The open workout hours at the boathouse for tomorrow, Sunday January 5, have been cancelled.

Regular hours and practice resumes Monday, January 6.

Thank you!

Happy Holidays!

Hours for the Caspersen boathouse and warehouse for use by current athletes and alumni for the next 2 weeks are listed below. Please check back in case there are updates or changes!

Monday 12/23 Warehouse and BH 9am-12pm

Tuesday 12/24 closed

Wednesday 12/25 closed

Thursday 12/26 BH 9am-12pm

Friday 12/27 BH 9am-12pm

Saturday 12/28 TBD, potential afternoon BH/warehouse

Sunday 12/29 Warehouse 10am-12:30pm

Monday 12/30 Warehouse 9am-12pm

Tuesday 12/31 Warehouse 9am-12pm

Wednesday 01/01 closed

Thursday 01/02 Warehouse 9am-12pm

Friday 01/03 Warehouse 9am-12pm

Saturday 01/04 BH 9am-12pm

Sunday 01/05 CANCELLED

Monday 01/06 Regular hours/varsity practice resumes

Hi Mercer people,

We have copied an email from the Head of the Housatonic regatta director below with some final notes and notices to help everyone’s weekend go more smoothly if you;re traveling to cheer on the rowers! Please read carefully if you’re traveling.

Go Mercer!

Coaches, Competitors, Family Members and Guests –

We are delighted to be your hosts once again for a fast, competitive day of racing at the Head of the Housatonic on Saturday, October 12. This is a long note, but please read through and follow these guidelines to ensure a successful day for everyone.

Please share this information widely with the families and friends who will join you at the regatta. Thank you!

WEATHER – After months of drought, Mother Nature picked this week to open the rain spigots?!?!  Good grief. Saturday will be cool and cloudy, with temperatures rising through the 50s in the morning and into the 60s in the afternoon. A northerly breeze will keep things on the chilly side.  The ground will be wet, so please use appropriate footwear!

HEAT SHEETS – We do not provide printed heat sheets at the regatta.  Please go to www.HereNow.com on Friday to print out your heat sheets before you come to the event.  There will be one oversized heat sheet posted on the side of our Pack Rat container, located near the Registration Tent.

RIVER CONDITIONS – River weeds and blue-green algae are both under control this year: present, but not a major problem. Athletes may still notice some algae in the river, but we have been rowing on this all summer without incident or illness. If you wish to learn more about this condition, you can go to this State of Connecticut website.

REGISTRATION – We open for business at 7:00 a.m. Saturday at the Registration Tent.  Crews that are launching from Yale or New Haven RC will pick up their registration packets at those locations.  Please note, we organize registrations by club, not by event.  Every year, we have two or three scullers show up at registration AFTER their club director has picked up all the packets, and then they have to track down the club trailer to pick up their bow number.  Scullers — please coordinate with your club director before Saturday about this.

WEIGH-IN – All athletes entered in the lightweight 1x events must report to the Registration Tent and weigh in.  Weigh-in hours are 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.  Athletes who do not weigh in are not medal-eligible.

TENT SITES – Tent sites have been assigned to all programs that purchased them. Please see the regatta website for this year’s tent site assignments and communicate these to your parents and guests. The sites are numbered in sequence, beginning with #1 located at the south (downstream) end of Indian Well State Park (to the right as you face the river from the park).

WIRELESS SERVICE – Cell phone reception at Indian Well State Park is spotty.  Do not count on being able to phone or text from your device while you are at the park.

RESULTS – We have partnered with HereNow.com to provide online race results shortly after the conclusion of each event (hopefully you’ll find a cell phone signal if you’re at Indian Well State Park). These are UNOFFICIAL results, pending the resolution of any protests.  A hard copy of each event’s results will also be posted on a bulletin board near the Registration Tent as soon as available.

PROTESTS – Any crew wishing to file a protest must come to the Registration Tent and complete a Protest form.  Protests will be managed according to USRA Rules and the decision of the Chief Referee is final.

AWARDS – We award gold medals in every event, silver medals in every event with at least six crews, and bronze medals in every event with at least ten crews.  Medal winners can pick up their hardware at the Registration Tent.

NO PETS – Our permit from the State of Connecticut does not allow us to host dogs or other pets at the regatta.  Please make alternative pet-care arrangements for the day.

PARKING – On-site parking at Indian Well State Park is the single scarcest resource at the regatta.  Therefore, we implore everyone to cooperate with the following guidelines so that we can make the experience easy for everyone.

With only the exceptions noted below, we require that all vehicles use our offsite parking location as described on the regatta’s website.  People parked offsite will ride a constantly-circulating shuttle bus to get to Indian Well State Park.  Please allow at least 30 minutes for transport from the parking site to the regatta venue.  We charge $15 for offsite parking, which we split 50-50 with our volunteer partners from Habitat for Humanity (the rest helps offset the cost of shuttle bus service). Cash only – we are not able to accept credit cards.

PARK ACCESS — What vehicles are allowed into Indian Well State Park?  It’s a short list:

·        Cars with a racing shell on top

·        Trucks towing a boat trailer

·        Team buses and vans

·        Cars that have a valid handicapped parking tag

·        Cars with a parking pass issued by New Haven Rowing Club.

If your vehicle does not fall into one of these categories, you must use the offsite parking location.  Please DO NOT waste time bargaining with the volunteers or Shelton Police who are stationed at the park entrance.  Plan ahead so that you have sufficient time to get to the regatta.

TEAM BUSES & VANS — Parking space for team buses and vans is limited.  Once this area is full, drivers will be instructed to drop off their passengers, leave the park, and return at the end of the regatta for pickup.  Please do not hassle or try to negotiate with the NHRC volunteers.

BOAT TRAILERS — Trucks towing boat trailers can access the park from 12:00-6:00 p.m. Friday.  After dropping off the trailer, drivers will receive a parking pass from NHRC volunteers that will allow them access to the park on Saturday.  If you arrive before or after that time, you will not receive a pass. If you need an exception to this schedule, please contact trailer parking czar Marc Nemeth (mnemeth@jonal.com).

There is a security guard on duty at Indian Well State Park until midnight on Friday.  New Haven Rowing Club and the State of Connecticut are not responsible for any damage to equipment or trailers that are left overnight at Indian Well State Park.

The park opens at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, and all trailers must be onsite before 8:00 a.m.  Trailer drivers: please comply with all instructions from NHRC volunteers and park as efficiently as possible.  If you take more room than necessary, it will make the day harder for everyone.

CHUCK WAGONS & FOOD TRUCKS — Chuck wagons or food trucks with a parking pass will have access to Indian Well State Park.  Once you have dropped off your gear at your rented tent space, you MUST repark your vehicle in a designated parking area.  The lane between the rented tent sites and the trailer parking area is for emergency vehicles only.  This rule will be enforced by state park personnel, so please just do the right thing and move your van or car as soon as you have dropped off your gear.

Thank you for making the Head of the Housatonic part of your fall racing calendar, and for cooperating with these common-sense guidelines to make the day a great one for all.  We’re excited to host you.

New Haven RC

Hello everyone!

Even as we finalize preparation for the Head of the Housatonic this weekend (with everyone leaving tomorrow!), we are looking forward to the second regatta of the season.  The Head of the Charles (www.hocr.org) is a Varsity/Masters-only regatta scheduled for October 19-20 in Boston, MA.  This regatta is by invitation only, and this year we are sending an 8 and 4 for the varsity boys, two 8s and a 4 for the Varsity girls, a women’s masters 8+, and a men’s masters 4+.  It is amazing to have so many boating racing at such a prestigious event!

The travel roster can be found here and will be updated will the final roster for Varsity Boys tonight. The girls roster is set.

The tentative lineups can be found here and will also be accessible tonight – these are subject to change.

The current tentative schedule for the regatta is as follows:

Saturday:
10:10am Women’s Masters 8+  Bow #15

10:35am Men’s Master’s 4+ Bow #25

Sunday:

9:07am Women’s Youth 4+ Bow #70
10:24am Women’s Youth 8+ (both entries) Bow #5 and Bow #15

11:58am Men’s Youth 4+ Bow #72
1:12pm Men’s Youth 8+ Bow #27

Travel Plans:
We are departing from the boathouse at 5:30 am Friday, October 18.  Athletes should arrive at the boathouse 15 minutes early, packed and ready to leave.  They should also bring snacks and water, but the plan is to have lunch on the road.  We will drive directly to the course so the athletes can rig the boats and get in a practice row.  We will be returning to the boathouse on Sunday, October 20, some time in the evening.

We will be traveling in 4 vans, two for each team. The girls 4 will split between the two 8s vans; they have jumbo vans with additional room for luggage.

The cost for this regatta is higher than it is for most other regattas.  This is in large part due to the costs associated with traveling to Boston this weekend; the Head of the Charles is a prestigious regatta that hosts clubs and teams at all levels from all over the world. The trip fee for the HOCR is $570 this year and can be paid here – please register as soon as possible!

We will provide updates on ETA’s, as well as results, on Facebook.  We will do what we can to post on the blog as well, but please use Facebook as your primary source of information.  If you are watching from home, results will also be posted on www.RegattaCentral.com.  You can also follow via livestream from the event website www.hocr.org.  

Hotel Details:

PNRA has secured rooms at the Boston Marriott Newton, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA  02466 for athletes and coaches. Phone number: (617-969-1000)

Meals:

The following meals will be provided:

Lunch Friday, October 18 ordered sandwiches
Dinner Friday, October 18 – $20 per diem
Breakfast Saturday, October 19 (full breakfast at the Hotel)
Lunch Saturday, October 19 – $15 per diem
Dinner Saturday, October 19 – team dinner at Bertucci’s, all you can eat
Breakfast Sunday, October 20 (full breakfast at the Hotel)
Lunch Sunday, October 20 $15 per diem
Dinner on Sunday will be by boat on the way home.  Athletes will purchase their own.
*****  Please have your athlete bring cash for snacks, meals, and event gear.  *****

A huge thank you again to everyone who has offered to help.  We look forward to another successful regatta.

Go Mercer!

Hello!

Below you will find information regarding the Head of the Housatonic Regatta.

For athletes not traveling to the Housatonic – there will be regular practice on Friday, October 11th. Varsity girls not traveling will also have practice on Saturday, October 12. Varsity boys are off after Friday until Monday (no Sunday practice).

We will be leaving the Caspersen Rowing Center at 4:00pm on Friday October 11th (or earlier if everyone from a van is there). Please bring dinner for the ride up and any other snacks you may want to eat! Vans will make a short stop but it will be easier if not everyone needs to get dinner during this stop. Please be on time so the vans can get on their way as soon as possible.

HOTEL INFORMATION: Hampton Inn Danbury, 81 Newtown Rd, Danbury, CT 06810, tel: 203-748-6677

REGATTA SITE AND DIRECTIONS: Please click HERE

PARKING is $15 dollars this year and you will have to take a shuttle down to the race course. Please allow at least 30 minutes for transport from the parking site to the regatta venue.

SPECTATORS AND COURSE INFORMATION: Please note there is NO WATER available at the race course! We will bring a the large 10 gallon jugs for athletes to refill their water bottle, but please make sure athletes and spectators bring a full water bottle to the course! We also have a new 10×20 big blue Mercer tent! The tent is coming up on the trailer, and will be a great place for parents to congregate and watch the races together. We have reserved a waterfront tent site – please look for the tent and join other parents in cheering Mercer from that location!

SATURDAY LUNCH: We have ordered Panera for all athletes and chaperones. There are limited options at the course as well.

SATURDAY DINNER: Please bring money for the ride home as we will be stopping to get food.

WIRELESS SERVICE – Cell phone reception at Indian Well State Park is spotty. Do not count on being able to phone or text from your device while you are at the park.

Please check the parents Facebook page for any details regarding arrival at the BH on Saturday night. The parent coordinators will do their best to keep that updated throughout the day depending on service at the race site.

LINEUPS: Please click HERE. Please note that lineups are TENTATIVE and subject to change; race times will be updated when finalized by the regatta.

Thanks and GO MERCER!!!

Lineups for Canadian Henley are posted here – everything is as accurate as the coaches can make it at this point, but please continue to check back throughout the week.

Lineups

Hi all,

Time for the last regatta of the summer, Canadian Henley! This is the first time Mercer will be attending Canadian Henley since 2016, and since it is a new experience for most of the athletes and parents, please read this carefully, as there are several unique features that are different from many of our other races.

The trip fee has been finalized and will be $855 for the week; it can be found HERE. Any issues please email Hilary at hgehman@rowpnra.org.

The vans will depart the Caspersen Rowing Center on Monday, August 5th at 8:45am. Please be on time! We are not able to pick the vans up until Monday morning, but an on time departure gives us the best chance of getting a practice row in at the course Monday afternoon! They will return between 9 and 11pm on Sunday, August 11th. Rowers and drivers will communicate their return as they travel. (Please note that the boys van assignments are posted in the travel roster from yesterday’s blog post.)

Because this is an international trip, all athletes traveling will need a passport, passport card, or photo ID and birth certificate (15 years old and younger ONLY). In order to race, all athletes will need a photo ID with their name on it – we recommend an old but relatively recent school ID.

The team will be staying at Brock University in dorms. We do not know the specific building or area yet. Athletes will be supplied with sheets, pillow, and a towel, and it looks like the dorms have air conditioning (fingers crossed!). Laundry services will be available for a small fee. Please remind your athletes that lost keys carry a several hundred dollar replacement fee, so ensure they are very careful with their room keys!

All meals have been arranged for, starting with Monday lunch and ending with Sunday lunch. For lunch, athletes will be given $10 per diem to purchase their own. Breakfast (6:30-7:30am) will be at the Brock dining hall Tuesday through Sunday, amd dinner Monday through Saturday (7-8pm). We are required to follow these times or we are charged extra.

All athletes traveling will receive a team Henley shirt; the cost is included in the trip fee.

Lineups and a final schedule will be posted here with a link this weekend; in the meantime, the preliminary draw is available on the Canadian Henley website.

Thanks for your patience and GO MERCER!

The varsity boys travel roster can be viewed HERE.

There will be a blog post with additional information, including trip fee, in the coming day or two. In the meantime, any boys parents with questions please contact the parent coordinators and they will communicate with the coaches about frequently asked questions.

Thank you!

Hello everyone!

The moment you have all been waiting for! HERE is the link for the Overpeck lineups, arrival times, and more for tomorrow!

As Hilary mentioned, the trip fee is up and can be paid HERE. Please pay this asap or contact Hilary with issues.

The link to the regatta site, with all directions, schedule, and more, can be found HERE.

The lineups and names that are posted on regatta central and here now are incorrect. Please use the lineups sheet on the above link to find the most up to date lineups and race times.

The below link is for the waiver for tomorrow’s regatta. This must be completed by tonight!  (They just posted it today, so that is why this is being sent out now!) http://www.bcrowingacademy.org/OSSWaiver.html

Here is the parking pass for tomorrow: http://www.bcrowingacademy.org/OSSR_Parking_Pass.jpg

There are two entrances to the park:

120 Challenger Road

Ridgefield Park, NJ

AND

50 Fort Lee Road

Leonia, NJ

Spectators can park in the old basketball field near Lot A, or near to Lot C.

Please bring food, water, blankets, chairs, and anything else you might want for during the racing! We will have the water coolers with ice.

Lastly, as Hilary mentioned in her email, the deadline for the Canadian Henley waiver is TONIGHT! The link is HERE. For the boys, as mentioned at practice, please fill it out anyway since the lineups cannot be finalized until entries are released next Monday or Tuesday. Coach Jamie will let athletes traveling know ASAP! Coach Matt has released the travel roster via email to all the girls.

Hi everyone!

This blog has a lot of information about the coming regattas, so please read carefully!

This Saturday is the Philadelphia Youth Regatta. It is on the Schuylkill river in Philadelphia – athletes are expected to provide their own transportation. Racing is all day Saturday, and the link to the lineups can be found HERE. (Please note that the boys lineups will be finalized later tonight and updated with race times, arrival times, etc. – the only changes at this point will be due to weather or hot-seating conflicts.) The weather for Saturday is predicted to be EXTREMELY HOT in Philadelphia, with a heat index of over 100. Please have athletes bring plenty of water, ice, coolers, etc – whatever they need to stay cool! The coaches are monitoring the situation and will adjust race lineups as needed if it s too hot for multiple races – rowers will be informed as soon as any decisions are made.

Two other important notes: please note that these regattas often require a parking pass printed from their website to get through to Kelly Drive – please plan ahead and print one if parking there. Also please pay the trip fee here if you have not already HERE.

Next weekend is the Overpeck Regatta on Saturday July 27. This is another all-day regatta held on Overpeck Creek in north Jersey. Athletes will need to provide their own transportation. The trip fee and lineups will be posted next week. We anticipate the trip fee being similar or less than Philly Youth.

The last race of the season is Canadian Henley in St. Catherine, Ontario. 24 rowers and 4 coxswains per team will be attending. The travel list will be posted next weekend. Athletes and coaches will leave Caspersen early on Monday, August 5 and return late on Sunday August 11. The trip fee is still being finalized, but the current estimate is $700-800, which includes entry fee, all transportation, rooming at Brock University, and 3 meals a day (starting dinner Monday and ending Sunday breakfast). More details will be provided next week.

The last day of the summer season will be Friday, August 2nd for those not traveling to Canadian Henley. Registration for fall varsity tryouts and novice will open July 31st.

Any issues or questions please direct to Hilary or have your child ask their coach.

Thank you for your support and GO MERCER!

Hi all,

The trip fee for Nationals is now posted here. Please pay before we depart! Any questions or concerns please email Hilary at hgehman@rowpnra.org. Thank you!

Youth Nationals 2019

Hi all!

A big THANK YOU to everyone who came to the banquet last night and celebrated the (almost) end of the spring season for the programs. With that being said… onto the last one! It’s time for Youth Nationals. Please read this blog carefully, as all of the relevant information for the trip can be found here.

Youth Nationals 2019 will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida, from June 6-9 (this is a change from previous years, when there were only 3 days of racing). The team will be flying down early on Tuesday, June 4th and returning late evening Sunday, June 9th (or extremely early Monday June 10th). The flight and transportation information is below. We have contracted with A1 to provide a bus from the boathouse to the airport and back again on the return. Athletes will contact their rides with ETA to the boathouse after departing the Philadelphia airport Sunday night.

Please note that since we are flying on Southwest, all passengers are allowed a free checked bag, so there will be no additional fee for this.

Departure:

Bus leaves Caspersen rowing center @ 2:45AM on Tuesday, June 4th en route to Philadelphia airport.

Flight Southwest WN3529 Tuesday 4 June 19

Depart Philadelphia 5:45am

Arrive Tampa 8:25am

We have rented several vans for transportation for the duration of the trip. Athletes will drive to Sarasota to rig and row then check in at the hotel.

Hotel: Homewood Suites by Hilton Sarasota

3470 Fruitville Road, Sarasota, Florida 34237

Telephone (941) 365-7300

Approximately 12 minute drive from course

The hotel has kitchens in the rooms and breakfast is included, so most of the meals will be there. There will be at least one team dinner out; both teams would love to have all families join us for the dinner. Details will be forthcoming, but please email Matt (mcarlsen@rowpnra.org) or Jamie (jhamp@rowpnra.org) if you can come! We would love to have everyone who is traveling for the race at dinner with us!

Wednesday will be a training day, with racing Thursday through Sunday. After racing Sunday, the teams will try to find something enjoyable (beach?) for the rest of the day before heading to the airport.

Return:

Flight Southwest WN4466 Sunday 9 June 19

Depart Tampa 8:40pm

Arrive Philadelphia 11:15pm

Bus picks up at airport and expected arrival at Caspersen around 12:45-1am

Trip fee: The trip fee will be posted sometime later this week; Hilary will send out an email when the link is live. The current fee is around $1150, but we are still hoping to subsidize the trip by transporting boats and other equipment for teams. We understand it is an expensive trip and have done our best to keep costs down, but there are several costs (extra day of racing, hotels, trailer, etc) that are unfortunately fixed. We are committed to helping make it affordable; if you need financial assistance, please contact Hilary at hgehman@rowpnra.org

The girls travel roster is finalized; the boys travel roster will be finalized by the end of practice this Friday, but boat lineups are still subject to change.

Any further questions, please contact the parent coordinators, Hilary, or the coaches if necessary. Thank you for your support and GO MERCER!

Hi parents and athletes!

Here is the link for lineups and race schedule for Mid-Atlantics this weekend. Go Mercer!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P6TO7edfxiZ6blgER7Tr1XIk57FabKiJrxyASBmqeus/edit?usp=sharing

Hi everyone,

The Varsity Boys are racing Holy Ghost Prep from Bensalem, PA this weekend from 7:30-10:30am. For parent hoping to come watch, the race schedule and lineups for the first piece are below. Please plan on watching from the marina side of the lake, as you would any other regatta. We will be racing two 2k pieces from the start line and finishing with a 1250m piece starting at the finish line. After the racing, the boys will dock and finish out practice. There will be a small food tent and parents are welcome to come back to the boathouse after racing! A huge THANK YOU to Jen Closser for helping organize all the moving parts for this weekend and for all the parents who have volunteered to help out. If there is anyone else interested in helping at the start platform, please email Jamie at jhamp@rowpnra.org or Jen at closserj@gmail.com. Thanks and hope to see you all Saturday!

Lineups link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18g6wALsNP59HGU5n6MnzXvYXfmV_IjsN1qIQj1nl4Qg/edit?usp=sharing

Please note: there will be some switches between boats between the pieces, so don’t rely solely on this for identifying your athletes!

Race Schedule:

8:20am 1v and lwt 4s (4 boats)

8:40am 2v 4s (3 boats)

9:00am frosh/novice 8s and mercer 3v 8 (3 boats)

9:20am 4s race 2

9:40am 4s race 2

10:00am 8s race 2

Go Mercer!

Hi everyone!

It may not feel like it but the spring season is here! Varsity tryouts start this week (tomorrow, March 4) and run through the Row for a Cure on Sunday, March 10.

If you have not already registered, please register for both tryouts (free) and the Row for a Cure ASAP!

Due to the weather predictions this week, the current plan is for the teams to follow the WINTER SCHEDULE. FOr those unfamiliar with this schedule, this means practice will be 4-6:15pm every day (except Mondays for the boys, which is 5:45-8pm). The boys are at warehouse Wednesday and Friday, and the girls are there Tuesday and Thursday. Coaches will announce any potential changes at practice and tell athletes if they should check back for updates the next day. We will continue to monitor the weather and try to post updates and make announcements at practice as we try to get out of the water this week.

Thanks and GO MERCER!

Coach Matt and Coach Jamie

This is just a reminder that there is NO PRACTICE for both the Varsity Boys and Novice Boys for Monday, February 18, 2019. This is to provide a day off after the tank session this morning. Please enjoy the day off from practice and school for President’s Day!

Practice will resume normal schedule Tuesday through Friday, 4-6:15pm and Saturday 9:15am this week. Thanks!

Also please remember to spread the word about our OPEN HOUSE for prospective new rowers, this Saturday from 11:30am-1pm!

Go Mercer!

Practice for all teams is CANCELLED today due to the weather. Enjoy the day off!

Hi everyone,

The erg room hours for the week are below.

Monday 11/19: 3-6pm (Juniors – remember we are moving stuff at Alexander Street 4-6pm)

Tuesday 11/20: 3-6pm

Wednesday 11/21: 10am-1pm

Closed Thursday 11/22 through Sunday 11/25

Regular hours resume and winter training begins Monday 11/26.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Practice for all Mercer programs (Varsity Boys and Girls) is CANCELLED for today, Thursday November 15, due to weather. Please be safe and we will see everyone tomorrow for the last practice before Thanksgiving break!

Coaching Staff

Hi everyone!