Weekly News and Announcements
August 10, 2005
SWEEP COACHING SCHEDULE: August 14 - 19
Open a.m.
M, T, W, Th - Scott
Open/Novice p.m.
S (4:30 - 6 p.m.) - Cristin
M - Kevin (open), Megan (novice)
T - Peter (open), Cristin (novice)
W - Kevin (open), Megan (novice)
Th - Peter (open), Cristin (novice)
F - Cristin (open), Kevin (novice)
Notes from the Editor:
I know that these weekly emails can get long at certain points in the season, but in return for you reading them all the way through, I promise not to repeat items unless it’s obvious that they weren’t read in the first place. Besides, Will has been archiving them all on the website and you can look them up there!
My email address has changed. Please send items for the weekly email to Barb-Kraft@sbcglobal.net
Thanks to Mike Taft for filling in last week while we were on vacation.
Next week is AARC's first-ever Coxapalooza Week!
First, I'll explain what it is, and then I'll explain some of the rationale/motivation behind it.
What Is Coxapalooza Week!?
It is one week where all evening Open/Novice boats are coxed by novice coxswains. I'll repeat - all boats will have brand new, never-coxed-before coxswains leading them, each with an experienced and willing stroke. Each coxswain will cox for half the practice, switching out mid-way to give others a chance to learn. We will take the whole week to focus on talking and thinking about coxing as a club. Coaches will still coach rowers, and rowers will still get good workouts, but coaches will also coach the coxswains with an added emphasis on making newbie coxswains feel safe and comfortable as they steer their charges. To the extent that schedules and budgets allow, we'll have as many coaches on the water each night as possible (one per boat is the goal - we'll see...) in order to allow them to pay exclusive attention to the new coxswain.
The Week will also re-emphasize traditional rowing etiquette - this means that all rowers keep their heads in the boat, only the stroke ever talks to the coxswain, and all rowers make great efforts to work as a team to make changes for the good of the boat each and every row. (The obvious exception to the no-talking rule is the extreme safety concern - remember that the coxswain and coach can generally see the big picture, so are making changes accordingly, but if there's something endangering the boat that you believe they can't see, speak up. Use your best judgement about these situations. They should be rare. Also, almost never ever talk to another boat's coxswain - how tacky!). Rowing etiquette also includes being quick on and off the docks. We will work on these things next week.
Why Coxapalooza Week?
Coxing is an issue. We hear that. We have heard the concerns about our learning/teaching process for new coxswains and about our overall coxing system expressed both by experienced rowers and new ones.
We hear the concerns of experienced rowers who have been leaned-upon for coxing a little too much this year because of the unusually large number of novice rowers. We hear the concerns of novice rowers about needing to feel better prepared to cox, in order to make it as safe an experience as possible, but also to reduce the stress of it as they learn.
As a club, we began the year with the expectation that all rowers cox, and we realize that in order to make that a reality - to make rowers and coxswains alike feel safe and competent and supported as new coxswains learn - we have to improve our coxing development, so this is our attempt at that. We're doing it now because of the large number of untrained coxswains and because it's our last quieter week on the river before the high schools return.
We hope that after next week, the coxing responsibilities will be more evenly spread throughout the pool of rowers. We will continue to record our coxes and rows and continue to track who is due to cox. Hopefully, by deploying the new coxing troops the row:cox ratio will drop for most from 3.5:1 to something less arduous.
So, why do we expect all rowers to cox? We are a member-run club. In order to keep costs low, we do things for ourselves whenever we can. And coxing is one of those things. In the off-season, it will certainly be a conversation we have - is this still a value of ours? What are our other options for filling coxswain seats? In the meantime, we're going to do all we can to solve the immediate problems at hand. Please keep in touch with me or any other board member or coach on how this is going.
Special Note to Morning Rowers
Please please please try to make it out one evening next week! You are also expected to learn to cox, whether or not you've participated in Coxapalooza week or in a coxing clinic. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn next week!
Conclusion
Again, please keep in touch with a board member or coach on how this is going. We know things aren't perfect, and we're constantly striving to change what we can. And, again, we'll be addressing this stuff in the off-season as well, so if you're particularly passionate about it or a great problem-solver, please volunteer to think it through with the board!
LAST LTR of the YEAR starts This Monday!
There are still empty spots, so please spread the word to friends, coworkers, etc! It will run Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm plus Saturdays 9:00 - 10:30.
NOMINATIONS FOR AARC BOARD EXTENDED UNTIL AUGUST 15
Submit your nominations for AARC's Board of Directors!!!!
Anyone in the club can nominate any member for the board (including PBOs). Any member can also nominate him- or herself, and in fact, we encourage you to do so if you have an interest in the board. We strongly encourage novice members to consider running for the board, because novices often have valuable new insights and ideas. We also hope that club scullers and PBOs will stand for election to boost sculling representation. In order to be a functioning governing body, the board needs representation from all areas of the club, including morning and evening open rowers, ad-comp rowers, novice members, club scullers, and PBOs. This year there will be 4 positions open for election.
**Please email all nominations to Will Mackintosh, Secretary of the Board (wmackint@umich.edu), by MONDAY, AUGUST 15 at 5 PM. The deadline has been extended to make sure we don't miss anyone!**
ELECTIONS will take place at the BBQ on Friday , August 26th, at which all active members will be eligible to vote. If you cannot be present, absentee ballots will be available the week before the BBQ.
Please contact me at wmackint@umich.edu with any questions about the nominations process, the elections process, the rewarding experience of being an AARC board member, or anything else at all.
Will Mackintosh
Secretary, AARC
Launch Setup Reminder
*When setting up the launches, please make certain that the numbered safety bags are in the launches with the corresponding number as the boat registrations are in those bags. Bag #1 goes with the black motor. Bags #2 and #3 go in the other two launches which have the numbers painted on the motors.
*You must have enough safety bags in each launch to cover all rowers. If the coach in your launch is coaching two boats, there must be two safety bags.
Morning Rowers Needed
To complete a set 8+ morning boat, we need 2 rowers each on Tuesday 8/30 and Wednesday 8/31. If you're interested, please contact Sally Hilger at sallyhilger@hotmail.com or 734-276-4183.
Club Racing Clothes and Jacket Ordering
Let me (Barb) know what you want by tomorrow, Thursday, and I will compile the order and let you know what costs will be. Please see the emails from the last two weeks for details. A note to novices: AARC clothing is NOT required to race. Generally boats will agree to wear similar colors – a navy tank or red tank. Many rowers prefer the racing clothing because it is comfortable to row in. Email me at (new email) Barb-Kraft@sbcglobal.net.
Lifejacket Order
Anyone who ordered lifejackets through Tom, please email him at kraftt@rowkraft.com. They have arrived!
Study Opportunity
An engineering/kinesiology student is looking for tall, athletic people to help with an experiment. If you are interested, please contact him at gregorysawicki@gmail.com. His description of the experiment is as follows:
I am recruiting subjects to participate in an experiment set to start in September/October. The experiment involves powered exoskeletons that you will wear around your ankle joint. These exoskeltons can do some of the work required for walking.
I want to understand how your oxygen consumption and muscle activity might change as a result of getting this powered assistance through the exoskeleton device.
If you decided to participate you would be paid 10 dollars per hour. You would commit a total of close to 10 hours by the end of the study. (In addition I would be very appreciative and maybe buy you a drink
to supplement your pay).
First you would go to the Orthotics and Prosthetics Center at Uof M and they would take a mold of your legs in order to build your custom exoskeletons.
Then when they are properly fitted you would come to my lab in the CCRB for two (maybe three) 3-4 hour testing sessions. During each session you will wear the exoskeletons while walking on a treadmill
that is either flat or inclined.
While you walk we will collect muscle activity using EMG electrodes, and your oxygen consumption using a mask that covers your mouth.
This will be really fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gregory S. Sawicki, M.S.M.E
University of Michigan
401 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
PH: 734-615-5155
CALENDAR
August 10-13: USRA Masters Nationals
August 13: Wyandotte Novice & Rec Challenge
Friday, August 26: AARC BBQ & Board Elections
Tuesday, September 13: AARC Board Meeting
September 17: Head of the Thames, London, ON
October 1: Head of the Ohio, Pittsburgh
Tuesday, October 11: AARC Board Meeting
October 15: Frogtown Races, Toledo
October 22-23: Head of the Charles, Boston
October 29: Speakmon, Columbus
November 6: Wyandotte
Tuesday, November 8: AARC Board Meeting
Tuesday, December 13: AARC Board Meeting
ITEMS FOR THE WEEKLY NEWS
To submit items for inclusion in the Weekly News, please email Barb Kraft at Barb-Kraft@sbcglobal.net.
|
