WOW! What a way to kick off the championship season! Woodson Rowing brought home the WN8+ state title for the 3rd year in a row AND a bid for Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) Nationals for the MFr8+. We are picking up steam as we head into Day 2 of VSRC “States,” Stotesbury, and now SRAA Nationals planning!

1. VSRC DAY 2 ON SATURDAY

2. STOTESBURY: REGISTRATION & FORMS DUE THIS FRIDAY, MAY 9
A. REGISTRATION
B. REQUIRED FORMS
C. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
D. JOIN THE SLACK CHANNEL
E. OTHER STOTESBURY NEWS

3. SRAA NATIONALS

4. CALENDAR AT-A-GLANCE

SUPPORT THE TEAM!

1. VSRC DAY 2 ON SATURDAY
On Virginia Scholastic Rowing Championship Day 2, the following boats will be racing: 1Vs, 2Vs, WJr4+. Athletes with questions about line ups should consult their coaches. All athletes and families are encouraged to come out and cheer. Reminder that the Friday night dinner is for ALL athletes, not just those that are racing the next day.

2. STOTESBURY: REGISTRATION & FORMS DUE THIS FRIDAY, MAY 9
Find this year’s line ups here: 2025 Stotesbury Athlete List. All race entries, to include alternate rowers/coxswains, are made at the discretion of the Woodson Rowing Head Coach. Our coaches try to take as many competitive boats as possible. Athletes can direct their questions on lineups to the coaches.

A. REGISTRATION
Click the link to register your athlete: 2025 STOTESBURY REGISTRATION

If you completed registration and forgot to include your spectator add-ons, please use this link to purchase your meal pass(es) and/or bus ride: https://woodsonrowing.org/stotes-addons/

B. REQUIRED FORMS
Once you have registered your athlete, there are several forms that you must download, fill out, and print. The following forms are required for all athlete attendees. The forms must be completed, printed, signed, and turned in to our Membership Chair.

Code of Conduct (Separate Student and Parent Acknowledgement)
Emergency Contact Information Form
FCPS Field Trip Form

Forms must be hard copies and may be provided to Catherine Backmeyer by either: providing forms to Sarah or Madeline Backmeyer at practice OR coordinating with Catherine via Slack for alternative arrangements.

C. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Just like everything else we do, we will need a lot of parent volunteers. Whether or not you are traveling to Philadelphia, we need you to help the team prepare in the days prior to travel and to help during the trip. Visit the Stotesbury Volunteer Sign Up for the long list of volunteering opportunities available, both at home and at the race site.

We are in particular need of BOAT PARENTS. With the lack of interest in staying at the athlete hotel, we released the rooms initially reserved for boat parents.You must provide your own transportation to the athlete hotel in the evening and morning BUT, this is a great gig for anyone that would like to ride the athlete buses to the water and back because you’ll always be in the right place at the right time!! Boat parents check on the kids at night and make sure they are settled in their rooms and then again in the morning to make sure they are up in time to eat or get a grab-n-go breakfast and are ready for the bus when it’s their time to go. Your athlete doesn’t have to be in the boat for you to serve in this important role. Please sign up now!

D. JOIN THE SLACK CHANNEL
If your athlete is on the 2025 Stotesbury Athlete List, you should have already been added to the #2025-stotesbury Channel on Slack. Make sure you check that channel to stay abreast of all updates. We will be posting updates there before and DURING the trip. So, it will be your one-stop-shop for information.

E. OTHER STOTESBURY NEWS
The schedule for finals has been posted on the Stotesbury Cup Regatta website, but we have yet to receive the heats/time trials information. Time trials work very differently at Stotesbury than at our regular season regattas. The time trials are “head races. Each boat starts at a different time down the course. Your total completion time determines if you move to the semi-finals. The curious can read more here: https://stotesburycupregatta.com/time-trials/

3. SRAA NATIONALS
For folks that like to do their own research, your place to start is our website: https://woodsonrowing.org/sraa/.

After many discussions last weekend regarding SRAA Nationals and how a boat/team qualifies, you can check out the rules here: https://www.sraa.net/rules.html

Here is the short of it:
Of the boats we race, not all are “official” categories for SRAA Nationals. The boats that we race that are in qualifying categories are: 1Vs, 2Vs, Jr4+ and Freshman. Jr4+, Freshman and 1V performance is not tied to any other boats: the top 3 in those categories at States win a bid to Nationals. 2Vs, however, must FIRST have the 1V place in the top 3 AND THEN place in the top 2 at States to earn their own individual bid.

This is why the WN8+, despite winning the state championship, is not eligible to attend Nationals.

Once racing has concluded on Saturday, May 10, more information about SRAA Nationals will be released to those who qualify. Stay tuned!

4. 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/

MAY