Regatta Schedule
Regatta Viewer’s Guide
Sandy Run Park: Information, Parking
Printable Oar Spotter (best on legal size paper)
Regattas
Regattas are held every weekend beginning in late March and continuing through May. Each student-athlete will be provided with an opportunity to compete for a seat in a lineup; however, the team does not guarantee that each student-athlete will race in the competitive spring season. As the season progresses, the coaching staff ultimately establishes lineups to send as many competitive boats as feasible to race in the Ted Phoenix Regatta (Freshman / Novice Virginia State Championships), the Virginia State Rowing Championships, and the Stotesbury Cup Regatta. Depending on the performance of individual crews and successful entry through qualifying events, selected student-athletes may race in the Scholastic Rowing Association of America National Championships. All race entries will be made at the discretion of the Woodson Crew Head Coach.
Local Regattas
Local regattas are sponsored by the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association (VASRA), an association comprised of public and private member schools from Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties in Virginia. Because of the number of crew programs competing in Northern Virginia, multiple locations are used for regattas.
Generally Woodson rows locally only at Sandy Run Regional Park at the Occoquan River, VA. Sandy Run is one of the finest rowing facilities on the East Coast. It has been the site of the Olympic canoe and kayak trials, several SRAA National Championships and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Regattas. Local regattas are held on Saturdays and usually start at 8:00 a.m. (crew members, especially coxswains, may need to be there earlier) and last until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m.
The Woodson Crew Booster Board Vice President for Communications will send an e-mail, usually no later than the evening before each regatta, informing families of approximate race times of each Woodson Crew event; however, families are encouraged to stay for as much of the day as possible.
At Sandy Run, the parking lots, boathouse, and the permanent finish line spectator stands are not in close proximity. Wear good walking shoes for the approximately one mile dirt path. A shuttle is also available for a modest fee. Many parents bring lawn chairs, seat cushions, blankets, and coolers. Concession stands are also available at both the boathouse and spectator stands.
No dogs at permitted at regattas. The Woodson Crew Board welcomes all crew parents, family members and friends to cheer for the team in the Woodson cheering section. Please remember that sportsmanlike conduct is expected by all representatives of Woodson, whether a team member, fellow student, coach, or parent. Additional information can be found on the VASRA website: http://www.vasra.org/. Learn how VASRA ranks boats and seeds different teams for regattas: VASRA Regatta Ranking and Seeding Details
Away Regattas
In May of each season the team travels to the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia, PA and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) National Championship Regatta held at various locations in the Eastern U.S. Prior to these regattas, there will be an Away Travel parent meeting. Costs for these trips are not included in the basic dues for each student-athlete, but are only assessed for those rowers who qualify and travel. The fees are very reasonable and considered well worth the experience of competing against teams throughout the United States and Canada. Scheduled events and boat composition varies depending on the requirements for each regatta. The Woodson Crew Boosters Board Vice President for Team Liaison and Activities coordinates team arrangements.
Stotesbury Cup: This regatta is the largest high school rowing regatta in the world with over 5,000 participants and 10,000 spectators. The host organization is the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia. As this regatta is a great cultural experience for student-athletes and their parents, the coaching staff will send as many competitive lineups as feasible within the regatta guidelines. Additional information may be found at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta website: http://stotesburycupregatta.com/
Scholastic Nationals: This USRowing regatta is sponsored by the Scholastic Rowing Association of America (SRAA) and is held at multiple locations in the Eastern U.S. Prior events have been held in Princeton and Camden, NJ, Orlando, FL, Knoxville, TN, and Saratoga Springs, NY. Boats must qualify for entrance into this regatta by placing high enough at the Virginia State Rowing Championship. Additional information may be found at the SRAA website: http://www.sraa.net/.
Carpool Forms are required when transporting students. Information on the driver and the driver’s liability insurance is required for all personal and leased vehicles used for taking rowers to/from away regattas. You can find the Carpool forms here.
Regatta Jobs
The following jobs are performed on the land during a regatta. If necessary, you may be assigned to another job. Please be patient if this happens.
All parents are expected to help at the regattas, doing at least one job per season. In the spring, you will be asked to sign up for a regatta job, after we know which jobs our club is responsible for at each regatta. Most of these jobs require no advance skill. The regattas are mostly volunteer activities, and VASRA (Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association, the regatta “host”) is dependent on our help.If you sign up for a regatta position and then don’t show up, the club will be fined $50, which will be passed on to you. Please make every effort to do your few hours for the season, or call a board member at least one day in advance, so an alternate can be found.
There are many jobs, so please read about them through the link below and sign-up when we announce our job requirements during the season!
Regatta Job Descriptions: Our parent organization VASRA manages scores of volunteers doing dozens of jobs to run regattas smoothly. Visit the VASRA volunteer positions overview to understand the different roles before you sign up to perform any of these duties.
Previous Regatta Results
Please click on the link below for in-depth results of previous Seasons: Achievements & History
Sandy Run Park
Click here for details about regattas at Sandy Run Park.
Regatta Viewer’s Guide
This detailed guide is designed to help you understand the language of rowing and be a smart spectator