"Excellence Through Participation"
This is the website for Charlotte's only youth rowing team. We are sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg YMCA system and hosted by the Catawba Yacht Club on Lake Wylie.
OUR ROWERS GO TO NATIONALS AGAIN!
Congratulations to our 2008-9 Men's Quad, Women's Quad and Men's Double. Each of these boats has qualified for USRowing Youth Nationals! The crew for the Men's Quad is Joe Metz (2008-9 Men's Captain), Drew Conner, Eric Melvin and Paul Stojancic (2009-10 Men's Captain). Our Women's Quad is 2008-9 Women's Captain Abigail Crenshaw, Brittany Busch, Katie Cavins, and Sarah Fewell. Eric and Drew also qualified in the Men's Double.
At the 2009 USRowing Youth Nationals near Cincinnati, the Men's Quad is finished nationally ranked 11th and the Women's Quad finished 18th. (The Men's Double events conflicted with the Men's Quad events, so we did not enter the double) We are so happy for our rowers!
BRAG ALERT: These accomplishments mark our third year of qualifying crews for Nationals, and our first Men's crew to qualify. Our crew was the only youth crew from North Carolina, South Carolina or Virginia to attend. This is Abigail Crenshaw's third Nationals. We think this establishes several records for the Carolinas - most crews qualified, most consecutive years qualfying crews, and the rower qualifiying for the most Nationals (Abigail)
Last year Abigail and 2007-8 Women's Captain Bekah Mynatt placed first in petite finals, making them the 7th fastest women's youth lightweight double in the nation!
BRAG ALERT #2:
USRowing Southeast Regionals offers four novice events. Our novices won half of them - Women's 4+ and Men's 4+. The future looks rosy!
ACADEMICS?
USRowing - the sport's national and OIympic organization - recognizes fewer than 40 youth rowers annually for its national scholastic honor roll. We are delighted that rowers from our team have been selected in 2006-7 (Paige Wolf - rowing for UNC) and 2007-8 (Bekah Mynatt - rowing for Wake Forest University). Our scholar athlete for 2008-9 is Joe Metz, who will attend Duke U in the fall.
WHO ROWS?
Boys and girls, tall and short, heavy and light are all welcome. Previous sports participation is helpful, but not at all necessary. If you are small and have leadership skills, we would love to talk to you about being a coxswain - the one who steers the boat, assists the coaches with practice, and strategizes about our races. If you are bored or "burned out" with your current sport, if you find your sport unrewarding, or you haven't found a sport you love - check us out!
LIMITATIONS: We are not accepting high school seniors as new novice rowers at this time. It is not practical to participate fully in rowing and another sport in the same season. Although it is not required, most of our rowers race in both fall and spring.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT OUR CREW:
There is a great article about our participation in 2009 USRowing Youth Nationals in the South Charlotte News:
http://tinyurl.com/kq75e6
There was a nice article about our crew in the 11/12/06 Charlotte Observer. A copy can be found under "Handouts" in the left margin. Or you may go to:
http://www.charlotte.observer.com/mld/observer/news
and search for "Gaining speed with each stroke"
The South Charlotte Sports Report featured coxswain April Torres in an article June 2007. Check the "Handouts" section of our website, or go to... http://southcharlottesportsreport.com/news/2007/june/062607.html
YOUTH ROWING ON LAKE NORMAN?
Blythe Landing Park at Lake Norman now hosts a rowing and sailing center. We anticipate that site will host a portion of our novice crew. Novice rowers would choose either location for practices, and will race and travel together on regatta weekends. Watch this website for more information as things develop at the Blythe Landing Park site.
INTERESTED IN ROWING?
If you are interested in rowing with us and want to know more about the crew, check the Handbook under "Handouts" and the "Calendar" in the left margin. Our sport seasons run from late August to early November in the Fall (doesn't interfere with winter sports), and late February to mid-May in the Spring.
Winter practices (on land) are also available. Watch this site each November for more information.
If you want to row, call Head Coach Byron "Doc" Walthall at 704-542-5313. Or you may email Doc at jwalth1590(at)aol.com with your contact information (as below under "Learn to Row"). Be aware that it is not reasonable to participate in rowing and another after-school sport in the same season.
LEARN-TO-ROW FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
If you are interesed in crew you may give it a try without committing to an entire season. We hold an annual weekend "Learn-to-Row" camp for local high school freshmen and sophomores (Juniors by special permission). This takes place in late August, at Camp Thunderbird on Lake Wylie. An overnight stay is customary. Before the weekend is over, each camper will have a chance to row one of our big boats once to several times.
Food is provided and camp fees may be applied towards fall crew season fees for all campers who choose to join our crew. The fees are not set yet, so watch this site for more info on fees.
Contact Byron Walthall ("Doc") by email - jwalth1590(at)aol.com - to be put on the contact list. Please include the names and contact information (email, phones, addresses) of potential campers and/or parents. Also include camper's high school, birthdate and grade if possible.
ABOUT CREW PRACTICE
Rowing practices at the Catawba Yacht Club site are Monday through Friday after school for 1.5 hours (~4:30-6:00); and Saturday mornings (2 hours). Details about practiceS at the Blythe Landing site will be posted here as things develop. NOTE: novice rowers practice 4 days per week, our most competitive rowers practice 5 days, and experienced but less competitive rowers attend at least 3 days per week.
The Catawba Yacht Club is on Lake Wylie's eastern (Charlotte) shore, about halfway between Tega Cay and the Buster Boyd (HWY 49) bridge. Typical travel times to practice range from 20-30 minutes.
For DIRECTIONS to the Catawba Yacht Club click on LOCATIONS on the left menu.
Crew members: For information about the regattas and events, click on CALENDAR on the left menu.
TENTATIVE FALL 2009 REGATTA SCHEDULE
August 22-3 Learn-to-Row Camp Camp Thunderbird @ Lake Wylie
Sept. 26 Falls Lake Invitational Scrimmage Raleigh, NC
Oct. 3 Columbia Invitational Scrimmage Columbia, SC
Oct. 31 Secret City Head Race Oak Ridge, TN
Nov. 7-8 Head of the Hooch Chattanooga, TN
Nov. 14 Head of the South Augusta, GA
Nov. 15 Put most boats to bed Catawba Yacht Club
End-of-season party Location TBA
Nov 21 Possible marathon row Local event (selected crews)
MORE PHOTOS
http://siskeyyscharlotteyouthrowing.shutterfly.com/?email=charlotteyouthrowing%40yahoogroups.com
WATCH OUR MESSAGEBOARDS, HANDOUTS, AND LOCATIONS for information about our upcoming events
***ANNUAL NC/SC CLUB INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIP "SCRAMLED ERGS*** (February)
***ANNUAL ERGATHON FUNDRAISER (March)
Our crew has rowers from many different high schools in the Charlotte area. We will be accepting new rowers for the spring and fall 2009 seasons. Many new rowers join us from other sports which they find less rewarding or less fun. Note that crew does not conflict with winter school sports.
New (novice) rowers should be high school freshman or sophomores, although we accept selected juniors. Experienced rowers are welcome at any high school grade. At the present time we do not expect to hold tryouts or cuts.
Each participant must be able to document the ability to swim 100 meters/yards without stopping, and to tread water 15 minutes. Any pool lifeguard or swim coach unrelated to the rower may sign off on this using the Swim Certication form, downloadable under "Handouts". This should be done before the season begins for new spring rowers. (Done as a group in the fall)
WHERE WE PRACTICE: Practices are at the Catawba Yacht Club, on Lake Wylie's Mecklenburg County shore. This is about halfway between Tega Cay and the (Hwy 49) Buster Boyd bridge. In bad weather the team practices at the Hemby Center, near the Arboretum in SE Charlotte.
NOTE: We will row on EVERY PRACTICE DAY unless the air temperature is below freezing, there is thunder/lightning, or the wind is causing whitecaps in our little bay. We will have practice on land if the weather is bad.
OUR PROGRAM COSTS: The cost for participation has been lower than comparable crew programs, and much less than local "travel team" sports. The fee schedule is updated each semester. The YMCA can provide financial assistance in some circumstances (contact the Siskey YMCA for more information on joining, fees, and financial support).
Fees have been approximately $150-$200 for each season, fall and spring. This includes one racing uniform top, all instruction, and all supervised workouts on water and land . Race fees have ranged from $90-150 per regatta (hotel, transportation, entry fees, and equipment transportation included). Rowers are responsible for their own meals during transportation to and from regattas - typically Friday and Saturday evening stops for reasonably healthy fast food. (The parent organization supplies food items for lunches at regattas, and breakfasts have typically been free at the hotels)
Costs for rowing also include small personal costs for practice clothing (lycra rowing shorts, socks, sandals), post-workout food/drink, and transportation to practices - usually via carpool.
For additional information about the team, contact the coaches at 704-542-5313 or via email at jwalth1590(at)aol.com (Please mention rowing in the header)
