Head of the Halloween:

When: October 29, 2016. 10 AM-1 PM

Where: Mercer Lake

Who: All athletes (varsity and novice) not participating in the Schuylkill

Additional Info: In the spirit of Halloween we are encouraging kids to dress up in costumes and then compete in an around the lake (ATL) race. The line-ups for these boats will be mixed between varsity and novice, girls and boys. Parents are encouraged to come and watch the racing!

Head of the Schuylkill:

When: October 30, 2016. 8:30-12

Where: Philadelphia, PA

Who: The top two boats of novice rowers (boys and girls). Line-ups below.

Additional Info: Uniforms will be the Mercer T-shirt and black/dark blue spandex (length doesn’t matter, stay warm!). The temperature for Sunday is forecasted at 49 and then warming up to 55. Please pack layers! Bring a lunch with you and eat a filling breakfast before heading to the course. Drop athletes off at our trailer no later then 8:30 AM. We need time to rig our boats and prepare for our races. After the boats are back on the trailer you are excused to return home with your parents/ride. Please click HERE for the regatta website and spectator information.

Carpooling will be arranged during practice so please let you son/daughter know if they will be needing a ride. Also, let your rower know if you can provide a ride to someone who may need it. Carpooling will be ready by Wednesday so parents have plenty of time to prepare for the weekend.

Line-Ups:

Novice Girls                                                                        Novice Boys

c- Helena                                Paige                                   c-Deven                              Kira

Boat-G3                                   G2                                       Boat-Rusty Wales             San Diego Squad

Oars-White/Green               Single Red                          Oars-White/Yellow          Single Blue

8-Shannon                             Fiona                                   8-Grant                               Sachin

7-Sylvie                                   Olivia                                   7-Nick Casilli                     Haven

6-Catherine D                       Amelia                                  6-Eli                                    Will S

5-Caitlyn                                Kate D                                   5-Will G                             Nick Cushman

4-Charlotte                            Audrey B                              4-Chris W                          Jake B

3-Kristen                                Hannah S                             3-Jack Daab                     John N

2-Eveline                                Maggie (Margaret)            2-Ben                                  Joe D

1-Nathalie V                           Sarang                                  1-Alex F                             Jack W

 

GO MERCER!

On our way home!!! ETA is 10:15!! Please check FB for more updates.

Good Afternoon, Mercer Parents,

We are looking forward to our second regatta of the season!  The Head of the Charles (www.hocr.org) is a Varsity-only regatta scheduled for Sunday, October 23, in Boston, MA.  The coaches will post a travel roster and line-ups separately.  Mercer has entered one Youth Men’s 8+, scheduled to race at 12:43pm, and two Youth Women’s 8+ boats, scheduled to race at 10:05am, both on Sunday.

For Parents of Rowers who are Attending:

We are departing from the boathouse at 6:30 am Friday, October 21.  The plan is to 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 23, some time in the evening.  Racing for us is on Sunday.  Coxswains have a course set for Saturday, and we expect another practice for the athletes on Saturday.  As before, we will keep you posted via blog and/or Facebook.

We will be staying at the Boston Marriott Newton, 2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA  02466.  The hotel provides a full breakfast (versus the hotel continental breakfast at the Housatonic) and we have arranged breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.  There is a team dinner at Bertucci’s in Newton on Saturday.  You should still have your rower bring extra snacks in case they get hungry between meals..

The packing list is similar to the last regatta (Houstatonic), except a reminder to please pack some cold-weather clothes!  To give you an idea, last year it started to snow in the afternoon as the last of our boats was finishing the race.  You may want to send some extra cash as well – many of the athletes will want to purchase regatta t-shirts and other memorabilia.

The registration link for Head of the Charles is here.  The trip fee covers both registration fees for the regatta as well as travel costs including, hotels, food, and coaches accommodation.  Please note that the coaches register the athletes for the event; the registration cost you are asked to pay is just the mechanism by which we cover the costs associated with travel.

The trip fee is higher than in previous years for several reasons but the biggest factors driving the increase are that we are taking fewer boats from the other clubs to the Charles. That has subsidized some of the Charles cost for the last 2 years. Also, the club has historically lost money on the HOCR as we have underestimated expenses. This year we have tried to better tie actual expenses to the trip fee. We understand that the Charles participation fees are a significant expense.  We are looking at ways to reduce costs going forward.

For Parents who are Watching from Home:

Regatta results were posted last year on RegattaCentral.  The regatta site also has a live-stream feed, so you can follow along in real time.  We expect ample cell coverage as well, so we will try to post results on site.

Coaches’ Travel Note:

The Head of 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.  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 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 coxswains clinic on Saturday, as it will help them be relaxed and prepared for the race on Sunday.

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

Go, Mercer!

 

Last weekend the Varsity took their top 3 boats to the Head of the Housatonic, this was PNRA/Mercer’s first appearance at this race. The girls’ 3^rd Varsity boat got 9^th in the 2V event, the 1^st Varsity boat placed 5th and the 2^nd Varsity boat placed 12th in the 1V event. The boys’ 3^rd Varsity boat got 14^th in the 2V event, while the 1^st Varsity boat placed 7^th and the 2^nd Varsity boat placed 12^th in the 1V event.

The varsity team has been shifting their focus to preparing for the Head of the Charles, which is only a week away! All of our teams had test erg pieces this week, which helped the coaches determine who would bring the heat to the Charles. Erg testing is usually followed by seat racing if Coach Justin or Coach Matt need more information to help them put together the strongest boat.

Coach Zach has been challenging the novice boys to choose greatness in their practice. Anyone can go through the motions and be average, but to succeed the team must decide that each stroke of every piece will be the best they can do at that moment. Zach has been moving the boys towards rowing by all 8 and making their way around the lake as many times as they can during practice. The novice boys had their first 5K test on Friday! Click for a video example HERE

The novice girls had their first 4K test on Wednesday, and they went out hard! We had some great times and learned about how to test on the erg. In boats we’ve been working on our feathering timing and rowing efficiently by all 8s. Next week we’ll lock in line-ups so our novice will know who’s racing at the Schuylkill and at the Head of the Halloween.

Reminder: Octoberfest is this Saturday! We’ll have dinner and BYOB for parents and alumni of PNRA! The event starts at 6 PM at the boathouse and is $30 per adult.

 

GO MERCER!

Three weeks down and three to go until our first novice race of fall season! Now that most of our rowers have the basics down, we have moved on to fine-tuning the stroke. Some of our boats have even taken strokes by all 8 rowers (which is harder than it looks!).

Coach Zach had a very clear goal for the boys: each rower needs to learn how to be their best version of an athlete. Every rower is different, but if they bring their max effort to the table, the team as a whole will benefit. They put this into practice by not wasting any strokes during practice and finding their rhythm. (They used the Macarena and the Electric Slide to help with rhythm on Thursday!).

The novice girls have been cruising around the lake taking as many strokes as possible. The basic movements need to be ingrained in their heads and bodies, that way we can build the skills needed to come down that race course as fast as we can! Please make sure to stretch every day and ice anything that may hurt!

*We want to remind everyone that the Absence Reporting sheet should be used 24 hours or more before an absence. If it’s less than 24 hours still fill it out but make sure to send an email or make a quick call to the coaches so we know whom to expect at practice. If we don’t hear about an absence and we put them in a boat, their boat will not be able to go out that day!*

 

GO MERCER!

The vans have stopped for food and are back on the road — ETA at Caspersen Boathouse is 8:30-9:00 (provided traffic cooperates).

UPDATE (5:20 PM):  All vans have left the Housatonic and are on their way back to Mercer (with a quick stop for food along the way)!

Parents and Athletes,

Below you will find the tentative schedule. Also please register for the regatta!!!

Go MERCER

Coach Justin and Coach Matt

	Head of the Housatonic Tentative Schedule
Event:	Men’s 2v 8+		Womens 2v 8+
Time	9:40 A.M.		11:30 A.M
Boat:	Sneikus		Caspersen
Oars	2x Green		1x Green
Athletes:
C	Annie		Lauren Preston
8	Chase		Maheera Bawa
7	Tyler		Erin Dobbs
6	Ty		Jackie Armetta
5	Brian R.		Erin Heyeck
4	Rittenhouse		Emmanuell A.
3	Pavel		Sophie Craver
2	Rudhra		Alexa Sands
1	David D.		Taylor Verling
Event:	Mens’s 1V 8+		Mens’s 1V 8+
Time	1:45 P.M.		1:45 P.M.
Boat:	Weir		Jkow
Oars	3x Blue		Skinny Fats
Athletes:
C	Kate		Sarah
8	Drew		Will
7	Julius		Enzo
6	Chris Silva		Kyle
5	Carter		Magnus
4	Lachlan		Leon
3	Rex		Sully
2	Jack		Brady
1	Danny		Andrew Moss
Event:	Women’s 1v 8+		Women’s 1v 8+
Time	3:10 P.M.		3:10 P.M.
Boat:	Trat		Becca
Oars	2x Orange		2x Blue
Athletes:
C	Caroline Galati		Lulu Herman
8	Katie Lugstig		Sheila Kennedy-Moore
7	Mia Barkenbush		Grace Wonnell
6	Kieran Wild		Ciara Devenuto-Wyeth
5	Katryna		Sarah Closser
4	Laila Shehab		Isabel Roemer
3	Catie V-B		Morgan Linsey
2	Sara Hansen		Chloe Couillens
1	Celia Varga		Julia Berdzik

Good evening, Mercer Parents!

The first regatta of the season is this weekend!  The Head of the Housatonic (www.headofthehousatonic.org) is a Varsity-only regatta scheduled for this Saturday, October 8, in Shelton, Connecticut.  The Coaches have already posted the travel roster; stay tuned for final line-ups.

For Parents of Rowers who are Attending:  

We are departing from the boathouse after practice on Friday, so PLEASE BRING NEEDED ITEMS to practice that day.  Dinner (Friday), breakfast (hotel – Saturday), and lunch (Saturday) will be provided.  We encourage athletes to bring some extra snacks, but remember to pack lightly – it’s a tight fit in the travel vans.  We will be returning to the boathouse Saturday evening.  We will do our best to give you travel updates by blog and/or Facebook page.

Suggested packing list:  uni (and other racing gear), rain gear (!!!), hat, toiletries, water bottle, blanket/pillow for ride, change of clothes for after racing, PJ’s, plastic bag for wet/sweaty clothes, extra $$ for t-shirts (optional), extra socks, sunglasses, and (because I am a mom) homework!

Inclement weather:  should Hurricane Matthew become a factor, the regatta organizers indicated they will notify competing teams of cancellation by Thursday 12AM.  We will let you know  – likely by blog – as soon as we know.  Fingers crossed!

For Parents who are Watching from Home:

Regatta results were posted last year on www.herenow.com, so, with a little time lag, you can follow along.  We will also try to post results on the Facebook page (now is a good time to join, if you haven’t yet).

Thanks to all the parents who offered to help/drive/support etc..  

Go, Mercer!

Parents and Athletes,

Below you will find the final travel rosters for both the Boys and Girls.

Best,

Coach Justin

 

Travel Roster for Head of the Housatonic
Boys	Girls
Andrew Moss	Alexa Sands
Annie	Caroline Galati
Brady	Bridget Parker
Brian R.	Catie V-B
Carter	Ceila Varga
Chase	Chloe Couillens
Chris Silva	Ciara Devenuto-Wyeth
Chtris Gibson	Emmanuel A.
Danny	Erin Dobbs
David Dortch	Lauren Preston
Drew	Erin Heyeck
Enzo	Grace Wonnell
Jack	Isabel Roemer
Julius	Jackie Armetta
Kate	Lulu
Kyle	Julia Berdzik
Lachlan	Katie Lustig
Leon	Katryna
Magnus	Kerian Wild
Rex	Laila Shehab
Rittenhouse	Mia Barkenbush
Rudhra	Morgan Linsey
Sarah	Maheera Bawa
Sully	Taylor Verling
Ty	Sara Hansen
Tyler	Sarah Closser
Will	Sheila Kennedy-Moore

 

 

Parents and Athletes,

 

Please make sure that your athlete brings enough water to practice today. We currently have a plumbing issue that we are getting resolved ASAP. We will have Port-o-Johns available for the athletes during  practice today.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Coach Justin

Attached you will find the Tentative Travel Roster for the boys.

We will post the girls travel roster tomorrow.

Best,

Coach Justin

 

boys-tentative-head-of-housatonic-travel-roster

Dear Parents and Athletes,

Just wanted to give you a final reminder that all gear orders are due today, October 3rd.

Best,

Coach Justin

Novice and Varsity Write Up, Week 2 and 4:

 The weather was not on our sides this week. Wind and rain can be challenging for varsity rowers and unsafe for novice, but we did our best!

 The varsity boys and girls had test pieces this week, longer distances are not only physically challenging but mentally taxing. Long distance pieces help build a strong cardio base that the rest of the year is built on; think of it as the bottom of a pyramid, with winter and spring riding on top. With their first race coming up the coaches are testing out boat line-ups but the selection process is not just a test piece, it’s every stroke of every day.

 The novice are working harder and getting tougher! With the water not always safe for our boats to row in, we had to shift our practices to land. We had the first Loop Run: 5 miles, mixed groups of 8 rowers, and no one can be left behind. Even novice need to build their strong base! We also worked on erging technique and lifting. Novice are always learning, and the progress so far has been awesome!

 

Announcements:

 Novice girls will have practice tomorrow morning from 7-9 Am and Varsity girls will have practice Sunday from 8-10:30 AM. Coach Matt will be leading his first practice as Head Varsity Girls Coach!

 Remember that with cold weather, more layers and waterproof layers will be needed. Come to practice prepared!

 Clothing orders (online and Nike handout) are due Monday, October 3^rd! 

GO MERCER!!!!!

Next Tuesday, October 4 will be the annual College Night. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Caspersen Boathouse. It is geared toward juniors and their parents, although anyone is welcome to attend. Hilary Gehman is organizing the presentation which will cover basic information about steps to take and things to think about if you are interested in continuing your rowing career in college.

Wow! That first week went by quickly! Coach Zach and I had such an amazing turn out for the first week of practice, 37 boys and 47 girls. Practice was all about getting to know the team and the sport, we even had our first timed run.

 

All our rowers were able to get in boats and take some strokes out on the lake! The learning curve for new rowers is HUGE, so patience and hard work are going to be vital for the coming practices. Coach Zach and I are trying to take out as many boats as we can with the help of some fantastic assistant coaches. Not all rowers will be able to go out in a day, but we will be doing our best to seat as many rowers as possible.

 

Meeting our newest additions to the team was so much fun! We can’t wait to see how much we improve as a team this fall, and most of all we can’t wait to watch them race in October and November.

If you are unable to attend the novice parent meeting please send me an email for important information at aklaibershort@rowpnra.org.

 

Go Mercer!

 

Coach Amanda

Hi All!

We’re wrapping up week two with our varsity team and wanted to update parents and families about our season so far! The first few weeks are all about reconnecting with friends, the team, and the boathouse after our summer break.

There will be Varsity practice this Sunday, September 18^th! The boys will practice from 8-10, and the girls will practice from 10-12. Typically we will have extra practices on Saturdays, but due to the parent meeting and events on the lake, Saturday is not an option this weekend.

Week one was focused on land conditioning and meshing our rising novice with the returning varsity members. Erging, running, and circuits were used to get our athletes into a competitive but team oriented mindset that we hope to keep building all year.

Week two we finally returned to the water! The weather was fantastic and we even had an inter-squad, around the lake showdown. We launched 10 mixed line-up boats and had some serious racing going on (by 6s)!

The results:

Trat	18:50.6
Jkow	18:59.9
Weir	19:13.7
Becca	19:23.0
San Diego	19:28.6
Snieckus	20:28.1
Caspersen	20:34.4
B3	20:47.3
No Name	21:39.9
B2	21:40.0

 

Whenever we come back from a break it is vital to focus on our technique. Mixed line-ups help coaches see where the group needs extra attention, and where the rowers are excelling.

This year we will be focusing on how to be upstanding teammates to one another. Rowing is built on trusting your teammates to support you through hard workouts, long pieces, winning, and losing. Every person is vital to the team, and as coaches we look forward to working with each and every rower.

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.” –Jesse Jackson

 

Go Mercer!

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 8^th, 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+

1:45 PM Men’s HS/Junior 8+

3:10 PM Women’s HS/Junior 8+

Travel Plans: All participating Mercer athletes will depart from the boathouse for Shelton, CT on the night of Friday, October 7^th @ 7:00pm.  We will be taking four 15-passenger vans (driven by parent volunteers). Athletes will return after racing on Saturday.

Hotel Details:PNRA/Mercer has secured rooms at the Extended Stay America – Shelton – Fairfield County for athletes and coaches.

Hotel Address:  945 Bridgeport Ave. Shelton,  CT  06484

Dinner Friday:  We will have a pasta dinner at the boathouse prior to our departure.

Lunch Saturday: We will be ordering boxed lunches from Panera Bread 

 

Notes: Coaches will announce who is going to the race by the end of practice on Friday, September 30^th. Boating decisions will be made in accordance with the policies outlined in the Guide to Boat Selection that can be found here.

Estimated Cost: $155

 

Head of the Charles Regatta – Boston, MA – October 21st-23rd, 2016

Who is racing: 2 Varsity Girls 8+, 1st Varsity Boys 8+

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 three 15-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: $450

 

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.

Estimated Cost: $30-40

Head of the Halloween – Mercer Lake, NJ – October 29^th, 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.

 

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.

 

Frostbite Regatta & Bill Braxton Memorial Regatta  – Mercer Lake, NJ – November 12^th & 13^th, 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

 

 

Dear Parents,

This is a reminder that the Varsity Parent meeting is this Saturday, September 14th at 9AM at the boathouse.  During the meeting we will be covering logistical information regarding our 2016 fall season, discuss PNRA/Mercer goals and objectives and aim to answer any and all questions you may have.  Looking forward to seeing you all there. Thanks in advance for your time.

Best,

Coach Justin

The Princeton National Rowing Association (PNRA) is pleased to announce the addition of Matthew Carlsen and Amanda Klaiber-Short to the Mercer Rowing Program coaching staff.  Mr. Carlsen joins the program as the Women’s Varsity Head Coach and Master’s Head Coach.  Ms. Klaiber-Short joins the staff as the Novice Rowing Coordinator.  Coach Carlsen and Coach Klaiber-Short will both report to Program Director Justin Ochal.

Matthew Carlsen joins the Mercer Rowing Program coaching staff after coaching at Saint Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.  Coach Carlsen started the rowing program at Saint Edward in 2012. Since then, the program has grown to over 70 athletes and enjoyed increasing levels of success.  In 2015 the Saint Edward Men’s Junior 8+ placed 1^st at the Scholastic National Championships (SRAAs) and in 2016, the Saint Edward Men’s Varsity 8+ placed 3^rd at SRAAs. 

Coach Carlsen began his rowing career in high school as a coxswain.  He continued his rowing career at Miami University of Ohio where served as team captain for three years.   He graduated in 2012 with a degree in Marketing and Decision Sciences from the Farmer School of Business. 

Coach Klaiber-Short attended the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) where she was a member of the rowing team for four years. Ms. Klaiber-Short graduated from UCSB in 2013 with a degree in Psychology. After graduation she was an Assistant Coach at ZLAC Rowing Club in San Diego, CA and most recently served as an Assistant Coach at Camp Randall Rowing Club in Madison, Wisconsin 

Coach Carlsen will be joining the team on October 1^st and Coach Klaiber-Short will be joining the team on September 12^th.

PNRA is pleased to welcome both coaches to the PNRA Mercer Rowing family.

Dear Parents,

 

Practice today will be cut short due to the heat index policy that PNRA/Mercer has in place. Sorry for the short notice but we want to keep the athletes safe.  If  you are unable to pick your athlete up at 5:30, I will be here until all athletes have been picked up.

 

Best,

Coach Justin

As a reminder, practice for varsity rowers will begin this afternoon, September 7^th at 3:45 p.m. Welcome back for the fall season! In advance of practice this afternoon, below are a few quick updates regarding the search for a new Head Women’s Coach:

• A search has been underway since mid-August and there was a robust pool of applicants to the job posting.
• Coach Justin created a committee to work with him to interview finalists for the position. The Committee consists of Justin Ochal (Program Director), Hilary Gehman (PNRA Events Manager , former Cornell University Head Women’s Rowing Coach and National Team Rower), Bill Lamb (former PNRA Board member and former Head Coach at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia), and Dave Kuhlman (Mercer Committee member, Parent of Mercer Rowing Alumni).
• Interviews have been proceeding, but a final decision has not been made.

In the interim, practice for all teams will proceed as planned, adapting as needed. Specifically, until a new Head Women’s Coach has been hired:

• Coach Justin will be acting as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams. During practice he will be assisted by Hilary Gehman, Zach Spitzer, and Jen Boone.
• Any practice related questions should be raised by rowers to Coach Justin or the appropriate team captains.
• Questions parents have about non-practice related issues, should be directed to parent coordinators Jeb Barkenbush (girls) and Nanci Levine (boys).

We will keep you posted on the recruiting process and hope to have it resolved soon.

Go Mercer!

Hi All — Fall crew starts on Wednesday, September 7th for varsity and Monday, September 19th for novice. As  in past seasons parents in the Princeton area are organizing a bus to take rowers to and from practice.  The bus will leave Princeton High School every weekday during the season at 3:15pm. It will stop on North Post Road on the way to the boathouse to pick up West Windsor rowers who need a ride to the boathouse.  After practice, the bus will return from the boathouse to PHS with a second return stop at Cherry Valley/Maidenhead Roads.  

The cost per rower depends on how many rowers we have, whether the rower rides one way or round trip, and whether the rower is on varsity or novice since varsity has more practice days.  Any family with two or more rowers may get discounts.  The cost per regular rower for fall season should be around $300.  I calculate the cost per rower once the bus participation settles down.

The bus is open to all rowers; we typically have rowers from Princeton schools including PHS as well as Montgomery schools. Cranbury rowers who attend PHS and West Windsor rowers typically take the bus one way to the boathouse. If you are interested in the bus please contact me at yulifan@gmail.com.  Please let me know:

– Rower’s name (and sibling rowers if any)

– Varsity or novice, girls or boys team

– One way or round trip PHS, whether pick up on North Post Road, whether returning to Cherry Valley/Maidenhead

– Parent contact information (name and email)

If you’d like to be taken off this email list please let me know.

If you have questions about any other aspect of the team, contact your respective parent coordinator:

Boys’ Team Parent Coordinator Contact Information:                                      

Nanci Levine  (609-713-2453; Mercer.Nanci@hotmail.com)

Girls’ Team Parent Coordinator Contact Information:

Jeb Barkenbush ( 609-712-3036): jebarken@gmail.com 

Thank you!

Lifan Yu

609-454-0396; yulifan@gmail.com

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 8^th, 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 8^th @ 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 30^th. 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 29^th, 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 12^th & 13^th, 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.

To Parents Cheering Us on at Henley,

While here, please watch the races from the grandstand or other areas surrounding the course. Due to the volume of boats moving around the island, we ask that you not come to the trailer or trailer area.

If you have items you need to get to your child, please have him or her meet you in the parking lot outside the St. Catharines RC boathouse to exchange or give them to a parent coordinator.

Thanks for making the trip to support Mercer!

For those of you wishing to follow PNRA/Mercer’s races throughout the week, here are some helpful links:

• Royal Canadian Henley Regatta Homepage
• Heat sheets
• Live results
• Webcam

If you’ll be in Port Dalhousie to watch the races in person, the grandstand is located at 61 Main Street, Port Dalhousie, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.  The grandstand itself is difficult to see from the road, so look for a single scull resting on two pillars:  that is the entrance to the ticketing area and grandstand. There you can purchase daily or weekly wristbands — information about admission and shuttle service can be found here.

Lots of racing to cheer for this week:  GO, MERCER!

All four vans have arrived safely at the course in Canada — everyone’s now rigging or rowing!

Stay tuned for more Canadian Henley info coming soon . . .

Varsity Boys Parents/Athletes,

Attached are the lineups, housing and and van assignments for Canadian Henley:

Boys Henley Vans and Housing

Men’s Henley Schedule

GO MERCER!

Coach Justin & Coach Mike

Notary Public Jim Baker (Coxswain Diana Higgins’ grandfather) has kindly offered to come to the boathouse again tomorrow to notarize travel consent forms for those families with an athlete traveling to Canada.  He will be in the conference room from 12-1 pm and again from 3-4 pm on Thursday, July 28.  If athletes are moving boats and oars in and out of the boat bay, please use the entrance to the conference room located behind the building. (Just knock if the door is locked.)

For athletes 17 and younger, both parents need to sign the form. Completed forms and passports will be required in order to board the vans to Canada on Monday morning.

Go, Mercer — and thank you again, Mr. Baker!

Mercer Varsity Girls Parents/Athletes,

Below are the lineups, housing and and van assignments for Canadian Henley:

Lineups:

Housing:

Vans:

GO MERCER!

– Coach Zach & Coach Maddie

Dear Parents & Athletes,

We have some preliminary information regarding our trip to Canada for the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

1) Departure/Return Timing: We are planning on meeting at the boathouse at 5:30am on Monday, August 1 to leave for Canada.  Coaches will be driving the athletes in four 12-15 passenger vans.  We will return on Monday, August 8.

Accommodations:  We are staying in the Brock University dorms, which are located about 15 minutes from the course.  All rooms are suite style and include a full kitchen.   The school provides bed linens, pillows, and small towels.  Athletes should be prepared to bring their own shampoo and soap.  The school also recommends you bring a towel as the ones they provide are small.  Laundry is available on site.

3) Food:  All dinners will be included in this year’s trip fee.  For breakfast, lunch, and snack items, we will be bringing athletes to the grocery store when we arrive on Monday to purchase what they’ll need. We will also be able to make grocery runs in the evening throughout the week if there’s a need to supplement this initial shopping trip.   Athletes should plan to bring $20/day for those food items; dinner expenses will be covered by the trip fee.  It’s recommended that athletes make grocery lists prior to the trip so the shopping can be efficient and staple items are not forgotten.

NOTE: Brock does not provide kitchen utensils or pots and pans. We will attach the rooming lists in another post so individual rooms can coordinate what they will bring.  Last year we purchased disposable plates, paper goods, and utensils when we got there.

4) Registration:  The trip will cost $810, payable via Regatta Central. We never want the cost of the trip to create a situation where an athlete cannot afford to participate.  We can put together a payment plan and if needed, and we do have financial aid available.  Please contact Kris Grudt or Justin Ochal if you have any questions.  As always everything is 100% confidential.

We feel that everyone selected to go on this trip is capable of racing competitively on this level.  Everyone traveling with us will be racing at least two events.

5) Travel Documents:  ALL ATHLETES WILL NEED A CURRENT PASSPORT. This is an essential document for this trip.  Coaches will be collecting the passports before we leave the boathouse on Monday.  Henley also requires a form of ID that includes date of birth to use when launching at the races.  Ideally it is a photo ID like a driver’s license or school ID. If you don’t have a photo ID, a good photocopy of your passport would work.

Athletes under the age of 18 also must have a signed and notarized note from their parents granting permission to travel out of the country with the team.  We will send a sample of this letter as well as the U.S. Customs regulations in a separate blog post.

Thank you,

Coaches

 

 

Mr. Jim Baker, Notary Public and grandfather of Mercer Coxswain Diana Higgins, has very generously volunteered his time and services to notarize the 2016 Travel Consent form-RCHR  for parents of athletes competing at Canadian Henley.  He will be at the boathouse this Wednesday, July 27, beginning at 3:00 pm under a tent adjacent to the parking lot or, if the weather does not cooperate, indoors, in which case Amy Lustig will be in the parking lot and will tell you where he has set up. Parents must sign the form at the time of notarizing, so both parents should be present if signing on the same form.

NOTE:  Please email Amy at amymjrcgirls@gmail.com if you plan on having your form notarized at the boathouse so we can have an idea of how many people will be coming that day.

THANK YOU, MR. BAKER!

Mr. Jim Baker, Notary Public and grandfather of Mercer Coxswain Diana Higgins, has very generously volunteered his time and services to notarize the 2016 Travel Consent form-RCHR  for parents of athletes competing at Canadian Henley.  He will be at the boathouse this Wednesday, July 27, beginning at 3:00 pm under a tent adjacent to the parking lot or, if the weather does not cooperate, indoors, in which case Amy Lustig will be in the parking lot and will tell you where he has set up in the boathouse.

THANK YOU, MR. BAKER!

 

 

To parents of Mercer rowers competing at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, here is some information to help you start preparing for the trip.  Athletes will be leaving the boathouse at 5:30 am on Monday, August 1 and returning home on Monday, August 8.  Additional info will be posted soon, but until then, here are some details and action items for you:

To cross the border into Canada:

Customs agents require a current passport AND a notarized letter of consent to travel for athletes younger than 18 years of age.  You can find a printable copy of that letter at the end of this post.  UPS stores, some post offices, and the Mercer County Library (by appointment) are among the places that provide notary services locally.  That said, if there is a notary in the house willing to offer his or her services, please let Amy Lustig know (267-496-9282), and we will gratefully set up a time for people to bring their letters to be notarized.

While in Canada:

Athletes will need money for grocery trips while staying at Brock University. While all dinners will be provided and included in the trip fees, athletes will be shopping for and preparing their breakfasts and lunches while there. (Each housing unit has a full kitchen.)  They’ll also need kitchen supplies:  paper goods, utensils, cleaning supplies, etc. can be purchased in Canada, and roommates can coordinate cookware (i.e., a pan for scrambling eggs or a pot for oatmeal, spatula, wooden spoons, etc) once rooming lists are posted.

If your child will be using a credit or debit card, you will need to alert your bank or credit card company that the card is authorized to be used in Canada that week.  (Note:  many places do not accept American Express.)  The current exchange rate is 1 American dollar: 1.31 Canadian dollars.  Many businesses accept both types of currency.  If your child will be using a cell phone while in Canada, you may also want to consider adding a temporary international plan as texts, calls, and data usage can quickly become quite expensive without it.

At the course:

Because this is an age-specific regatta (Junior A/U19 and Junior B/U17), proof of age is required at the launch of each race .  Athletes therefore will need some form of photo ID to present at that time: a clear photocopy of their passport, driver’s license, student or state ID card are all acceptable forms provided they include both the athlete’s photo and date of birth. (Coaches will hold onto the IDs.)

SO . . .  All that being said, here is your to-do list of ACTION ITEMS:

• Make sure your athlete has his/her passport
• Sign and have notarized the Travel Consent form
• Determine what form of photo ID your athlete will use at the launch
• Contact your credit card company to let them know it can be used in Canada
• Check your cellphone plan for international calling, texting, and data rates

2016 Travel Consent form-RCHR

More information will be posted soon, but please feel free to contact any of the parent coordinators if you have questions.

 

 

 

Mercer Varsity Girls Parents/Athletes,

Tomorrow is the Philly Youth Regatta! Here are the logistics for tomorrow’s event. Sorry for the delay in information!

REGISTRATION: Here is the registration fee for the regatta, please make sure to register!

LOCATION: The regatta will be held in Philadelphia on the famous Schuylkill River! For information on directions please click here. The address to use for GPS is: 2200 Kelly Drive, Philadelphia PA, 19129 (Address is the St. Joe’s (Gillin) Boathouse).

DROP OFF: All athletes should arrive 2 hours before their scheduled race time. Please drop your athlete off at the Mercer boat trailer, which will be parked in the lot adjacent to the St. Joseph University (Gillin) boathouse. Once an athlete arrives at the trailer on race day we require their undivided attention and focus. Parent presence around the trailer causes distraction for both coaches and athletes. After your athlete’s race is over and they have been dismissed by their coach they are allowed to be picked up.

PARKING: Be aware that parking is extremely limited and that the section of Kelly Drive along the racecourse (from above the boathouse to beyond the grandstand) will be closed to traffic during the regatta. IN ORDER TO PARK AT THE COURSE, YOU MUST PRINT THIS PARKING PASS AND DISPLAY IT IN YOUR WINDSHIELD.

UNIFORM: All athletes are asked to arrive wearing the Mercer unisuit and Mercer hat.

WEATHER: Saturday is scheduled to be very hot. Please make sure athletes come prepared with sunscreen, water, hat, and sunglasses.

SCHEDULE: Below is the schedule for the Mercer boats. Here is the entire schedule for this weekend’s racing. As the schedule might change please keep checking back.

LINE UPS: Here again are the line ups for tomorrow and race times!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

GO MERCER!!

– Coach Maddie

Athletes on the Henley roster must complete this waiver ASAP. Follow this link to fill out the wavier. It’s due tomorrow @ 11:59pm.

More information about the trip will be posted tomorrow with the departure time, lodging, trip fee, etc.

GO MERCER!!!

Coach Justin

Alex Brodowski
Andrew Hickey
Andrew Moss
Annie Huber
Brian Radvany
Carter Levine
Chris Silva
Danny Stoddard
Derek Piccinich
Enzo Couillens
Erik Wicks
Evan Kitner
Henry Evans
Hutch Collins
Jack Gallagher
John Tanguay
Julius Ferenc
Kate Takacs
Lachlan Mersky
Leon Dang
Luke Small
Magnus Andresen
Pavel Zhelnin
Rex Berger
Rudhra Veerappan
Ryan Htuzley
Sarah Brune