Fall 2016 Programming Schedule:
Fall Varsity Start Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Note: Land only September 7, 8, 9; On-water starting September 12
Fall Varsity End Date: Friday, November 18, 2016
Fall Novice Start Date: Monday, September 19, 2016
Fall Novice End Date: Monday, November 14, 2016
Fall Parents Meeting
Varsity: Saturday, September 17, 2016, 9:00 am @ Boathouse
Novice: Saturday, September 24, 2016, 9:00 am @ Boathouse
2016-2017 Fall & Spring Practice Times:
Varsity – Monday-Friday 3:45pm – 6:15pm (additional practices at coaches’ discretion)
Novice – Monday-Friday 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Fall Racing Schedule
Head of the Housatonic – Shelton, CT – October 8th, 2016
Who is racing: Top 2-3 Girls and Boys Varsity boats
Where: Shelton, CT
When: (tentative schedule)
9:40 AM Men’s HS/Junior JV 8+
11:30 AM Women’s HS/Junior JV 8+
11:50 AM Women’s HS/Junior 4+
1:15 PM Men’s HS/Junior 8+
2:40 PM Women’s HS/Junior 8+
3:10 PM Men’s HS/Junior 4+
Travel Plans: All participating Mercer athletes will depart from the boathouse for Shelton, CT on the morning of Saturday, October 8th @ 5:30am. We will be taking a 54-passenger bus for this trip. Athletes will return after racing on Saturday.
Notes: Coaches will announce who is going to the race by the end of practice on Friday, September 30th. Boating decisions will be made in accordance with the policies outlined in the Guide to Boat Selection that can be found here.
Estimated Cost: TBA
Head of the Charles Regatta – Boston, MA – October 21st-23rd, 2016
Who is racing: Tentative: 2 Varsity Girls 8+, 1st Varsity Boys 8+ (Depending if our bid entries are accepted Varsity Girls 4+ and Varsity Boys 4+)
Where: The Charles River, Boston, MA
Race Website: www.hocr.org
Travel Plans: All Mercer athletes will depart from the boathouse for Boston on the morning of Friday, October 21st. We plan to get to the course in the afternoon to rig the boats and have a practice row. We will be taking four 12-passenger vans (driven by parent volunteers). Athletes will return after racing on Sunday.
Tentative Race Times (all on Sunday, October 23rd):
Youth Men’s 8+: 10:23 am
Youth Women’s 4+: 12:07 am
Youth Women’s 8+: 1:01 pm
Travel Note: The Head of the Charles is a unique event. It is very hard to obtain an entry through the open lottery system. The only way to avoid the lottery and guarantee an entry for the next year is to finish in the top half of your event. In 2016, for the second time in the history of the club, Mercer has three guaranteed entries — three in the youth 8s.
The second unique aspect of the Charles is that it is an incredibly difficult course to navigate for a coxswain. There are a couple of extreme turns, six bridges, and many boats to pass along the way. Therefore, we want to make sure our coxswains are prepared.
We want to ensure that we have the best possible chance of finishing in the top half of each race, so future Mercer rowers have the opportunity to participate at this great event. We believe it is crucial for us to have the ability to get athletes out on the course for a row on Friday and have our coxswains attend the coxswain clinic on Saturday as it will help them be relaxed and prepared for the race on Sunday.
Hotel Details: PNRA has secured rooms at the Boston Marriott Newton for athletes and coaches.
Hotel Address: Boston Marriott Newton, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA 02466
Dinner Friday : Will be decided by the boat
Dinner Saturday: Bertucci’s Newton Corner
Lineups/Selection: Lineups and events will be tentatively announced by Wednesday, October 12. While there is a possibility one or two seats may change after this date, the majority of athletes will know the lineup and the event they are racing by this date. Final lineups will be announced by Saturday, October 15th.
Estimated Cost: $400
Head of the Schuylkill – Philadelphia, PA – October 29-30, 2016
Who is racing: Top Boys and Girls Novice 8+
Where: Schuylkill River – Philadelphia, PA
Tentative Race Times (all on Sunday, October 30th):
Men’s High School Eights (Frosh/ Novice)- 10:35 am
Women’s High School Eights (Frosh/ Novice) 10:50 am
Transportation: Athletes will provide their own transportation. Athletes should be at the trailer at least two hours before their scheduled race time.
Notes: Coaches will announce who is going to the race by the end of practice on Wednesday, October 19th. We would really like to have all novice athletes race, but race participation will be decided by factors listed here.
Head of the Halloween – Mercer Lake, NJ – October 29th, 2016
Who is racing: All Varsity and Novice Athletes who are not racing at The Head of The Schuylkill
Where: Mercer Lake – West Windsor, NJ
When: 10:00 am until around 1:00 pm
What to wear: The best Halloween costume of your life (that you can row in)
About the race: Head of the Halloween is a fun intra-squad race. We try to create boats that contain two varsity girls, two varsity boys, two novice girls, and two novice boys. We then race over a 1000m course. Last year there were two heats and a final. Parents are encouraged to come watch and partake in a small Halloween party after the racing.
Frostbite Regatta & Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta – Mercer Lake, NJ – November 12th & 13th, 2016
Who is racing: First 4-5 Varsity boats, plus all novice boats that safely can compete
Where: Mercer Lake – West Windsor, NJ
Race Times: For the Braxton, 1st Varsity 8s and 4s have heats in the morning with finals in the afternoon. JV (2-5 boats) and novices have finals only in the afternoon. Times are not posted, but below is the schedule from last year. Expect times to run within one hour of last year’s times.
2016 Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta, Sunday Nov 13
Schedule: (Tentative)
Heats
8:00 Women’s HS Varsity 4+ (Braxton Family Trophy) Heat – Top 6 Places to Finals
8:15 Men’s HS Varsity 8+ (Coletta Family Trophy) Heat -Top 6 Places to Finals
8:30 Men’s HS Varsity 4+ (Rafferty Cup) Heat – Top 6 Places to Finals
8:45 Women’s HS Varsity 8+ (Theresa Braxton Trophy) Heat – Top 6 Places to Finals
Finals
| 10:40 Women’s HS Novice 4+ Final 1 | 12:10 Men’s HS Novice 8+ Final 5 |
| 10:46 Women’s HS Novice 4+ Final 2 | 12:16 Men’s HS Varsity 8+ (Coletta Family Trophy) Final |
| 11:04 Women’s HS Varsity 4+ Final (Braxton Family Trophy) | 1:58 Men’s HS Novice 4+ Final 1 |
| 11:10 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 1 | 2:04 Men’s HS Novice 4+ Final 2 |
| 11:16 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 2 | 2:10 Men’s HS Novice 4+ Final 3 |
| 11:22 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 3 | 2:34 Men’s HS Varsity 4+ (Rafferty Cup) Final |
| 11:28 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 4 | 2:40 Women’s HS JV 8+ Final 1 |
| 11:34 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 5 | 2:46 Women’s HS JV 8+ Final 2 |
| 11:40 Men’s HS JV 8+ Final 6 | 2:52 Women’s HS JV 8+ Final 3 |
| 11:46 Men’s HS Novice 8+ Final 1 | 2:58 Women’s HS Novice 8+ Final 1 |
| 11:52 Men’s HS Novice 8+ Final 2 | 3:04 Women’s HS Novice 8+ Final 2 |
| 11:58 Men’s HS Novice 8+ Final 3 | 3:10 Women’s HS Novice 8+ Final 3 |
| 12:04 Men’s HS Novice 8+ Final 4 | 3:16 Women’s HS Varsity 8+ (Theresa Braxton Trophy) Final |
Race Notes: Unlike most of our fall racing, this race is a 2000m sprint. This race will mark the end of the fall racing season.
Estimated Cost: TBD
Mercer Challenge – Mercer Lake, NJ – Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Who is racing: All varsity and 1-2 boats of novice athletes
About the race: This race is an intra-boathouse race among Mercer, Peddie, and Lawrenceville. Varsity athletes will race around the lake while novice athletes will race shorter distances. The race will be run during our normal practice time.