Dudley House Crew (Rowing)
Tenative Spring 2009 schedule: Feb 12 Intro Meeting 6:00pm Dudley House's Game Room Feb 17-March 13 Erg Workouts March 2 - March 13 Tank Sessions March 13 Photocopy of Swim Card, Harvard ID, 2k erg time, and Schedule Sheet due Athletics office, Dudley 3rd floor or scanned and emailed to akcakaya@seas and high@physics March 17 Certification in tanks 7-8am March 21-29 Spring Break March 30 Morning on-the-water practices begin May 4 ? 6-9 am: A Heats ? May 5 ? 6-9 am: B Heats ? May 11 ? 6-9 am: A Consolations ? May 12 ? 6-9 am: B Consolations ? May 13 ? 6-10 am: Finals ?		Things to do before getting assigned to a boat: Read the info on this page Sign up for the rowing Mailing List Sign up for Ergs and later Tanks (at least two each for novices) Take Swim Test at the MAC before Fri 3/13 Do 2000m on the erg as fast as you can, preferably at an erg session. Submit photocopy of swim card, ID, 2000m erg time, and schedule form (if you didn't at the meeting) by Fri 3/13 to athletics mailbox on 3rd floor of Dudley. Map of facilities. The tanks are in Newell Boathouse (Boston side); we row out of Weld (Cambridge side). ROSTER: Roster 2009 (private) SUBS: It is each rower's responsibility to find a sub. To request one, sign up on the Sub Signup. Then mail the list dudleyrowing-list@lists.fas.harvard.edu letting us know you need one. If nobody signs up, start calling people on the roster. Contact: akcakaya@seas and high@physics
On-Water Schedule 2009   6:00 - 6:30 - 7:00 - 7:30 - 8:00 - 8:30 - 9:00 - 9:30 - Mon               Tue WA MB   Wed               Thurs WA MB Fri WA MB
Spring 2007 Results: Men's A: Second Place Women's A: ? Place Men's B: ? Place Women's B: First Place	Rowing Skills A Typical Practice Technique / Common Mistakes (pdf) Workouts Terminology / US/UK Glossary Stretching		Coxswains Weekly Itinerary Cox Boxes, Locker and Skegs Cheatsheet Charles Map
	IM Links and Rules Certification Eligibility Weld Crew Handbook		Dudley Links Mailing List Pictures & Videos

Overview

Dudley House competes against the undergraduate houses as part of the Intramural Athletic program. The season begins in late February, involves indoor erg and tank session training through March, on-the-water practices in April, and races in early May. Dudley will have a men's A and B boat, a women's A and B boat, and potentially a co-ed boat (all boats are 8 rowers and one cox). Many cite crew as one of their best grad school experiences!

The program is designed to accommodate people with a range of rowing abilities, from novice to veteran, but in all cases participants must be willing to make a serious time commitment. You must be able to attend tank sessions throughout March (not including Spring Break), morning (sometimes early), on-the-water practices in April, and the races in early May.

Eligibility

• Student members of Dudley house (currently enrolled), tutors, and house affiliates.
• You are not eligible for house crew if you are a member of an intercollegiate sweep rowing team, have competed at a national level, or earned a varsity letter in sweep rowing.
• If the above situation applies you may still cox (and experienced rowers make great coxswains!)
• Women may row in men’s boats. Women may cox men’s boats. Men may cox women’s boats. Men may substitute during practice in women’s boats. The only restriction is Men may not race in Women's boats.

If you have a question about eligibility please contact us. It is best to decide these issues at the beginning of the season rather than have them crop up near race time where substitutions will be very difficult.

Swim Test and Swim Cards

All participants must submit a photocopy of a Harvard issued swim card and your ID by the date at the top. These should be submitted to mailbox on the athletic office door of Dudley house, 3rd floor. Please print your name clearly on the photocopy.

Swim cards for passing a swim test are available at the MAC pool (hours) during the Recreational Rowing season. The test is 100 yards any stroke except on your back and you must make good forward progress. Harvard ID required. Contact: Malkin Athletics Center, 495-2219, or MAC pool, 495-7819 for more information. Swim cards are good for 5 years.

Boating

Dudley usually has four crews: Men’s A and B and Women’s A and B. The house owns one boat for eight rowers plus cox, which is shared among these crews. We try to make IM crew a fun program for everyone. This imposes two constraints. First, we try and allocate people to a boat which matches their skill and fitness level. Second, we cannot control the number of rowers trying to get into 8-person crews. This means we may not be able to assign everyone interested in participating to a boat. Given this constraint we have developed a method for boating based on three factors. The first is fitness as measured by performance on a rowing ergometer. Second is technique as demonstrated in the tank sessions. The third is commitment. The practice season is very short, often the best crews are simply those which have practiced the most together. Crew is perhaps the most interdependent team sport – if one rower does not show, the whole boat cannot practice. Attendance at erg sessions and tank sessions will be noted.

Erg Tests

The erg test will consist of rowing 2000 meters on the rowing ergometer in the fastest time possible. In order to prepare for the erg test it is to your advantage to practice on the erg well before the test. Several rowing machines are available on the 2nd floor of the MAC as well as in the Hemenway, QRAC and Vanderbilt gyms. Tests will be done on Concept II model C machines (these are the type in the MAC second floor) with vent settings of your choice. Supervised erg sessions are required for novices and encouraged for experienced rowers in order to report your time. All rowers must submit erg times with their swim card on the date at the top. Typical erg times in past years range from 6:45 to 8:45 for men and 7:45 to 9:30 for women. There are no set erg times for rowers in the A-boats or B-boats, although most A-boat rowers have faster times than most B-boat rowers.

Tank Sessions

These are 30-minute practice sessions held in the “tanks” at Newell Boathouse (on the Boston side of the Charles). The “tank” is a concrete mock of an eight with two pools on either side for the oars. Tank sessions will be coached by experienced Dudley rowers and led by coxswains. They are designed to familiarize you with rowing technique and the boat commands which will be used on the water. At these sessions the coaches will also examine your rowing technique. Tank times for the 2008 season were
Mon 8:30-9 am * Tue 7-7:30 am * Wed 5-5:30 pm * Thu 4-4:30 pm * Fri 3-3:30 pm

Novice Rowers: Please sign up for two sessions and also attend one novice session run by the boathouse staff
Experienced Rowers: sign up for one tank session
Coxswains: as there are fewer of you, please sign up for as many sessions as you can.

Locations

Erg Sessions: second floor of the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC), Hemenway, QRAC, or Vanderbilt gyms.

Tank sessions: Newell boathouse is across the river on the right/upstream of JFK bridge on the Boston shore. As you enter Newell, the tanks are to the left past the boats. A small amount of parking is available at Newell.

On the water rowing: Weld boathouse - at the corner of JFK and memorial drive on the Cambridge shore. Backpacks etc can be left neatly by the warm up mats, or in the locker room upstairs. Both men's and women's showers are available. Parking is not available at Weld. Early crews will likely have their choice of metered spaces on side streets. A bike is very useful, bike racks are plentiful outside Weld.

If you are assigned a boat...

Tank Certification

Crews must demonstrate basic rowing competency before getting into a real boat. Certification will be held the week of March 12 in the Newell boathouse tanks. Passing certification is required of all crews and coxswains. Under the supervision of Dan Boyne, Recreational rowing director, all crews must demonstrate:

• Getting into the shell properly on the coxswain’s command – ports ship out oars first, always hold oars, do not step on boat’s bottom
• Rowing in fours, sixes, and all eight. Switching in pairs.
• Emergency stopping : “weigh enough” and “hold water”
• Turning around in place “ports to back and starboards to row”
• Starting and stopping together on coxswain’s command
• Getting out of boat – starboards out first, then ports, bring oars across

Additionally, all participants much sign an acceptance of the “safety rules” in the event of a capsize.

• Stay with the boat. Use an oar or the boat for flotation
• Do not attempt to swim to shore without a means of flotation
• Utilize the buddy system, count for nine heads and make sure that no one is trapped beneath the boat.
• Use distress signals: waive arm or shirt; raise oar vertical
• Keep as much of your body out of the water as possible (eg suspended over shell)

Coxswains must also sign an acceptance of coxswain safety rules, these involve the understanding of navigating the Charles.

Being on Time

We have only four short weeks of on-the-water-practice before the races, this will mean about 12 practices for each crew. It is imperative that members be on time so as not to waste practice time. Repeated lateness will not only earn you the scorn of other rowers who did get out of bed on time, but also in persistent cases may cause you to loose your seat in the boat. At 7:30 we also “hand off” the boat to the later crew. If the 7:30 crew is not on time, either the earlier crew has to row around and land again (very annoying) or the boat must be taken out of the water, put on the racks, and then put back in the water by the late crew (also not fun). At times, cox to bow phone trees have been organized in order to insure that crews do not oversleep.

Missing Practice

If you know that you will not be able to make a practice, it is your responsibility to arrange for a substitute (you will receive a list of other rowers’ emails and phone numbers). It is not the responsibility of your coxswain or crew coordinator to find a sub. Once you have found a sub please tell your cox so that (s)he knows who to expect that day. Because each boat only has about 12 outings, missing three of them (excused or not) is adequate reason to ask a rower to give up his/her seat to someone who might contribute more to the boat and get more out of the program. If you know that attendance at practices may be difficult due to meetings, class, or travel, we ask that you consider rowing a different year when you are more available.

Weather

Weather is seldom an impediment to rowing. We pretty much row in everything – except lightning and high winds. Rain is not cause for cancellation. Always come to the boathouse at your scheduled time. In the rare event of unrowable conditions, this will often be decided by the dock coordinator after you have already arrived (since they arrive when you do).

Clothing

You should wear exercise clothing that is not too loose, since loose clothing will get caught in the seat tracks. Layers are recommended, especially early in the season where temperatures can be in the low 40s. The best materials are wool, silk, and polypro or other synthetic wicking fabrics. Cotton does not insulate well when wet. When it is raining, an outer waterproof layer is best. Most people remove their sneakers and leave them on the dock. Warm wool socks are a good bet for your feet in the boat.

On-Water Itinerary

Week 1 Row in fours and sixes only, all drills, no speedwork. Drills: pic (quick hands), handle heights, pauses, square blades, outside hand, catch. Focus: set, timing at catch and finish, ratio, long strokes (get reach at the catch by splitting/leaning, not lunging).

Week 2 Longer pieces (10-30 min) at low rating with rating shifts (e.g. A-boat 3x15 or 20 min at 3/4 pressure, 18-22 spm, calling rating changes; 5-10 min. recoveries with drills. Try ONE 5-min. full-pressure race piece (running start) at 24 spm with a couple power twenties up to 28 spm, just to get the feel for the exertion of a race and make your rowers inspired to work out on their own! More drills: feet out, dip, changing ratings, exaggerated slowness, eyes closed, jump the seat (tens). Pause at 1/2 slide to help decrease rushing. Focus: ratio (no rushing), timing (incl. squaring early and together), puddle shape (tight, no foam), cover (bow's puddle should reach at least stroke's seat at 3/4 pressure).

Week 3 Speedwork, 2-6 min. pieces at full pressure, 26-32 rating with no rushing, incl. power tens and twenties bringing the rating up to 32. Drills during recovery between pieces. If you have a 3rd workout for the week, do steady state at 3/4 pressure (A-boats try for "hour of power"). Drills: continue as above. Try pic drill with feathering on all strokes (this is hard!).

Week 4 Lots of race starts into 20 strokes firm (full) pressure. Maybe do 1-2 whole race pieces if it's early in the week; scrimmage another boat if at all possible. Race pieces can either be timed or use the markers on the bank for 1000m or 1500m courses. Last day - do 15 or 20 race starts, make sure no one catches crabs under pressure. Make sure everyone knows how to get out of a crab without stopping the boat.

Week 5 Win races. Have fun. Go Dudley!

Cox Boxes, Locker and Skegs

Cox-box: a small round box serving to amplify your voice and display the stroke rating. Dudley owns two boxes; they are very expensive and should be treated with respect. They must be recharged after each use - just push the plug in, don't twist. Politely decline to lend out our boxes to other houses; they don't have enough juice for more than one row and Dudley rowers coxswains need to use it, and the box may not return. Keep them locked and charging (you can see a charging light) in the Dudley locker.

Dudley crew locker: Coxswains will get the combination to the Dudley crew locker. In our locker will be two coxboxes, a list of rowers' phone numbers in case someone oversleeps, a tool to unloosen over-tightened foot stretcher wing nuts, and usually some athletic tape for rowers' hands.

The skeg (fin) and/or rudder can break off easily if you come too close to shore or a shallow area, and then steering will be impossible. Be careful! Should this happen, use your rowers to steer (one side rows harder/more rowers, etc.) and make sure to alert the dock (float) supervisors, so it can be repaired ASAP. You can also steer with your hands in the water (cold! but you probably deserve it for tearing off a skeg!).

Sculling and Rowing outside of Dudley

This Recreational Rowing activity is run by Weld Boathouse. A swim card is required (see below), and boats may launch M-F 10-4, starting in early April. Sculling is rowing with an oar in each hand (versus sweep rowing, with both hands on one oar). This is a *great* way to get into rowing at your own pace, and the experience will really help your technique for the spring IM crew season. Just show up at Weld Boathouse (corner of JFK and Memorial Drive) with your Harvard ID and swimcard; if it's your very first time, you need to drop by between10am-2pm for some individual instruction. For more info, contact Weld Boathouse at 495-2226 (Dan Boyne). Rowing sites of interest Harvard Recreational  Rowing Mailing List Physics of Rowing Concept 2 Physiology Head of the Charles Rower's World Row2k Crash-B's Cambridge Boat Club Charles River Recreation Community Rowing Riverside Boat Club Harvard/Radcliffe Team Sloan Crew FAQ

Former Dudley House rower Susie Philips on her way to winning the Head of the Charles Women's Club Single event.

Harvard Lightweight in the Henley Royal Regatta, 1993. Nice backsplash!

Harvard University Lightweights, 1961, on the banks of the Charles