The next two weeks hold a number of fun home events for Mercer rowers and their families. MJRC athletes will compete in the Mercer Challenge, an intra-boathouse regatta on October 28 beginning around 3:30 pm, followed by the inter-squad Head of the Halloween regatta at 2:00 pm on October 31 (costumes encouraged!). For many of you, these will be your son or daughter’s first regattas. Just a little regatta etiquette: while regattas are going on, please refrain from interacting with the athletes or their coaches and avoid the area between the boathouse and the water, as boats will be launching and returning throughout this time. (Even though this is a casual regatta, this holds true for all regattas, home or away.)
Within these two weeks, Mercer Lake will also be home to the Collegiate Small Boat Regatta on October 30-31 and the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta on Sunday, November 8. These regattas will require varying degrees of Mercer volunteer staffing (limited for the Small Boat; more extensive for the Braxton) and some contributing to the food tent. You can learn what each volunteer job entails on the Regatta Volunteer Job Description post. When signing up to volunteer, please note that you should arrive at the Volunteer Check-In table 15 minutes prior to the job times posted.
Here’s what you need to know:
. . . for the Collegiate Small Boat Regatta, October 30-31:
This is a small women’s collegiate regatta, and there are limited volunteer slots to fill. Our athletes do NOT row in this event, which makes this a perfect opportunity for novice athletes to volunteer. (Their time counts toward your family volunteer commitment, too!) In particular, stake boating is a good way for kids to get involved and earn community service hours. Time trials will be in the afternoon on Friday, 10/30, with final racing in the morning on Saturday, 10/31.
Click HERE to sign up to volunteer for the Collegiate Small Boat Regatta.
. . . and for the Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta on Sunday, November 8:
This is an all-day regatta that includes most of our novice and varsity athletes. There will be a few varsity heats early in the day, but the bulk of Mercer’s racing will take place between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. It’s a great way to close the fall season — we will spend the day volunteering and cheering for Mercer on the marina side of the lake – look for the big blue Mercer Juniors Rowing Club tent!
STAY TUNED: More Braxton info and signups coming soon . . .