Westdale Rowing Community

Information for the Westdale Rowing Community

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Friday – CSSRA times

Dear Westdale Rowers & Parents,

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.

Official Race Times:
Sr. Men’s 2x – Heat 5 @9:54am
Jr. Women’s 4+ – Heat 1 @10:03am
Sr. Men’s 72kg 2x – Heat 1 @12:02am
Sr. Men’s 1x – Heat 3 @1:19pm
Sr. Women’s 4+ – Heat 1 @1:33pm
Sr. Men’s 4x – Heat 3 @2:50pm
Sr. Women’s 1x – Heat 2 @3:11pm
Jr. Men’s 2x – Heat 5 @4:42pm

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.

GOOD LUCK WESTDALE!
Alessandra


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Final Day (URGENT: HELP NEEDED!) – Parents & Food

Dear Parents,

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!

Please click here to sign up to contribute: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19QGcBLPnAkXrf_mbyEYnfRKv3XYEnkdfTfHKK-9JvIA/edit?pli=1#gid=585143953 

See you all at 11am this morning (athletes) and 8am tomorrow morning (parents),
Alessandra


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Help Needed – Trailer for BBQ (contact Brock before 12pm)

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,

Alessandra 


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CSSRA Championships – Full Information

Dear Westdale Rowers,

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.

PARENT INFORMATION & FOOD SIGNUP:
Please see an overview of what to expect at CSSRAs by clicking here: CSSRA Champs – Info for Parents & Athletes

*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)

Practice rules & regulations can be found here, but I’ll review them with all crews before the practice: http://www.cssra.ca/#/practice-times-procedures/4564679972

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/

4) Weigh-Ins & Race Procedures:
Weigh-in times for coxswains & lightweights can be found here: http://www.cssra.ca/#/weigh-in-rules/4564679539
Race procedures and course patterns can be found here: http://www.cssra.ca/#/cssra-rules-of-racing/4564680197

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.

See you all on Monday morning,
Alessandra


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Team Dinner & Unisuits

Hey Westdale,

Great job on your 2km tests this morning! If you’ve worked up an appetite, then look no further: UNLIMITED PIZZA AND POP (among other menu options) will be available for devouring TONIGHT at 6PM at the 1563 MAIN STREET WEST BOSTON PIZZA 🙂 Click here for a map. Reservation is under “Westdale Rowing”.

Food’s great, amiright? Yum.

Team Dinner Pricing Info: “All you can eat/drink pizza & pop” costs $12.95 per person (when including tax & tip,it’s closer to $17). For alternate menu options, or if you want to add a dessert/etc., then click here for other menu options & pricing. Eat whatever your stomach desires.

As my non-rower friends say:
i eat everything
So I’m pretty excited for unlimited pizza and pop.

UNISUITS:
Next week on Monday & Wednesday (Dec. 15th & 17th) Holly Shanlin will be joining the team to conduct unisuit sizings. During those practices you’ll have a chance to view the unisuits and determine the size you need for your order. We’re looking to place orders before the holidays (which is why we’re determining sizings now), and payment will occur in January (via cheque or cash) for both the indoor rowing fee & the unisuit (prior to the start of racing). Fees for both the unisuit and the indoor rowing fee will be posted soon by Mike Roche. Thanks to Holly for coordinating this!

See y’all at 6,
Alessandra


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Westdale Food Drive & Rowing Team

Hey Westdale,

This winter season the school is holding a food drive to collect as many canned goods as possible to donate to local shelters and food banks.

We will be collecting canned goods at rowing practice every morning up until Wednesday, Dec. 17th (practices will continue until the last day before winter break, but the food drive ends earlier). If you have a non-perishable food item that you can donate, please bring it to practice between now & Dec. 17th and we’ll make sure it’s added to the Westdale Food Drive donation.

Just remember: winter is the hardest season for those in need to find food & shelter, so every donation helps. 

Thanks, folks!

Cheers,
Alessandra

PS – BIG thanks to Jocelyn for bringing this to our attention 🙂


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All the CSSRA info in one place :) (food, practice, crews, races, party)

Dear Westdale Rowers,

CONGRATULATIONS! We’ve made it to the pinnacle of our outdoor rowing season: SCHOOLBOYS. Or, more correctly known as the “Canadian Secondary School Championships” by the “Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association” (CSSRA).

Now that those races are just two days away, I’m posting (and reposting) some very important information. To begin, here are a few things for the parents:

1) Food Signup:
Dina Gadsdon has been coordinating the food signup for the Parents’ Tent, but we still require more families to sign up. She’s created a document giving an overview of how things work for food & the parents’ tent (along with some other tidbits of information), so please click here to check it out: CSSRA Food Signup & Other Info

Please sign your name up to three items each on the food list by clicking here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HVJfTu3LJp4X3Od6rgN8oKqDBn2-lmUedm1yyW_xy7I/edit?usp=sharing

2) Driving & Parking Info, Spectator Info, Year-End Party Info:
Lori Prevec has arranged a document that covers everything you need to know concerning driving & construction notices (when getting to CSSRAs), parking costs, general regatta (and spectator) details, and information on the year-end party. Please click here to view the document and to obtain full details: All the CSSRA info needed (parking costs, spectators info) PLUS year-end party info from Lori Prevec

3) Parent Committee Lead
Lori Prevec has been a long-time leader of the Parents’ Committee, but this will be her final year as her athletes are finishing (or have finished) their time as students & rowers at Westdale. As such, we will be looking for a new Head of the Parents’ Committee. More information will follow – including a description of the main responsibilities – but please keep this in mind & contact me (Alessandra) if you are interested in getting involved in this capacity. Lori has done a FANTASTIC job over the years & we will all miss her, but I’m certain that this will also be a great opportunity for some of the new parents to get involved & see what it’s all about.

Now, for the parents AND the rowers:

1) Preliminary Race Draw:
The preliminary race draw has now been posted. For a copy, please click here: 2014 Preliminary Draw – CSSRAs
This draw WILL change before CSSRAs begins on Friday, so check the main website for any updates: http://www.cssra.ca/

2) Weigh-Ins & Race Procedures:
Weigh-in times for coxswains & lightweights can be found here: http://www.cssra.ca/#/weigh-in-rules/4564679539
Race procedures and course patterns can be found here: http://www.cssra.ca/#/cssra-rules-of-racing/4564680197

3) Thursday Practice:
All athletes racing CSSRAs are expected to attend Thursday’s practice, unless otherwise discussed with a coach due to availability. All athletes should meet me (Alessandra) at 9:45/9:50am 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.

You must bring:
-water
-food (bring a lunch & snacks, please!)
-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 (9:45/9:50am)

***Note: if you are missing any swag OR if you’ve ordered a hat, please speak with Jocelyn or me & we can obtain the swag/hats/etc. from Holly***

Practice rules & regulations can be found here, but I’ll review them with all crews before the practice: http://www.cssra.ca/#/practice-times-procedures/4564679972

4) LAST BUT NOT LEAST… Rigging Details!
The earliest day we can derig is Wednesday morning (tomorrow!). Please discuss with your coach which day you will be derigging.

For my crews (Men & Sr. Women): (names listed indicate the last people to practice in that boat)
The following boats can be derigged & loaded on Wednesday AM:
-Chucks (Erik & Max)
-Gadsdon (Eben) 1x (Luke)
-Monaco 1x (Jocelyn)

The following boats can be derigged & loaded on Wednesday PM (after practice):
-Vamosi 1x (Madison)

The following boats can be derigged on Thursday AM (from 6:30-7:30am):
-Ad Astra (Haley, Breanne, Brenna, Madison)
-Justice (Haley, Breanne)

If you’d rather derig all the boats on Thursday morning between 6:30-7:30am, then that’s a-okay with me, but the times above list the EARLIEST time that you can derig & load those boats. All singles have been accommodated on the trailer (thank goodness!).

Cheers, folks!
Alessandra

PS – OMG it’s almost Schoolboys THIS IS SO EXCITING!!! 😀


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CSSRA “Schoolboys” Regatta: Food Signup & General Information (PARENTS)

Dear Parents,

With our biggest international regatta fast approaching, we are now preparing details for the June 6th/7th/8th weekend (including Friday!) with respect to food & a parent’s tent.

Dina Gadsdon, a member of the WSS Rowing Parents Committee, has prepared a Google Document so that families can sign-up to contribute to the food at the parents’ tent. The instructions and a full overview of the CSSRA food/parents tent can be found here: WSS Rowing 2014 – CSSRA food

The link to the Google Document can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HVJfTu3LJp4X3Od6rgN8oKqDBn2-lmUedm1yyW_xy7I/edit?usp=sharing <—BE SURE TO CLICK THE LINK TO UPDATE & SIGN-UP.

Any questions concerning food & the parents’ tent should be directed to Dina Gadsdon (contact info available in the informational document posted above “WSS Rowing 2014 – CSSRA food”), so please do not ask questions about food/parents’ tent via the blog OR by asking me/Mike – we won’t know anything about it. Dina’s the person to contact.

Information concerning a practice in St. Kitt’s (St. Catharine’s) on Thursday will be discussed later this week. Students will be released early from school on Thursday, June 5th, and will take a school bus to Henley Island in order to practice on the course. Full details will be provided once Mike Roche has returned.

Thanks folks,
Alessandra