People new to the crew program can be met with a bewildering array of new terms and needs. This article gives a brief description of some things to expect this spring:

Crew practice is held at the Sandy Run Rowing center off of Hampton Road. Crew is a combination of physical conditioning and skills development. As a result, your child will be involved in running, weight lifting, "erging" (using a rowing machine) and other exercise in addition to water time in a shell. Proper concentration on "land work" makes the water time in the shells much more productive. Clothing should be comfortable, layered, and washable. It should not be loose and baggy, as clothing could get caught in the rower's seat causing damage to the clothing and possibly the seat itself. Your child should also be aware that time in the shell will inevitably result in grease on the back of shorts or legs from the seat runners. You may want to keep an old towel in the car for them to sit on.

Coaches choose members of a particular boat based on the rower's individual skills and the best combination of rowers for a cohesive, effective boat. Rowers may move to a different boat as the season progresses. When on the water, rowers are accompanied by a coach in a motorized chase boat with life preservers for all the rowers. In the rare instances when practice is cancelled, the students will be notified through the school.

Spring races start the end of March, are held on Saturdays (the full schedule is found in "Regattas" "Schedule") and a set of races on a Saturday is called a "Regatta". Your child should know at practice on the Friday before the approximate time of their race. Most races are held on the Occoquan reservoir, and the reviewing stand and race headquarters are at Sandy Run Regional Park, accessible from Rt. 123, several miles north of the town of Occoquan. Parking at Sandy Run is extremely limited and costs $10.00 (08-09 fee, subject to change) when available; please carpool if at all possible. The viewing stand for the races is a somewhat strenuous 15-20 minute walk from the parking lot. A van also provides transportation to the viewing stand for a nominal fee. There are permanent porta-john type facilities and a refreshment stand at the race course. The stands are concrete and there is no covered shelter. If in doubt, dress warmly and prepare for rain.

The schedules for the races on any given day may change by as much as an hour, depending on the weather, start-up problems, and some cancelled races. This is especially true for the first few races. All rowers assemble at Sandy Run early on Saturday morning of the race day. Their coach will inform them of the time they are to arrive. When their race is called, the rowers launch their boat from the dock and row down to the start. A race takes about 5 minutes, but only the last minute takes place in full view of the stands. Officials in chase boats follow the shells up the race course to judge the race, and for added safety. On any spring Saturday there will be over 20 schools from all over the Washington Metropolitan area present, along with several from as far away as Philadelphia, Norfolk, or Atlantic City.

Rowers are done usually mid to late afternoon, depending on the number of races and the day's progress. Practice and races proceed in the rain, unless there is lightening. If the weather on race day is cold and very windy, novice races may be cancelled in the interest of safety, although races for more experienced rowers may continue. In rare instances, the entire regatta may be cancelled depending on the conditions.

First time rowers generally do not participate in the overnight trips to away regattas during the spring season. These decisions are made partway through the season, and depend on the skill of the rower and the boat on which they row. However, if your child is chosen for these trips, there will be an additional fee to cover lodging, food, and transportation.

Keep it Simple: Break the stroke down into digestible parts, taking care of one thing at a time.

Establish the right mental image: Use pictures, diagrams, videotapes, and watch experienced rowers so you can imitate their movements. Better visualization leads to a faster change in technique and is an important first step in learning to row.

Miles make rowers: Because the stroke is a natural motion, the repetition of rowing will teach you much; you will learn by trial and error.

Several fundamentals to sweep rowing should always be obeyed;

Timing: Many rowers achieve it by keeping an eye on the oar in front of them, using it as a cue to keep their own oar perfectly synchronized. If the timing of even one oar in an eight-oared shell is off, then the entire boat will suffer. It is the coxswain's job to keep the rowers in time, calling out to those who are early or late with their blades.

Hard Catch: A hard catch is accomplished by raising the forearms crisply up about 6 inches when the rower is rolled all the way up his slide and is compressed into the stretchers. The motion that drops the oar into the water, when done correctly, should result in a small back splash.

Slow Hands: The hands should lead the body out of the finish and into the recovery. If the rower rushes them away from his body, the run of the shell will be checked. An indication of this failing is small spacing between the puddles, or whorls left in the water at the finish from the last stroke. During the recovery the hands should finish, then move out of the lap at a speed that won't vary at any point.

Keep Over the Keel: Many rowers lean from one side to the other to compensate for a flaw in their stroke. Leaning is not the way to balance a boat and can lead to bad habits. A coxswain in a shell where all the rowers are perfectly centered over the keel should be able to see only one head, one torso, and two sets of hands.

Never Look Out of the Shell: Coxswains look around and steer, rowers row and nothing else. Turning the head from one side to another will upset the balance of the boat. Looking around also means the rower isn't looking at the rower in front of them, checking the timing and staying aware of any increase or decrease in the rate, or strokes per minute.

Don't Rush the Slide: In the excitement of a race, many rowers want to rush their oar in and out of the water, thinking that the more strokes they take, the faster the boat will go. Rushing and flailing back and forth on the slide leads to nothing but a disorganized, sloppy boat where no one is effective and tempers will certainly flare. One rushed slide can be felt by everyone in the boat, the break in momentum passed along and affecting each slide's speed. As the rower concentrates on the principle of slow hands to lead him out of the finish, he should also keep his seat moving at the same controlled rate.

Do Not Attempt to Reboard a Racing Shell After Capsizing: Any effort to pull yourself aboard will probably ruin the shell forever. If your boat does flip, then make sure your feet are out of the stretcher, and slide the oars until they are running parallel to the hull. If the dock is only a few yards away, then swim the entire rig back to the float and climb back aboard there. If you are in the middle of the river, wait for help while kicking toward the nearest bank.

(from "The Book of Rowing" by David C. Churbuck and US Rowing Coaching Education)