Welcome to the 2014 Crew Season!
The organizational meeting to kick off the Spring 2014 rowing season will be held on Monday, February 10 @ 7:00 PM, in the high school’s Internet Café. Please read this post carefully as it will provide you with information necessary for the meeting.
THIS MEETING IS MANDATORY FOR ALL ROWERS – NOVICE AND VARSITY – AND THEIR PARENTS. Anyone interested in rowing this year – even if they did not participate in the Fall Learn-to-Row program – is welcome and encouraged to join us.
On the agenda are:
- An overview of the crew program and the calendar
- Meeting the coaches and the parent board. (Rowers will be also meet with coaches to review water safety requirements and other matters.)
- Collection of annual dues and other monies (food fund and spirit wear). Please see below.
- Required online registration and waiver for US Rowing. Please see below.
- Discussion of parent volunteer obligations and job sign-up. Please bring your calendar.
Collection of Annual Dues and Other Monies
Please bring your checkbook to this meeting, as numerous and separate checks will be required for dues, the food fund, and (if ordered), varsity jackets and rugby shirts.
We recognize that crew is an expensive sport. However, GDS and the Crew Club are committed to ensuring that any student who wants to row, can row. No student should be discouraged from rowing because of the associated costs. If finances are an issue, please contact – in complete confidence – Director of Athletics Kathy Hudson (khudson@gds.org) or Crew Club President Keven Vance (keven.vance@verizon.net).
Dues
For each rower, please bring a check in the amount of $500 made out to GDS, with “CREW” on the memo line. (Separate checks will be required for the Regatta Food Fund and for spirit wear orders — jackets for new varsity rowers; rugby shirts; t-shirts; magnetic stickers — so please bring your checkbook!)
Food Fund: For each rower, please bring a check in the amount of $50 made out to GDS CREW to cover expenses for providing food for the rowers at Saturday regattas.
Spirit Wear
- Varsity Jackets: The crew team subsidizes the cost of one personalized Gore-tex jacket for each new Varsity rower (a rower who was a novice the previous year). The cost to the rower is $50 (the cost of the jacket is $130). If you are eligible for a jacket this year, please bring a check in the amount of $50 made out to Janice Barksdale.
- Rugby Shirts: Anyone – rower or parent – can order a personalized green/white cotton rugby shirt. If you wish to order one, please bring a check in the amount of $50 made out to Janice Barksdale.
Required US Rowing Registration & Waiver
All rowers must register with US Rowing in order to participate in GDS crew. Registration is done online and should be done before the meeting on February 10. Instructions for online registration will follow in a separate post; please be sure to send the resulting rower registration number to hoppercrew@hoppercrew.com.
Parent Volunteers
Parent volunteers are required to assist with the regattas throughout the season and do other jobs necessary to the functioning of the Crew Club. Parent involvement is not only necessary . . . it is a lot of fun! Volunteer questions should be directed to Volunteer Coordinator Frances Brookner (fbbrookner@aol.com).
Questions?
Contact Assistant Coach for Logistics Paul Bolstad (pbolstad@gds.org), with any questions about the team or rowing generally. Contact Crew Club President Keven Vance (keven.vance@verizon.net or hoppercrew@hoppercrew.com) with any questions about the Crew Club.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday!
Keven Vance
2014 Crew Club President