Crew came to Robinson Secondary School (RSS) in 1990.  It is a non-funded competitive varsity (varsity letter requirements below) sport open to all RSS students enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade.  The program is coed, however boys and girls row separately.  Crew is a spring sport which starts at the end of February and continues through the end of May.  There are fall rowing programs (Home::Off Season) in the area that allow students to try rowing to see if they might be interested.  In preparation for the spring season, rowers are strongly encouraged to attend the Robinson crew winter conditioning program (Home::Off Season).  Winter conditioning takes place at Robinson SS (November - February) after school Monday - Thursday.  The last week of February generally marks the beginning of on-the-water practice.  Practices are held everyday (Monday thru Friday from ~4:00pm - 6:30pm) and on Saturday mornings (~9:00am - noon) until regattas begin.  Regattas are held on Saturdays.  Check out regatta tips to learn more about attending regattas.  A school bus is available for transportation from the school to the boathouse or crew members may drive to themselves. The early practices can be very cold.  Dress in layers (what to bring below).  Before you are allowed on the water, you will need to pass a basic swim test.  Robinson crew uses the facilities at Sandy Run Park on the Occoquan River.  All rowers must follow the Sandy Run Rowing Facility Rules (Home::Regatta Info).

     Although some practices may be exclusively dryland training, most practices (weather permitting) will be on the water with the rest of your crew and a coach, who will drive alongside your shell in a launch (motorboat) and coach you.  In the beginning of the season, your coach will decide the boat in which you will row.  Basically, rowers are boated as follows: the 1st boat is the most competitive crew and so on down the line (2nd 8, 3rd 8, etc.)  Robinson rows eights (boat sketch below) and fours, which are sweep boats (one oar per person).  Robinson does not have a sculling program (two smaller oars per person).  Additionally, there are special categories for freshmen and weight class boats (lightweight [men 150 lb limit/women 130 lb limit], midweight).

     Don't worry about not making the top boats at first.  The great thing about crew is that you can change boats during the season.  For example, if you start out rowing in the third eight, you can always move up to the second eight during the middle of the season by beating out people who are already in that boat.  You can also move down, though.  This depends on the effort you put in during practice (for example, erging, running, etc.).  If you work hard, you can move up, but if you slack off, you go down.

You can be a rower or a coxswain.  The coxswain (or cox) is a small, lightweight person who steers the shell, coaches the rowers in the shell with advice about their technique and power, executes race strategy and provides encouragement to the rest of the boat.  Coxes are generally very light -- lighter than lightweight. 

Participation Requirements

     In order to participate on a Robinson Secondary athletic team, each athlete must meet eligibility requirements (Home::Team Info::Join the Team).  Since crew is a non-funded competitive varsity sport, funding must come from individuals and fundraising (Home::Team Info::Fundraising) efforts.  In order to row on the water, you must pay the crew booster club fee, the rower/coxswain's fee, and you must earn the required points (novice=25 points//returning rowers=75 points) before you will be allowed to compete.  Points are earned by volunteering time at various fundraising events or by purchasing scrip.  The point system is a fair way of making sure everyone does their share of fundraising.  The more money Robinson Crew raises, the more new equipment (shells, rowing machines, etc.) it can buy.

Think you might be interested in joining the team?

Varsity Letter Policy (top)

Must meet all criteria.

1)  Satisfies or exceeds school minimum grade and attendance requirements.

2)  Observes all club and park authority regulations.

3)  May have no more than one unexcused absence (see attendance policy)

4)  Rows in at least four races in the Senior 8, Senior 4, Lightweight 8, Lightweight 4, Junior 8,  or Junior 4 events.

Coaches maintain the right to veto or waive requirements of letter awards under unusual or exceptional circumstances.

 

Labeled Sketch of a Racing Shell (Boat):(top)

What to wear/bring to practice and regattas (top)   For those novices out there, here is a list of stuff to stick in your crew bag. T-shirt, long or short sleeve depending on weather A polypropylene, capilene, or cool-max long sleeve shirt for cold or rainy days.  These are "wicking" fabrics, which means it will pull water or sweat off your skin, thus keeping you warmer.  This includes the one that was offered by Robinson Crew sprit clothes. A polar fleece jacket or sweatshirt for when it's cold Nylon or synthetic shorts for when it's warm.  They should not be baggy as they may get caught in the slide! Nylon or synthetic pants (windpants/warm up pants) are great for when it's cooler or cold A hat (not a baseball cap, but a knit hat) for when it's really cold A baseball cap or sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes.  The water causes a lot of glare. Gloves Rain gear Running shoes.  We row on the water, but we also go running afterwards. Water bottle!  There are water fountains at the boathouse, but you can't take those out rowing with you. EXTRA CLOTHES.  It is likely that you will get wet while out rowing.  Water splashes, and occasionally the wake from a motor launch can splash over the gunwale of the boat, leaving you drenched.  It's almost a necessity to have warm, dry clothes to change into. Important: don't wear anything in the boat that you don't want ruined.  Clothes can get caught in the sliding seat, which can tear them or at least blacken them with slide grease.