Our indoor practices start on Monday at 6:30 AM. If you were unable to attend the Parents Meeting last night you can still participate. See our Teacher Rep Carolyn Craven and get one of the white Student Information Forms. All athletes (including returning athletes) need to complete a white form. See Carolyn.
The practices are held in the middle gym.
As stated last night you should come in comfortable athletic gear, nothing loose, and with running shoes. Your own water bottle is a necessity.
If you are interested in rowing but can’t make practices next week please contact me: coachroche@bell.net There are always accommodations that can made and none of the coaches want to see an interested athlete not be able to take part. Talk to us.
On Monday we’ll do a deeper overview of the sport and what we are planning do over the course of the indoor season.
We are holding our Parent/Student meeting on Tuesday, Nov 3rd at 7:00 pm in the Westdale High School Library. This is for anyone interested in being part of the Westdale High School Rowing crew for the 2015/2016 season.
The meeting will provide information on the structure of the indoor season and the opportunity for parents and students to learn and ask questions about the rowing program at Westdale.
An information session and junior team sign up is taking place on Wednesday, June 10th between 5 and 7 pm. You will be able to meet the various junior coaches and find out about the summer club racing season.
I encourage all Westdale athletes to consider rowing in the summer. It is an extremely valuable experience and will benefit your rowing career.
The junior coaches are:
Andrea Valois Junior A/B Men. (under the age of 19)
Mike Roche Junior A Women. (ages of 17 and 18)
Craig Pollock Junior B Women. (under the age of 17)
At the session you will find out about crew selection processes, regatta committment, training schedules and other various bits of information.
Just a friendly reminder that tonight is the year-end rowing party for all athletes, parents, and coaches. Please be there for 7pm at Kelsey’s (Main St. West, across from Westdale Secondary School) in the downstairs party room 🙂
We’ll be presenting City Champs medals, CSSRA pins, and MVP awards. PLUS we’ll be celebrating the end of the season, so it’s just going to be fun all around. Come join before you head off for summer!
Today was a tough day of racing: the first day is when we meet our competition (from across the continent!) and determine conditions for our heats. The changes in wind direction (from tail to cross to head) definitely tested our crews, but everyone pushed despite the weather.
We have two crews from today’s races that have proceeded to Saturday’s Semifinals: the Sr. Men’s 1x and the Sr. Men’s 4x. We had some close calls as well, with a few boats missing the semis by just 0.6 seconds or 2.6 seconds, but we pushed hard and we’ll now look forward to doing our best tomorrow and cheering hard for other crews that are just starting their competitions.
Without further ado, here are Saturday’s Racing Times:
Sr. Women 63kg 8+ – Heat 1 @9:52am
Jr. Men 1x – Heat 1 @10:55am
Jr. Women 63kg 8+ – Heat 2 @11:44am
Sr. Men’s 1x Semifinal – 12:40pm OR 12:47pm (TBD by draw)
Sr. Men’s 4x Semifinal – 2:04pm OR 2:11pm (TBD by draw)
Jr. Women’s 4x – Heat 1 @3:42pm
Sr. Women’s 8+ – Heat 2 @5:27pm
Women’s Arrival Times:
Mike has already spoken with crews about your arrival times. Coxswains and Midweight crews must arrive earlier to weigh-in with Mike. Women’s crews that race later in the day should either arrive in time for the first race (9:52am) or at least 3 hours before your race if you’re racing at the end of the day (Sr. Women’s 8+).
The time has come! It’s the day before the races. The boats are rigged, washed, and ready to go. The blades are set. You should all feel confident that you’ve done absolutely everything you can to prepare for the regatta – because you have. As coaches, we know that you’re ready for this.
As it is a Westdale tradition, I’d like to leave you all with two short clips to watch before your races. Remember: this is your time. Go out there, give it your best, and have fun. Anything is possible.
Versus:
Inches:
…bring your passion, bring your spirit, and bring your A-game. You CAN do this.
Now, for the arrival & race time information: General Info:
-Weigh ins are open from 7-11am. You ONLY weigh-in on the day(s) that you are racing.
-Coxswains must weigh-in with their coach (or crew, if applicable)
-All athletes must bring current, valid student ID or photo ID (driver’s license, passport), team unisuit, sunscreen & water
-It is strongly recommended that athletes bring a tent or place to stay in the shade
-Additional information is listed here
Arrival Times for Athletes that ARE NOT racing on Friday = 9:30am
We ask that all athletes that have Friday “off” from racing arrive at the course by 9:30am. This is to support and cheer on the other crews racing, in time for the first race of the day (the Sr. Men’s Double). For the women’s team, this includes anyone racing in the eight races (Jr/Sr/Mid/Open) and in the quad
Arrival Times for Racing Athletes: *if you agreed to bring food, please ensure the food arrives for its deadline too
Sr. Men’s 2x (Max & Kieran) – 7am
Jr. Women’s 4+ (Stephanie, Tristan, Kate, Drew, Hannah) – 8am
Sr. Men’s 72kg 2x (JJ & Cooper) – 9:50am *in time to cheer on the Sr. Men’s 2x race
Sr. Men’s 1x (Luke) – 11am
Sr. Women’s 4+ (Arnaud*, Lauren, Allie, Victoria, Taylor) – 11am *Arnaud will arrive earlier to weigh-in with Mike
Sr. Men’s 4x (Erik *others have already arrived) – 12pm/noon
Sr. Women’s 1x (Madison) – 1pm
Jr. Men’s 2x (Harrison & Lucas) – 1:30pm ***times listed indicate the LATEST time by which you should arrive. Athletes are always welcome to arrive earlier to support and cheer on the other crews***
A reminder that food should be brought to the Parents’ Tent by the time indicated on the sign up sheet here.
Final Notes: Jackets will be distributed tomorrow at the races. City Champs medals will be awarded at our year-end party (yes, the medals have arrived!), and the 70th Anniversary CSSRA pins will also be distributed at our year-end party to athletes competing at this year’s CSSRAs.
That’s all, folks. See you all tomorrow on the Island.
Our hard-working parent reps (Dina & Brock) have been coordinating the food signup & provision for the regatta, but we are still very short of meeting the requirements to offer all athletes (and families) meals, which means we’re still looking for people to sign up today by 7pm at the latest to assist in contributing food for the regatta (You can click here to sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19QGcBLPnAkXrf_mbyEYnfRKv3XYEnkdfTfHKK-9JvIA/edit?pli=1#gid=585143953)
We are particularly short on contributions for tomorrow (Friday) morning.If there’s any chance you can assist, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you in advance!
Dear Parents,
I’m passing along a message from one of our parent reps who’s offered to bring up the BBQs for the regatta this weekend – if you can assist, please let Brock Gadsdon know before 12pm (noon) today (Wednesday, June 3rd).: From Brock: Does anyone have access to a trailer or pickup truck to help get the BBQ to / from the Highschool to Henley Island? Unfortunately it will not fit into my trailer. I have a hitch on both of my vehicles if we need something to tow it with. We can take it down as earlier as Wednesday night but has to be back Monday morning (off island Sunday).
…please contact Brock or Dina if you can assist!
Thanks,
More information will be given at our year-end party on Sunday, June 7th (7pm at Kelsey’s in Westdale), but here are a few quick links to help navigate the summer rowing opportunities and options for athletes of all ages:
1) Summer Rowing Information & Registration – Wednesday, June 10th, 5-7pm @LBC Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/352936471571273/
This is for club competitive and bantam, as well as other programs you’d like to learn about (like Learn to Row (LTR) and Adult Recreational Rowing). Come meet the coaches, ask some questions, and see what works best for you and your availability/interests! Summer rowing is a great way to stay involved, fit, and on-top of your rowing technique before the school season starts again. You’ll also meet some great people!
2) Heart & Stroke “Row for Heart” – Signup Available Contact: leanderrow4heart@gmail.com Flyer: Heart and Stroke – Informational Flyer Registration Form: Heart and Stroke – F15 Team Registration Form
LBC’s Row for Heart program still has a few spots remaining for teams, and the coordinators are hoping to have each highschool represented. You do NOT need any prior experience to compete in Row For Heart – the coaches will teach you everything you need to know, and the program accepts participants aged 16-years-old and up.
Row for Heart is a great way to try rowing, have a fun with friends, and meet new people. The Ancaster Royals already have a parents 8+ that’s keen to challenge parents at other schools (including Westdale!) to make a team and compete for fun during this summer session. If teams are unable to find 8 crew members, then the coordinators are allowing teams to row in a 4+ instead, still competing in the final regatta on July 19th. Row for Heart is a keystone program that supports both highschool rowing programs and club rowing. Keen to try it? Contact Andrea Jansen for more information at leanderrow4heart@gmail.com.
3) Friends & Family “Learn to Row” Day – Saturday, June 27th, 9am-12pm @LBC Event Link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/friends-family-learn-to-row-day-tickets-17158527618
Highschool rowers and club rowers are invited to bring a guest (friend or family member) to a fun “Learn to Row” day, where you get to row with your guest and coaches will be available to answer questions about the sport and/or summer rowing opportunities at all ages and levels of fitness.
You’ve made it! We’re now heading into the final few days before our biggest regatta of the season, the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Championships, hosted by the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association (“CSSRA”).
Now that the races are just a few days away, I’m posting some very important information about the training, racing, and year-end party.
*Extremely Important*As explained in the document, Dina Gadsdon (parent rep) has been coordinating the food signup for the Parents’ Tent. If each family can sign up for approximately $30-40 worth of food, then food costs for the full weekend will be covered. You can sign up to contribute food items by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19QGcBLPnAkXrf_mbyEYnfRKv3XYEnkdfTfHKK-9JvIA/edit?usp=sharing
Any questions regarding food signup (explained in the Parent Info document) should be sent to Dina Gadsdon (Dina’s contact info is also listed in the info document).
TRAINING & RACING INFORMATION:
1) De-rigging on Wednesday, June 3rd All boats must be derigged on Wednesday morning and loaded on the trailer following practice.
For the Men’s Team: The following boats must be derigged & loaded on Wednesday AM:
-Ad Astra (Luke/Max/Kieran/Erik)
-Stocks (Max/Kieran/HSC athletes)
-Justice (Harrison/Lucas/JJ/Cooper)
The following boats can be derigged anytime before Thursday’s practice in St. Catharines:
-Gadsdon 1x *must be car-topped (practicing on Thursday AM)
-Heinbecker 1x *must be car-topped
2) Thursday Practice (June 4th): All athletes racing CSSRAs are expected to attend Thursday’s practice in St. Catharines, unless otherwise discussed with a coach. All athletes should meet me (Alessandra) at 11:00am at the entrance to the football field at the back of Westdale Secondary School. We will then take attendance & board the bus. I’ll be supervising the bus ride, and the other coaches will meet us there. For liability reasons, all athletes are expected to take the bus.
Practice Plan: -Arrive, rig boats & clean, eat lunch
-Session 1 (approx. 1-2:30)
-Debrief & snack
-Session 2 (approx. 3-4:30pm)
-Debrief & pack up *Each session enables crews to go in primary and secondary boats. Session time includes warmup, cooldown, and stretching. If you only have one boat to practice in on Thursday, then please bring extra homework/etc.
You must bring: -water
-food (bring a lunch & LOTS of snacks – we’ll be at the course from 12-5pm)
-change of clothes
-workout/training clothes (ideally NOT showing Westdale colours – it’s a tradition to wear non-school clothing so that other crews can’t tell which school you’re from until the day you race)
-yourself, on time (11am)
3) Preliminary Race Draw: The preliminary race draw has not yet been posted, but will be made available soon on the CSSRA website. Please check the main website to find a copy of the draw once it’s posted by clicking here: http://www.cssra.ca/
You must bring your unisuit, student ID (or photo ID with date of birth), food/water, sunscreen, and change of clothes. We also recommend that you bring a tent or place to rest in the shade. Arrival times for crews will be posted on Thursday, June 4th, once the race draw has been finalized.
YEAR-END PARTY:
Our End-of-Year Party will take place at 7pm at the Westdale Kelsey’s on Main St. West (across from the school) in the downstairs party room (basement section). All athletes and parents are invited. This includes athletes that practiced in afternoons OR mornings, injured athletes, and/or rowers that have already completed their season with the City Champs. The event is for everyone.
We will be handing out the following awards (***oooooh, ahhhh, awards!***) at the party:
-Jr. Men’s & Women’s Indoor MVP
-Sr. Men’s & Women’s Indoor MVP
-Jr. Men’s & Women’s Outdoor MVP
-Sr. Men’s & Women’s Outdoor MVP
-Men’s & Women’s Rookie of the Year
We will also be announcing any relevant information concerning Summer Rowing & Heart and Stroke Rowing opportunities.
Westdale Rowing Community 