The Sweep Racing Program is open to rowers who want to compete. Participation necessitates a more rigorous commitment of time, training and money than other BCR programs. Each session culminates in a target regatta, which may require air travel. 2012 season regatta selection considers the level of competition, variety of events, dates, and affordability (regattas within trailering range generally offer lower costs). All program participants are required to attend the target regatta. Travel and accommodations will be the responsibility of each participant. Additional group costs for entry fees, equipment rental, coach travel, etc will be determined by the group.
Members may choose to self-organize and participate in additional regattas, if it doesn’t interfere with the Racing program.
All BCR members are welcome to attend races throughout the year. Members rowing in EP or Novice who wish to race may arrange and pay for separate racing coaching outside of the scope of their programs. Any member can assemble a team to participate in any race with club equipment in accordance with club by-laws. However, Racing Program members receive first priority of equipment for target races.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday, 5:20 am – 7:00 am, Saturday, 6:00 am- 8:00 am.
Racing II (sprint season): May 7th – June 29th Sign-up
Target regatta: Independence Day Regatta, Philadelphia, Pa, June 29th – July 1st Racing II is 8 weeks in length, with 7 allowed absences.
Cost: $145
Racing III (head race season): July 2nd – October 6th Sign-up
Optional Club Sponsored Regatta: Head of the Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK, October 6th – 8th
Optional regatta: Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), Boston, MA, October 20nd – 21rd
Racing III is 14 weeks in length, with 12 allowed absences for the first 2 segments
Cost: $250 for segments 1 and 2, $25 for HOCR add-on
Based on feedback from the past couple of seasons, the format of the third racing session will change this year. The club understands the financial commitment and time constraints associated with having a target head race regatta in addition to the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). There is no target regatta for this program but all rowers (including Novice, Experienced and scullers) are encouraged to participate in the fall club-sponsored regatta – Head of the Oklahoma. The goal of this program is to train at a competitive level so there is a minimum participation commitment for all rowers whether or not they row in the Head of the Oklahoma. This is a long program and will be broken into two segments with an additional third segment designed exclusively for the program’s HOCR boats.
Segment 1: July 2nd – about September 7th
This part of the program is designed for all-around conditioning and race training; HOCR is not a factor in this segment. The first two weeks of this program will focus on sprint racing in preparation for the Boulder Sprints on July 21st. After Boulder Sprints the program emphasis and workouts will transition from sprint to head racing. During the first week the program coach will confirm each rower’s fitness and skill level are within the range of the broader group. If the program coach determines an individual rower’s fitness or skills aren’t sufficient for the group, they will not be able to participate and will receive a full refund for the program.
Racing II participants have the option to take off the first week of Segment 1 for rest. In this case the first week’s practices do not count towards the maximum absences for Racing III. They must inform the Racing III program coach ahead of time if they elect to take rest the first week.
Segment 2: September 7th – October 5th
The goal of this segment is rigorous workouts and drills focused on head racing. Segment 2 is designed to prepare all participants for head racing regardless of regatta participation. The HOCR boat lineups will be determined during the first week of September once the results from the HOCR selection lottery have been announced. Once the HOCR lineups are determined, the program coach will balance the needs of the group as equitably as possible between HOOK, HOCR and any participants not rowing in the regattas when determining lineups for practice.
Segment 3: October 8th – October 19th
This segment is a special add-on with additional cost reserved exclusively for training the HOCR boats.
Racing III is designed to build and culminate at HOCR. To promote crew consistency within program guidelines, participants can leave the program after a segment completes but cannot join the program without rowing in the previous segment(s).
CURRICULUM and PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS
-Attendance is required for racing participants. Racing II rowers can miss a maximum of 7 days in the session; Racing III, 12 days (Segments 1 and 2 combined). If rowers choose to attend any regattas in addition to the target race, those days away count against the maximum number of absences allowed.
- Because attendance is required for Racing rowers, rowers must communicate known absences or extenuating circumstances (e.g. injury, illness, family emergency, work travel commitment) to the coach as soon as possible. To enable the race coach to plan race lineups, all rowers are required to indicate their availability for the upcoming week to the coach on Friday by noon via email, phone or web, depending on coach’s preference. If a rower is unable to row when scheduled, that rower is responsible for finding a replacement.
- Each Racing session must have at least nine (9) participants. If there are less than 9 participants, the Program Committee will evaluate and decide on the best course of action to address the need for coaching and the challenge of a small number of participants. This may entail truncating the program, combining with Experienced for a portion of the time, and/or other solutions. If a Racing session is truncated, rowers who want to pursue a different option will be offered a refund for the remainder of the session.
- The coach will provide a schedule of workouts for the program to participants early in the session. Each week will be comprised of technique and fitness workouts to meet the goal of building more proficient rowers ready for the races.
- If Racing members choose to have a coach present at a regatta and subsidize travel costs in full or part, the coach will be responsible for specific duties, as outlined in the coach’s contract.
- Coxswains are an integral part of the race team and are expected to participate fully in the program, committing to the practices and races just like the rowers. Coxswains are not required to pay membership, coach or race fees. Coxswains pay for their travel costs unless otherwise arranged with the session coach and racers.
- Race lineups will be determined by the session coach. This will usually translate into A, B, and C boats based on skill, speed, ability and age. Selection criteria for lineups will be established by the coach and made available in the first week of each session. Erg tests, rowing technique and seat racing may be used by the coach to evaluate rowers in determination of lineups. All rowers will be expected to participate.
- It is the coach’s job to train everyone to be ready to race. Each boat will receive approximately equal time and attention in preparation for that session’s race. The fall session (Racing III) will be training for two regattas and HOCR is a limited entry regatta. The program coach cannot determine HOCR lineups until results of the HOCR selection lottery are known. Once HOCR lineups are made the program coach will balance the needs of the group as equitably as possible between HOOK, HOCR and any participants not rowing in regattas when determining lineups for practice.
- Since head races are longer and there are fewer combinations of rowers and races compared to sprint races, Racing III rowers can expect to be boated more often in their racing configurations than in Racing II.
- The “no ringer” clause: Racers cannot be solicited from outside the Racing program unless discussed and agreed upon by the coach and racing members due to unusual circumstances (i.e. illness, injury).
- Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) – entry to this race requires winning an new entry in the selection lottery (generally late August), or BCR entries retained from the 2011 HOCR . Since HOCR is an optional regatta, if individuals are interested in racing HOCR, they need to make that known to the coach at the beginning of Racing III. The session coach will determine which events to enter in the lottery and work with the HOCR Race Captain to place those entries.
- One participant in each session will be designated as the Race Captain, who is responsible for organizing aspects of the race that are not the coach’s direct responsibility.
- BCR members are welcome to race independently from the Racing Program with several restrictions for limited entry races. If a race has limited entries and the race is one of the races sponsored by the Programs Committee, independent rowers may submit non-guaranteed (lottery) entries for any available slots after the Racing Program has determined its lottery submissions for the race. All guaranteed entries earned under the BCR name, whether earned by a racing boat or an independent boat, will be available for the Racing Program to fill for the following year. If the Racing Program decides not to use a guaranteed entry, a self-organized crew may use the entry for that year. If more than one self-organized crew is interested in using either a non-guaranteed (lottery) or guaranteed entry that the Racing Program decides not to use, the self-organized crews will race each other to determine which crew earns the entry. If an independent crew wishes to retain control of their entry, they must race as “unaffiliated” or under another banner. Members interested in entering a non-programs BCR boat for the HOCR selection lottery should contact the Racing III coach in order to know what Racing III programs entries are being submitted.
All crews must meet the rules and requirements of the regatta in which they are rowing in order to race under the BCR name.
[Excerpt from the 2012 Program Document. View or download here.]
