Guide for Parents & Families of Junior Rowers
Welcome to our parent resource page! As parents and caregivers of our junior athletes, you play a vital role in supporting and nurturing your child's passion for this incredible sport. Rowing requires dedication, discipline, and a strong support system, and we're here to help you navigate this journey.
To help you get started, please review our Parent Program Guide for important information on:
Team and parent communication;
Practice scheduling and attendance;
Regattas;
Rowing terminology;
Providing support for your rower.
For more information, please reach out to our Junior Head Coach and Program Director Mike Foley or to the NCR Board President, Sally Linowski.
Navigating Regatta Days
This section answers some common questions that parents and caregivers may have about regatta logistics and expectations.
Will my rower be placed in a boat?
Rowers are seated in boats at their coaches’ discretion. Novice rowers may or may not be boated for every regatta, depending on the regatta and on their readiness to race. Your rower may not know whether they have been placed in a boat until a few days, or even the day before a regatta.
Make sure to mark your calendar with all regatta dates in case your rower makes a boat!
How will I know when and where to go for a regatta?
Parking specifics and race day logistics will be shared with parents/caregivers via Heja, our team communication app, as early as possible the week before a regatta.
We often do not have final information from the race organizers until a day or two before the actual event, and weather can make for timing changes or (rarely) cancellations, so it’s important that you keep an eye out on Heja for updates.
You can also find good information about the specifics for many regattas on Regatta Central, and there is often a link to Regatta Central on the session calendar in iCrew (our team scheduling app).
Although we don’t always know our start times and parking specifics until a day or two before the regatta, it is safe to assume that we start EARLY in the morning, especially if your rower is a coxswain. All rowers must arrive at the time Coach Mike and Coach Katie let them know to be there.
What to do when I arrive at a regatta?
When you get to the event site, always look out for the Northampton Community Rowing tent; that is where our community congregates. Your rower will need to seek out their coach and teammates and will usually find them at the boat trailer.
What to wear/bring on race day?
For race days, especially early in the season, dress warm and in layers! You will be spending the majority of the day outside, and weather can change quickly. Make sure your rower brings a change of clothes, and avoid cotton, which dries slowly and leaves rowers cold if they get wet.
Many parents bring a chair and binoculars to view the races. Sunscreen is always recommended, especially for rowers, who are more exposed when out on the water.
Race Day Nutrition
The night before a regatta, it’s important that your rower gets a good, solid meal with plenty of carbohydrates and a good night’s sleep. The morning of a regatta, we are typically up early for a lond drive and a full day ahead. A simple carb breakfast that’s not too big is a great way to start — a bagel or oatmeal and some fruit, for example. A rower with too much food in their belly can mean an upset stomach during their race.
Regatta Food Tent
Our goal as parents and caregivers is to provide a healthy selection of food for rowers to eat after their race. Rowers know to come to the tent for food, and after they have done their event, they are HUNGRY! We make suggestions in the Sign Up Genius for what to bring to the food tent, but we are always excited for new and delicious ideas.
Parents and Caregivers are often needing something to eat as well, so keep in mind that parents and caregivers are ok to eat food, but the priority is feeding the rowers.
Food Donations and Food Tent Volunteers
Keep an eye out for an email each week before a regatta asking parents and caregivers to sign up to bring food to keep our rowers going. We ask a couple parents who arrive early (or are the first to arrive) to get the EZ-Up tent from the boat trailer (your rower will be able to tell you where that is usually) and set our tent up in the space Coach Mike directs us to. There are typically two folding tables and two black bins with utensils, tablecloths etc. also on the boat trailer that need to be brought to the tent for set up as well.
At the end of the day it's very important that a couple of parents volunteer to stay and clean up. That means packing up leftover food, packing paper goods etc back into the black bins and collapsing and packing the NCR Tent and getting everything including tables back onto the trailer. This is a job that is super important and we rely on families to help us get this done.
Where to find race results!
Race results are often available in live time, either on Regatta Central or on the Crew Timer app at https://www.crewtimer.com/