1. Welcome to Forest Park Crew Spring Crew Information Night 12 January 2016

2. State of the Team We anticipate having a significantly larger team this season than we had last season. We have 56 rowers currently participating in Winter Conditioning and expect many more to register for Spring Crew. We are going to have significant turnover in Board and Key Volunteer positions at end of this season and we need parents to volunteer to train as replacements.

3. FPHS Crew Board of Directors PresidentCameron Naron 1st Vice PresidentMary Beth Naron 2nd Vice PresidentBirgit Campana (and Registration Coordinator) TreasurerLuchie Paredes SecretaryDavid Cattler Director of MaintenanceMark Hitt Director of OperationsJames Jones

4. FP Crew Key Volunteer Positions Email coordinatorToni Stovall FPHS WebmasterMichael Miller FPHS Team/VASRA Volunteer CoordinatorEileen Marcy Launch Driver CoordinatorCameron Naron Tag Day CoordinatorKathy Hitt Breakfast CoordinatorVince Murphy Away Regatta CoordinatorToni Stovall OLOC RepresentativesRon Stouffer/Mike Miller Uniform/Spirit Wear CoordinatorCandice Bruns Banquet/Party/Parade PlannerKaren Cattler

5. FP Crew Coaching Staff Head Coach Marta Metzler Men’s Coach Bob Rodriguez Asst. Coaches Gretchen Thompson Collin Hummel Nathalie Rosado

6. What boats do we race? Freshman Eights Novice Eights Junior Eights (No Seniors) First Eight (best boat usually) Second Eight Third Eight Four Quad

7. What’s required of rowers? Show up on time for practice Get up very early Regatta Saturdays Listen to your coach Work as a team Be willing to help out in any way possible Always try your best

8. What’s required of parents? Volunteer your time (mandatory) at 3+ regattas – VASRA volunteers needed from each team for each regatta – Team set up and tear down for each regatta Information will be sent shortly for volunteering Donate items for rowers’ breakfasts on Saturdays during the regatta season Consider hosting a pasta party for rowers on a Friday evening before a Saturday regatta Make sure your rower has transportation to and from the Lake Ridge Boathouse

9. Volunteering for a Board or Key Volunteer Position Crew team can only exist through strong parent participation – No monetary support from school – Program only runs through parent involvement Volunteering for crew teaches your children great life lessons--great way to give back to the team Not asking for a lot of time—approximately 1 night a month Volunteers for Board and Key Positions get a $100 discount on their rower/coxswain's dues We need YOU to set up and shadow a departing board member to keep this great program running for your kids in the future!

10. Status of Team and VASRA Volunteer Positions Forest Park Team Positions: 7 open VASRA non-launch boat positions: 6 open Launch Driver Positions: 29 Open Launch driver training and work day delayed—we will send out an email with updated times/days If interested we can still use more people to sign up as launch drivers Must Sign in for VASRA Job for Team to get credit!

11. Volunteer to become a Launch Boat Driver No prior boat driving experience required; we can train anyone to be comfortable driving our boats When you're ready to drive officials (our most advanced jobs), you can have the best spectator view available of your rower We need a LOT of launch drivers as regattas can't take place without us We provide all necessary equipment Any day on the water is better than a day on land! Sign up at Registration and we will contact you for training

12. How do I sign up to help at a Regatta? www.signupgenius.com Click on 'find a sign up' and enter the email address fpcrewvolunteers@gmail.com. It will find all of the signup lists for this year. Additional details will be emailed out later this month.

13. Referee Volunteers Rowing around our area is in desperate need of Referees Referees are crucial in assuring the safety of our rowers—that is their main role Many older referees have retired recently VASRA looking for parents and sibling over 18 interested in becoming a referee Takes about a year to get certified—you train with an experienced referee in all positions Can select which events you want to referee for Has the best seat on the water to watch your son or daughter row VASRA has a referee clinics where you can go a see if you are interested in performing this critical role

14. Spring Crew Sign-up Day Jan 30 (9am-1pm) in the FPHS Lobby All rowers/coxswains and at least one parent/guardian MUST come to this Sign-up Day to complete your registration. Please bring your calendar as you will also need to sign up for adult volunteer positions.

15. Work Days Team Work Days – Feb 6 – Other dates TBD VASRA Work Days (setting up the course) – Feb 27 – Mar 5 – Mar 12 – Mar 19

16. TAG Day Set for Saturday, Mar 5th Biggest fundraiser for team Mandatory for rowers Parents drive 4 rower teams to neighborhoods Team (2 Varsity/2 Novice rowers) Meet at FPHS parking lot Kathy Hitt will distribute further details in Feb.

17. Other Crew Fundraisers Rent-a-Rower Donation Letters Restaurant Nights Just to name a few!

18. Required Water Safety Exercise Sunday, February 21st Chinn Aquatics Center 5:00-6:00 pm Fundraiser at All American Steakhouse after!

19. Practices Practices begin on water Feb 22 nd at Oxford Boat House. Practices run 3-6pm Activities bus will drop rowers off, but parents will need to pick them up at 6pm Please don’t drive down to boathouse to pick-up or drop off rowers Please don’t park in rower drop off lane

20. Directions To Lake Ridge Golf & Marina From Northern Virginia area, take I-95 South to Exit 160 (Rt.123 North). Turn left at second traffic light onto Old Bridge Rd. Go 5 miles and take a right onto Hedges Run Road, then a left onto Cotton Mill Rd, to the Lake Ridge Park/Golf Course Entrance. The Boathouse is located at the very end of the road at bottom of the hill. Rowers are required to park in the upper lots.

21. Regattas Regattas start approximately 9 am run through 3 or 4 pm Rowers report to our boat house at approximately 6 am (Coach Metzler will announce) March 26: Polar Bear Regatta (Varsity Only) April 2: Regional Park Regatta April 9: Walter Mess Regatta April 16: Darrell Winslow Regatta April 30: Al Urquia Regatta May 7: Mathews Regatta in Mathews, VA May 7: Ted Phoenix Regatta May 14(?): State Championships (Varsity Only) May 20-21: Stotesbury Regatta in Philadelphia, PA (Selected Varsity) ​May 27-28: SRAA Nationals at Lake Dillon in Nashport, OH (Must qualify to attend) All regatta’s on Occoquan at Sandy Run Regional park except those in red (which are away).

22. Breakfast on Regatta Saturdays Since rowers report to the boathouse very early each Saturday morning, breakfast is provided at the river for the rowers The Murphy’s, serving as ‘Breakfast Coordinators’, will send out e-mails each week asking for donations of breakfast items. Please consider helping.

23. Away regattas Mathews Regatta – Mathews, VA

24. Stotesbury Cup Regatta – Philadelphia, PA This is a very competitive regatta Only the best boats that have a good chance of representing the school well will go Not all rowers or boats will go to this regatta

25. What to Bring? Rowers – Rower’s Bag (under armor, sweats, sleeping bag, pillow, homework, etc) Parents – Folding Chair – Warm clothing (Layers—especially early in the season) – Binoculars – Cow Bell! – Sunscreen – Comfortable Shoes

26. Where to go?

27. The Race Course

28. What to know? Parking—can park at regatta, get there early, cost about $15 to $20 to park, might need to ride shuttle bus Schedule—check out VASRA website for race schedule (usually Friday before race) T-Shirts—every regatta has uniques design for race, costs about $15, buy at concession stand, limited quantities/sizes Concessions—donuts/bagels/coffee in the morning, hamburgers/hot dogs/chicken sandwich/sodas in the afternoon

29. Away Regattas Mathews, VA – Rowers depart on School bus at approximately 4 am – Parents should leave at approx 5 or 6 am to get good seats and parking – Lots of races Stotesbury and SRAA Nationals – Additional charge for those invited to attend – For Stotes, Leave on Thurs, morning on charter bus and return Sat evening – For Nationals, leave on Thurs in Parents vehicles and return Saturday

30. Pasta Parties Before home regattas Hosted at on family’s home 2-3 adult chaperons Runs from 7-9pm Each group responsible for dish (pasta, salad, drinks and bread) Groups broken up by Varsity Boys, Varsity Girls, Novice Boys and Novice Girls

31. End of Year Banquet Set for Thursday, 2 Jun in the Enclosed Cafeteria End of year awards Election on New Board Rower video presentations

32. Where Can I Get More Info? Our Website: www.fpcrew.orgwww.fpcrew.org – Comprehensive team schedule – Board, Coaches, Team Student Reps, and Key Volunteer POCs – Forms and Documents (Please read FP Crew Handbook 2016) – Volunteer Job Descriptions Toni’s email announcements Parents: Talk to experienced crew parents (we’re friendly!) Rowers/Coxswains: Talk to experienced team members

33. Online Registration -You will be emailed VERY detailed instructions this week. -Please read the instructions through completely before starting your online registration -These instructions will also be posted at www.fpcrew.org www.fpcrew.org -Uniform and Spirit Wear ordering instructions will be emailed out separately next week. -You MUST come to Spring Crew Sign-up Day on January 30 th to complete your registration.

34. Physicals Physical Examination Form: All participants are required to have completed Physical Examination Form to be completed by qualified medical personnel. No exceptions. The form is located on the www.fpcrew.org website.www.fpcrew.org Download, have it filled out with required signatures, and retain a copy for your records. Bring to Spring Crew Sign-up Day. Note: you must use the “Revised March 2013” form for the 2015-2016 school year. Already on file for Fall Crew and Winter Conditioning participants

35. Cost $665 registration fee per rower for the spring season if you pay by credit card/PayPal. Payment by check option also available. – The dues portion can be broken down into 2 payments – Write both checks on Sign-up day and the 2 nd check will not be deposited until April 1, 2015 Activity Bus (optional): $75 Uniform for regattas – unitank (approx. $52 for men and $55 for women), Black Shorts and long sleeve white shirt Why does the cost seem so high? – Boats cost between $30K-$40K – Replacement seats, shoes, oars can cost over $300 – Need to maintain boats, launches, launch engines – Yearly fees for boat house use and rack rental – Dock replacement fees – Insurance – Regatta entry fees (Stotesbury is an extra charge) Competitive Soccer Leagues can cost between $500-$1,500 per Year and Swimming teams between $500-$600 per session

36. Reducing the Costs Dues can reduced up to $200 by participation in any combination of fundraisers or service as a chairperson or officer. Each rower can reduce dues by participating in team fundraisers held year-round (such as rent-a-rower) Each rower can reduce dues by participating in team fundraisers held year-round (such as rent-a-rower) Parents can reduce dues by serving on the crew board or in a key volunteer position Parents can reduce dues by serving on the crew board or in a key volunteer position OBC Scholarship OBC Scholarship Multiple Rower Discount Multiple Rower Discount Two payments Two payments

37. Online Registration

44. Questions?