PARENTS ROWING MANUAL 2017 Page 1
17 November 2016 Dear Parents/Guardians and Supporters, To all of the new families and all of those returning I would like to welcome you all to the 2017 St Hilda s School Rowing season. In 2017 we aim to build on the success of last season and emulate the tremendous efforts by all of our competitors. In 2016 we saw the most impressive results St Hilda s School Rowing has produced to date in both the BSRA Head of the River and the Queensland School State Rowing Titles. The Coaches and I aim to develop a safe and enjoyable environment for all whilst not losing sight of the reason why we are rowing and that is to develop the girls rowing skills, physical fitness and performance giving our best efforts to help all girls reach their upmost potential. Although enjoyable, I acknowledge that rowing is certainly a very demanding sport which requires a great deal of commitment from all involved and I would like to thank all parents/guardians in advance for your time and efforts to take the girls to and from training this coming season. I am looking forward to the challenge of the season ahead, building on the growing success of the St Hilda s School Rowing Program which has come so far in the past few years. We endeavour to nourish the development of all competitors throughout the season from the Grade 8 s first ever stroke to the final race at the Head of the River as a Senior and every step in between. Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions you may have on Email: aharrison@sthildas.qld.edu.au Mobile: 0405239635 or approach me around the boat shed or at regattas. Adam Harrison Head of Rowing Page 2
CONTENTS Training schedule... 4 Calendar of Events... 5 Contact Details and the Rowing Supporters Group... 6 Daily Training Structure... 7 Points to Remember... 8 Regatta Information... 9 BSRA Participating Schools... 10 Terminology... 11-12 Seating... 13 Code of Conduct... 14-15 Rowing Policy... 16-18 Page 3
BSRA-St Hilda s School Rowing Training Schedule 2017 Saturday Training Schedule Time Year 8 Year 9 & 10 Seniors 5.00am Boarders Bus Pick Up Boarders Bus Pick Up 5.15am Arrive at Boat Shed Arrive at Boat Shed 5.30am On Water On Water 7.15am Boarders Bus Pick Up 7.30am Arrive at Boat Shed Off Water 7.45am On Water Off Water 8.00am Breakfast Breakfast 8.15am X-Train X-Train 9.15am Finish Finish 9.30am Off Water Help Wash Boats Help Wash Boats 10.00am Finish Boarders Bus Drop Off Finish Boarders Bus Drop Off Finish Boarders Bus Drop Off ***IMPORTANT NOTE - YEAR 8 (Boarders & Day Girls) must have breakfast prior to arriving at the Boat Shed on Saturday morning. Breakfast will not be supplied for Years 8 due to commencement time on the water. Rowing Training Schedule and X Training Sessions Year Level and Times Year 8 AM Time: 5.00am 7.30am Year 8 PM Time: 3.30pm 4.45pm Year 9 AM Time: 5.00am 7.30am Year 9 PM Time: 3.30pm 4.45pm Year 10 AM Time: 5.00am 7.30am Year 10 AM Time: 3.30pm 4.45pm Seniors AM Time: 5.00am 7.30am Seniors PM Time: 3.30pm 4.45pm Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Yrs 9-12: 5am Yrs 8: 7.30am Row Row Row/ Regatta X-training Row Row Row/ X-training/ Regatta X-training Row Row Row/ X-training/ Regatta X-training Row Row Row Row/ X-training/ Regatta Gym Ergos Gym Page 4
ROWING MORNING SESSIONS are at the TSS Boat Shed at 5.15am. Boarders will be picked up at 5.00am. The School Bus will transport all girls back to school at 7.45am. All girls will have breakfast prior to catching the bus back to school. X-TRAINING SESSIONS are held at St Hilda s School in the Gym or on the Oval. X-Training finishes at 4.45pm. Calendar of Events BSRA-ST HILDA S SCHOOL ROWING CALENDAR 2017 DATE EVENT TIME VENUE 27 Mar 2 Apr National Championships Penrith, NSW 31 March END TERM 1 19 April COMMENCE TERM 2 19 April Seniors (Yr 11 & 12) Training Commences 5.15am & 3.30pm starts TSS Boat Shed 24 April Year 9 s Training Commences 5.15am & 3.30pm starts TSS Boat Shed 20 April Year 8 s & 10 s Training Commences 5.15am & 3.30pm starts TSS Boat Shed 23 May BSRA - Indoor Rowing Championships 5.00pm-8.30pm St Peters 10 June Senior Rowing Trials TBC Murwillumbah Rowing Club 11 June Head of the Tweed TBC Tweed River Chinderah- Murwillumbah 15 June END TERM 2 St Hilda s 16 18 June St Hilda s Rowing Camp (Season Launch held on Sunday the 18 th ) 7-10 July Senior Rowing Camp (Fri 10 Mon 13 July) 11 July COMMENCE TERM 3 TBC TBC Boarding, TSS Boat Shed (Murwillumbah Rowing Club) 22 July BSRA - BGGS / Stuartholme Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 29 July BSRA - St Hilda s / Lourdes Hill Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 5 August BSRA - All Hallows / Somerville House Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 12 August BSRA - SPLC / BSHS Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 19 August BSRA - St Aidan s / St Margaret s Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 26 August BSRA - Head of the River Regatta 8.00am Wyaralong Dam 26 August Ammonite Dinner 6.00pm St Hilda s School 14 Sep END TERM 3 16-18 September Queensland State School Championships TBC Rockhampton 5 December Queensland State Championships (5-6 Dec) TBA TBA Please note that it is expected that girls will travel on buses to regattas to Wyaralong Dam. Page 5
CONTACT DETAILS Position Name Contact Details Head of Rowing Mr Adam Harrison 0405 239 635 aharrison@sthildas.qld.edu.au Head of Sport Mrs Jill Moore 0404 053 076 jmoore@sthildas.qld.edu.au Rowing Administration Mrs Shelby Stewart 07 55 777 261 sstewart@sthildas.qld.edu.au Rowing Supporter s Group Mr Phil Jarratt rowingsupportersgroup@sthildas.qld.edu.au Community Liaison Officer Mrs Simone Crowther 07 55 777 261 or 0417 111 533 scrowther@sthildas.qld.edu.au Absentee Email Sport sport@sthildas.qld.edu.au President of the Supporters Committee Year 8 Coordinator Year 9 Coordinator Year 10 Coordinator Seniors Coordinator TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC ROWING SUPPORTERS GROUP The Rowing Supporters Group is comprised of parents who support St Hilda s rowers in three main areas: Support of the girls at early morning training sessions and in making trips to Brisbane and beyond for regattas Fundraising to purchase equipment Offering parents and friends the chance to develop friendships while at regattas or attending one of the social functions. Our annual Ammonite Dinner is on Saturday 26 th August 2017 at St Hilda s School and is held in the Jennifer Reeves Café. Parent support on a daily basis during the rowing training and regatta season is instrumental to the success of our Rowing Program. Each year our Mega Raffle supports the program s breakfasts which fuels our girls for training sessions and at regattas. If you would like to support with volunteering, donating, sponsoring for the upcoming 2017 season please make contact via the RSG email address rowingsupportersgroup@sthildas.qld.edu.au. Your support and assistance is greatly appreciated! Page 6
Meetings Second Tuesday of each month, starting at 6.30pm James Administration Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 Next Meeting 14 March 2017 Page 7
DAILY TRAINING STRUCTURE Morning Training Schedule Place bags in the area provided Pull scull racks out of the shed Put coach s boat on the water tie it up to the jetty Carry oars down to water s edge Warm up/stretch Make sure each crew has adequate lighting (two lights on Quads/Fours/Eights, one light on Singles and Doubles) Check boat is in good working order and all nuts are tight Put your boat on the water with your crew (under instruction from stroke) After leaving the ramp, adjust your foot stretcher and await coxswain s instructions Wait for coach before rowing away (to the South) Post-Training Schedule Approach the ramp from the correct direction (from the North) On Coxswain s instruction, get out of boat Remove oars and place them at the water s edge On stroke s instruction, lift boat from the water and place on trestles Wash boat with soapy water and sponges Wash oars Place all equipment back on storage racks Put coach s boat away Pack away any remaining equipment (trestles, coil hoses) Page 8
POINTS TO REMEMBER Single Sculls are to be carried by two people. Quads/Fours are to be carried by four people standing at either end of the gunnels, plus the coxswain at the stern directing. Eights are to be carried by eight people positioned opposite their rigger, plus the coxswain at the stern directing. All boats are to be placed on the water facing Surfers Paradise. Boats are to leave the ramp facing a southerly direction. When returning to the shed, row to the north and approach the ramp in a southerly direction. Inside the shed the only people talking should be the coach or the coxswain. It needs to be a quiet environment so lifting calls can be heard. Please remember we are guests at TSS and we need to be mindful of noise as there are both boarding houses and residential houses in the near vicinity. Always row on the right hand side of the river Daily Maintenance checks Boats should be checked by rowers and supervised by coaches prior to every training session. Check that: Rigger bolts are tight Gates open freely Foot stretchers move easily and are set at the correct length Seats move easily Rudder moves easily There is no obvious damage to the boat If there is a problem with the boat, bring it to the attention of your coach. Never use equipment that is damaged and needs repair; it could be dangerous or do further damage to the equipment. Page 9
REGATTA INFORMATION St Hilda s School competes in the Brisbane Schoolgirls Rowing Association (BSRA) regattas. The BSRA regattas are hosted at Wyaralong Dam. The results from BSRA regattas are posted on the website: www.bsra.org.au All girls are required to attend boat washing and rigging at the boatshed at the conclusion of all regattas. At the end of September, the Queensland Schools Championships are held in Rockhampton. St Hilda s School will be taking a small squad to this regatta. Girls will be selected to attend this regatta during Term 3. There will be a cost to attend this regatta. Page 10
BSRA PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS All Hallows School Brisbane Girls Grammar School Brisbane State High School Lourdes Hill College Somerville House St Aidan s Anglican Girl s School St Hilda s School St Margaret s Anglican Girls School St Peter s Lutheran College Stuartholme School Page 11
TERMINOLOGY Blade Bow Bow ball Bow side Button Canvas Catch Coxswain Crab Flattened or spoon-shaped end of the oar. Forward end of boat. Safety rubber ball fitted to sharp bow of racing boat. All rowers whose oars are in the water on the right hand side of the boat when viewed from the stern. Plastic sheath on oar to prevent it from slipping through the gate; adjustable on modern oars. The decked section at the bow of a boat. Canvas is a term used to describe distance margins between boats in a race. The part of the stroke when the blade is put in the water. Person who steers the boat from the seat in the stern or a lying position in the bow and gives commands to the rowers. A problem encountered by a rower when she gets her oar stuck in the water, usually right after the catch or just before the release, which can be caused by improper squaring or feathering. The momentum of the boat can overcome the rower s control of the oar. In extreme cases the rower can actually be ejected from the shell by the oar. Drive Ergometer Feathering Fin Finish (release) Gate Gunwale Inboard Oar The part of the stroke between the catch and the finish that accelerates the boat through the water. A machine that replicates the rowing action for fitness training To turn the blade from being perpendicular to the water (as is the case after the release) to being parallel to the water surface at the start of the recovery to reduce wind resistance. Small flat plate perpendicular to the bottom of the boat to aid in steering a straight course. The end of the stroke as the blade is taken out of the water. A fitting on the end of the rigger through which the oar passes. Horizontal plank at the top of the hull running the length of the boat. The distance between the far end of the handle of an oar and the face of the button. The remainder is called the outboard. A lever approximately 12 feet (360cm) long by which the rower pulls against the gate to move the boat through the water. Page 12
Puddles Rating Recovery Rhythm Rigger Whirls left in the water caused by the blade as the rower pulls. The rate of stroking, or the number of strokes per minute that a crew is rowing. The part of the stroke cycle between the finish and the catch in which the oar is feathered and the seat is returned to the stern end of the slope. The proportion of time occupied on the recovery to the time taken on the pull through. Outrigger that connects the gate to the shell and is bolted to the body of the shell. Rudder Run (clearance) Tinny Trestle Sculling Slide Stern Stroke Stroke side Sweep Oar Squaring Washing out Zoot Suit Steering device attached vertically to the stern or under the hull of a shell. The distance a boat travels in one stroke. Motorised boat used by coaches. A frame with a sling to support a boat on the land for washing or repair work. A boat in which each rower uses two oars, one in each hand, as opposed to rowing where each rower holds only one oar in both hands. Parallel rails in which the seat moves on wheels. The rear or aft of the boat. The rower seated nearest the stern, this person sets the pace for the other crew members to follow. All the rowers whose oars are in the water on the left hand side of the boat when viewed from the stern. A boat in which a rower uses only one oar held in both hands, as opposed to sculling where each rower holds two oars, one in each hand. A gradual rolling of the oar blade from a position parallel to the water to that of being perpendicular to the water. This is done during the recovery portion of the rowing cycle and is done in preparation for the catch. Occurs when the blade comes out of the water during the pull-through before the finish. One-piece rowing suit. Page 13
SEATING The seats in a rowing boat are numbered from the bow end (front end crosses a finish line first). The #1 seat is known as the bow seat. In a Quad or Four the #4 seat is known as the stroke seat, while in an Eight the #8 seat is known as the stroke seat. The Cox (Coxswain the crew member who steers the boat and calls orders to the rowers) usually sits in the stern of the boat facing the Stroke seat rower. However, in some Fours the Cox is lying down in the Bow (front) of the boat. Page 14
ROWING CODE OF CONDUCT The following comments are designed to give clarity to the School s expectations of all involved in the rowing programme. There is greater detail in the official School policy, titled: Community Code of Conduct Policy. An extract from this document is included below: The policy: The School expects all members of our community to maintain high standards of relationships as they conduct or pursue School related business and activity. The School s Anglican ethos will permeate the relationship style and intent of the School. Acceptable relationship style will be in keeping with the calm and respectful tone of the School which is focused on character and educational leadership. Support of School Leadership is critical to the effective operation of this policy. All students, teachers and parents have the right to be safe and to feel safe in their School community. The policy context: Good relationships are at the heart of an effective school and therefore by manner and intent the School will work to create effective relationships that enhance the activity of the School. Relationships have many dimensions. They include those between: staff and students members of the staff staff and parents School and associated bodies School and community School Council and the School Management and community. Relationships assist in creating effective communities and also effective structures, programmes and outcomes. It is the intention of the School that wherever possible the relationship style that we seek to value will be based on effective team work and a capacity to resolve difficulties amicably and in a manner that maintains the core values of the school culture. Related Documents are PSD School Community Code of Conduct. Within the specifics of the rowing programme, the following is an important guideline of expectations. a) St Hilda s School Rowing wishes to operate in an environment where people show respect for others and their property. Respect is defined as consideration for another s physical and emotional wellbeing and possessions, to ensure no damage or deprivation is caused to either. This respect must extend to those who live in near proximity to the rowing shed and training areas in the way of minimizing all excess noise, particularly early in the mornings. Page 15
b) St Hilda s School Rowing wishes to operate in an environment which is free from harassment. Harassment is defined as any action directed at any individual or group, which creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive environment. c) St Hilda s School Rowing wishes to operate in a non-discriminatory environment. By this we mean where everyone has an equal opportunity and receives a fair go in accordance with the law as well as St Hilda s School standards and rules. All persons bound by this code shall: a) Not act in a manner unbecoming, or contrary to the interests of St Hilda s School. b) Treat people involved in rowing with courtesy, respect and proper regard for their rights. This includes all kinds of harassment and discrimination. c) Treat another person s property with respect and due consideration of its value. d) Not misuse rowing equipment. e) Not have any other relationship other than an athlete/coach relationship with any of the coaching staff or support staff. Page 16
2017 ST HILDA S SCHOOL ROWING POLICY AIM: The aim of this policy is to ensure that Rowers and Coxswains are selected into appropriate crews of similar ability within each year group. 1.1 GENERAL 1.1.1 The St Hilda s School Rowing program is based on the progressive development of rowing skills. The key features of the program are: Year 8 Aim: Introduction to rowing and safety procedures Skills: Basic movement patterns, posture and grip Boats: Quad sculls and introduction to single sculls Commitment: Two mornings, one afternoon and Saturday, plus Camp Competition: Six regattas in Term 3 Year 9 Aim: Development of sculling skill and refined crew aspects Skills: Sequencing, rhythm and blade work Boats: Single sculls and Quad sculls Commitment: Two mornings, one afternoon and Saturday, plus Camp Competition: Six regattas in Term 3 Year 10 Aim: Development of power in sculling skills and finesse in quad sculls Skills: Blade acceleration, technique synchronization and crew harmony Boats: Single sculls and Quad sculls Commitment: Two mornings, one afternoon and Saturday, plus Camp Competition: Six regattas in Term 3 Seniors Aim: Transition to sweep rowing Skills: From 2 scull blades to one sweep oar Boats: Eights, four and single sculls Commitment: Three mornings, two afternoons and Saturday plus Camp Competition: Six regattas in Term 3 Page 17
1.2 CONDITION OF SELECTION OF CREWS 1.2.1 PROTOCOL All members of the St Hilda s School Rowing team will: a) Travel with the team at times required by St Hilda s School Rowing. b) Wear and row in St Hilda s attire as required by St Hilda s School Rowing. c) Make themselves available for St Hilda s School Rowing activities as required by St Hilda s School Rowing. All athletes must contact their coach if unable to attend a training session. d) Obey all reasonable instructions by St Hilda s School Rowing and the coaching staff and conduct themselves in a manner befitting a St Hilda s School rower and student and in accordance with the Code of Conduct. e) Follow the training program set by Head Coach and crew coach. f) Recognize the right of St Hilda s School Rowing to deal with inappropriate behaviour as outlined in the Code of Conduct by means of disciplinary actions from St Hilda s School and/or the removal from your crew at the discretion of the Head Coach. g) Advise your crew/squad coach, Head Coach of any illness or injury incurred during the rowing season. h) Treat all team members and others dealing with the team with respect. Page 18
1.3 SELECTION 1.3.1 SELECTION OF ROWERS SELECTION CAN BE BASED ON A BALANCED CONSIDERATION OF THE FOLLOWING SELECTION MEDIUMS Competition boat Small boat Ergometer Availability The weighting of each test will vary for each age group; however, they will be informed of this weighting before testing. Although we strive to create an enjoyable environment amongst the rowing community, we do aim to boat the most competitive crews possible at each level. The following criteria will be used in conjunction with the testing procedure: Rowing technique and general boatmanship Physical fitness Attitude, which includes willingness to be part of an effective crew and a team based Boat Club Efforts to improve technique Performance in racing The relations within the crew matters (in terms of team selection), as does the relationship between athletes and the coach. NOTE: Initial crews will be established by 31 May; however, no boat position will be secure until one week before the first BSRA regatta. Changes may be made after this date if a drastic situation is to arise. If after initial crew selections coaches believe that a rower is suitable for a higher ranked crew, further testing may be undertaken in the form of seat racing or scull offs. If rowers are moved amongst crews, it must be in accordance with selection policy. Selection decisions (notwithstanding the need for emergency changes) will be made at coaches meetings. Each rower will be spoken to about the move and every effort will be made to help them understand why it is occurring. Disputes between parents about selection can adversely influence team focus, training and capacity. Parents are required to be supportive of all team selections and changes. Parents unable to abide by the Code of Practice may be asked to step away from the rowing programme. In extreme circumstances, girls will be counselled into another sporting programme. Page 19