slack. Click here for information on how to update your app: Slack Update.

In addition, some operating systems (OS) will no longer be supported. Users on an unsupported OS will still be able to access Slack if they’re using a supported app version, but they won’t receive future updates. For the best experience, it is recommended that you update the following OS as soon as possible: Redhat 8, Windows 10 Version 21H2 and Android 10.

Questions? Contact Slack help at [email protected]

9. 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/

Graphics of our various schedules can be found at the links below:
Winter Conditioning (October through February)
On-The-Water Practice (late February through May)
2025 Regatta Schedule (March through May)

Important dates: 

MARCH:

APRIL

MAY

WAIT – THERE’S MORE?

RECRUITMENT:

Direct interested athletes and their parents to our interest form or have them send an email to our membership team at: [email protected].

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

INTERESTED IN SPONSORING WOODSON ROWING?

Visit our Sponsorship Page or contact Woodson Rowing Fundraising.

Can’t sponsor but want to donate?Check out our Donors page for instructions and information on how your donations benefit our team!

NEED SWAG?

There are many ways for you to shop and benefit the team all while sporting your support! See our Spirit Wear Page for more info!

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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