Practice Procedures

Uniforms

Practice for all of our rowers begins at specified times. (Morning adult practice begins at 5:30 a.m.) We lose water time if we start late. In order for Steve (or any of the other coaches) to prepare lineups as quickly as possible, which will maximize time on the water, all rowers need to be on time. Be at the boathouse by the designated time, not just pulling into the parking lot at that time.

Make sure that Steve sees you as you arrive. This applies any season that we row, but is especially important in the mornings in the spring and fall, as practice starts when it is still dark out. If you arrive quietly and stand in a dark corner, you risk being missed by the coach and not being assigned a seat in a boat. New rowers especially need to make their arrival known to Steve. Over time, Steve will recognize rowers based on knowing their vehicles or the manner in which they walk to the boathouse.

The first rowers to arrive at practice should begin to get oars.

Juniors

Juniors are expected to arrive at practice 15 minutes early. On time is late.

Sweep oars are stored outside the back of the boathouse. Sculling oars are kept inside the front of the boathouse.

Oars should be taken out for use in complete sets and returned to the racks and stored as complete sets. This applies to both sweep and sculling oars. Sets of oars are generally distinguishable by the colored tape around the shaft. Each set has a different color tape.

There are some oars that belong to incomplete sets (oars have been broken, etc., thus reducing the set to less than eight). Incomplete sets should also be grouped together.

There is a difference among some sets of oars. The sweep oars with the orange stripe have been set up for use by the men. They have bigger handles. The oars with the blue tape are our newest set of sweep oars. The “blue” oars are generally used by the women as they have smaller handles. The red and yellow oars have the same size handles. The set of oars with no colored tape are the heaviest oars and should only be used if no other set is available. For practice, take the orange and blue oars first and then get other sets if/as needed.

Keep the “chop” style sweep oars in the front of the racks and the older style oars (spoons) in the back. Make sure to put them back in complete sets.

Sculling oars that belong to Albany Rowing Center have orange blades. Oars that belong to an individual and not the club but that may be used by ARC rowers have an orange stripe on the shaft. All of the orange-bladed and orange-striped oars should be stored in the right-hand side of the sculling oar rack. Use non-club oars with the orange stripes only after no club oars are available. Sculling oars that are not for use by ARC members are stored on the left side of the sculling oar rack.

As with sweep oars, sculling oars should be taken out for use as complete sets and returned to the racks as complete sets. Additionally, keep oars separated by sets when they are down on the docks.

Adult morning rowers in the fall season should take out three sets of oars on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays two sets should be sufficient as there are generally fewer rowers on those days.

When placing the motor on a launch or back on the rack in the boathouse make sure not to crank the thumb screws too tightly. They’re made of soft aluminum or brass and it’s easy to strip the threads by over-tightening them. Tighten them like you tighten rigging on a boat – make them tight and then that’s enough. They don’t require a lot of force. Keep the motor in an upright position when you’re putting it on or taking it off a boat or the rack.

To secure the motor to the launch, use the cable at the stern of the launch but don’t put it through the top handle (where it will interfere with the ability to steer) but rather put it through the opening below that (the lower of two “handles”).

To tilt the motor, push in the shallow drive lever and then raise the motor by lifting its lower half.

All ARC outboard motors use straight gas (no gas/oil mixture).

Before putting a launch into the water, make sure that the plug is in (the plug is located at the stern end of the launch, near the floor).

It does matter which launch goes on which trailer. In the summer when several launches may be out at one time, it also matters which one gets left in the water and which trailer gets left empty for that launch. This is a matter of what group will be using the launch next. For example, in the summer, the junior novice rowers go out to practice after the morning adults. They require a trailer that is easier to get up the ramp.

The various coaches prefer different launches. For fall mornings, Steve will use the brown launch.

At the end of practice, get the launch first (before bringing up oars).

There should be two bags of life vests in each launch. If you borrow a tool from the launch such as a wrench, make sure it gets put back in the launch toolkit at the end of practice. Flags (red and white) should remain in the launch. Make sure that a wooden paddle remains in each launch.

The red flag indicates an order to start or to stop. The white flag is used to indicate the direction in which a boat should head (usually used for course correction). The boat should be turned in the direction in which the white flag is pointed.

The men’s eight (no tape on the bow ball) goes on the top rack. The DM goes on the middle rack. The Vespoli with the orange stripe should be on the bottom.

When placing an eight on a rack in the boathouse, make sure that the boat is centered on the rack. The boats need to be properly supported. Do not let too much of the bow hang off the rack. This will cause the boat’s bow end to lose stiffness after time. If the boat is resting on a rigger, this can usually be remedied by sliding it out of the rack somewhat.

With respect to any of the boats stored outside in back of the boathouse, make a mental note before moving it of how the boat was placed on the rack (stern or bow end in). Rack the boat after practice the same way it was before being removed from the rack. Do not rack a boat so that it rests on the wash box or deck. Make sure that the boat is resting on its gunwales. Again - check how you took the boat off and put it back the same way.

Make sure to wipe down the boats well after practice. Take extra care to wipe the boat where the side of the hull meets the gunwale and around the riggers, as these are spots where crud tends to accumulate.

If the lights on the boat are used during practice, make sure that the light is turned off when the boat is placed back on its rack. The lights are battery-operated and the batteries will run down if the light is left on for an extended period of time (replacing batteries prematurely can get expensive).

If during practice you notice that a small part, such as a wing nut, is missing, take the initiative to go to the toolbox after practice, get the needed hardware and install it yourself. This is easier and more effective than telling the coaches, as they have so much else on their plates. Try to take care of small things yourself. If the club has just returned from a regatta, the toolbox may be in the trailer or in the back of our tow vehicle. Otherwise, the toolbox is located in the back of the boathouse.

When you’re coxing, make sure that you carry the cox box by its handle and not by any of its wires. To connect or disconnect the speaker system in the boat to or from the cox box, hold and manipulate the plug and not the wire. Be careful to plug into the cox box easily. Don’t force the plug into place, but do make sure that it is all the way in – push the plug down all the way. Take care of the headsets - be gentle. The headsets cost approximately $80 each, so handle them with care when taking them out and when putting them back. If the head sets are not cared for properly, the wires bend and then break, which results in annoying static when the system is being used.

Take the time at the end of practice to place the cox box back into its storage box carefully. The cox box storage container is located at the back of the boathouse. Be neat – don’t leave a rat’s nest of wires in the storage box. Cox boxes can be stored with some space between them – they don’t need to be put back right next to each other. Turn the cox box to the off position, plug it in and make sure the red light is on which indicates that it’s being charged. If you have problems, ask for help from one of the coaches.

Always watch and avoid the riggers on other boats when you are taking a boat off the rack. This applies to all boats, whether inside or outside the boathouse.

When removing a boat at low heads, just go right to shoulders once the boat is off the rack. The boat will already be at shoulder level – there is no need to go up and over heads and then down to shoulders.

When removing a boat from the middle rack, four rowers can slip under and around it while it’s still on the rack and then lift it out at low waist. This makes it easier than trying to get arms around the boat and lifting it off the rack. “Make it easy on yourselves.”

When walking out of the boathouse, stern people walk straight towards the fence. Do not turn toward the opening until you’re close and then slowly swing at the last minute. Go slowly so you’re not hitting the riggers.

Go down to the docks stern first. The only exception is for launching a pair from the inside of the dock. That can go bow first.

When the boat is on the dock, bow and stern should hold the boat while all the other rowers get the oars. Two-seat and seven-seat will get a pair of oars, while everyone else gets his/her own oar.

Launch from the dock with the bow of the boat headed upstream (north towards Troy ). All rowing organizations tend to follow this protocol. Any variation from launching headed upstream is specially noticed (occasionally in some race events).

The first boat on the dock should go all the way to the end of the dock. The stern of the boat can extend past the end of the dock. The next boat down to the dock should be positioned tight to the first boat. Overlap the boats bow to stern – in this manner, we can launch three eights off the outside of our dock. When overlapping bow and stern ends, the bow of one boat goes outside the stern of another (bow out towards the river). When boats are positioned like this, we maximize the use of our dock space and rowers should not have to wait in line to get on to the dock.

Try not to step into the boat with your shoes on. After a while this really wears down the finish on the strip part of the boat and brings in a lot of dirt into the foot stretcher area.

When leaving the dock, after pushing away, have two-seat row and seven-seat back. Having seven-seat back will help swing the boat away from the dock.

Get away from the dock, turn and then cross the river. Go to the eastern ( Rensselaer ) side of the river.

Don’t hold everyone up by tying in at the dock. Tie in on the water. Until you’re tied in, you can place your heels in the heel cup of the shoe and row with your feet out.

No talking in the boat while launching and pulling away. Listen carefully for the cox’s instructions and act promptly.

The shoes in our boats cost about $70 per pair. They’re expensive to replace, so help take good care of them. With care, a pair of shoes should last at least five years.

Before placing your feet in the shoes, untie them or loosen the velcro straps and lift up the tongues. Then place your feet in. Then secure the ties or straps. Don’t just slide your feet inside no matter how big the shoe is – this causes the heel to wear down (be crushed) over time. When practice ends do the same thing. Untie or loosen straps, lift the tongue and then lift out your feet.

As soon as you leave the dock, focus on technique. Practice perfect strokes right from the very beginning. Right away think of body angle, timing, sharp rowing. Don’t get into bad habits. Every stroke counts. “Row like a champion.”

The warmup sets the tone for the whole row.

When warming up, go lightly, stretch out, settle in. Take it easy. When doing arms only, just use your arms – no shoulders. When you go to arms and back, you should feel the pull in your hamstrings (not in your lower back). If you feel a pull in your back, that’s an indication that you’re curving your back instead of bending forward from your hips. Swing out and get down and around.

If yours is the last boat off the docks, you may have to shorten your warm up period or warm up by sixes instead of by fours.

Stay out of the middle of the river, which is a dangerous location due to boat and barge traffic. Remember that our boats are very hard to see in the dark, even when they are lighted. Stay to the right. Leave just enough space between your boat and the shore for one boat to pass through.

In the dark, or if there is any fog, you can use the lights on the bridges to help you judge where you are and to help you steer a straight course up and down the river.

Rowers should wear light-colored clothing when practicing in the mornings in the spring and fall when it is dark out. It helps the boat be seen and it helps the coach see you as you row.

Unless instructed otherwise, boats should gather at the red triangle to begin the day’s workout. At the triangle, bunch up and stay together with other boats. This way, everyone can hear the coach when he gives directions on what the workout will be. The first boat to arrive at the triangle should be the closest to shore, the second boat should line up next to it, etc.

Boats can be close to each other with just a few feet separating oar blades. The more you get used to being close to other boats, the more comfortable you will be with being close (this can be an advantage when racing in close quarters). It’s okay if oar blades bang into each other occasionally when rowing. If this should happen, drift apart, rather than veering away sharply. Ease up rowing on one side to facilitate steering in a particular direction. For example, easing up on port will help the boat go to port. One or more rowers may have to drop out for a stroke or two. Listen to instructions from the coxswain about how he or she needs you to steer. To get away from another boat, only a few strokes are usually needed.

There will be circumstances in which the cox’s steering alone is not enough to keep the boat on a particular course. There may be times, therefore, when you will not be able to pull as hard as you are able.

Be sensitive to the needs of the boat and be prepared to row accordingly. On particularly windy days, the coxswain may need help with steering if the wind is crosswise to and pushing the boat towards the shore or the middle of the river. Listen for the cox’s instructions. Rowers on one side may have to row with less pressure than their opposites. In some head races where there are bends in the river, the coxswain may call for some rowers to drop out or reduce pressure.

The person in stroke seat, or the bow person in a bow-coxed boat, should help the coxswain by communicating what is coming up behind the boat where the cox cannot see. This includes motor boats traffic and the other crews with whom we share the river.

When you are rowing, unless instructed otherwise by the cox because of steering issues, row with consistent pressure. Alternating hard and easy pressure affects the direction of the boat and the cox’s ability to keep it on course. Don’t assume it’s the coxswain’s fault if a boat goes off-course during a workout.

Scullers should stay towards the shore when rowing. Eights need to remember that scullers and smaller boats are nearest to the shore and to look out for them. Be aware that an eight actually creates a wake which can have an effect on smaller boats. Eights, therefore, should give the small boats some room.

If instructed to do a steady-state row, row your practice without stopping. Do not stop at the triangle. Conduct the warm up and then proceed immediately to rowing by sixes. The pair that is out should strip down as needed. Once all rowers have had an opportunity to adjust their clothing for a continuous row, go to all eight and do not stop. When the boat has rowed as far north as it needs to go, stay towards the shore and execute a river turn. After completing the turn, continue to row continuously back to the docks. Do not stop during or after the turn.

Boats not doing a steady-state row will go as far north as instructed and then turn to go down river. Weigh enough going north; turn the boat towards the Albany shore; row straight across the river; stop; turn to head south towards Albany ; stop and wait. Line up (pull up even) with all the other boats.

Always dock with the boat headed north (upstream). This is the same position from which you launched. To approach the dock properly, row past it, turn and come back to it. Before making a turn to the dock, check to make sure that no other crews are coming down river in your intended course. If so, let them go by. Make sure you don’t cross in front of them. Once you start to cross, however, don’t dawdle - be sharp and keep moving. In the spring and fall when the river may be moving swiftly, you will be drawn quickly towards the railroad bridge. You need to keep moving the boat to the dock as quickly as possible to avoid being swept into the bridge.

Once you have turned north and are close to the dock, come into the dock slowly. Don’t aim straight for the end of the dock. Stay a little away from the dock and come in to it at a slight angle. Be very careful to avoid bumping the boat into the corner of the dock. Use stern pair to propel the boat forwards towards the dock. Use bow pair to swing the bow of the boat to adjust the steering. Once parallel with the dock, if you’re too far from it, you can scull another rower’s oar to push the boat the rest of the way in to the dock. When docking, rowers should use a light touch and should listen carefully to the coxswain. No talking in the boat during docking.

Once on the dock, the first crew in should walk the boat all the way to the north end of the dock to make room for other boats to come in. Boats can be overlapped bow to stern just as when launching.

As with launching, bow and stern should hold the boat while all the others bring the oars back to land. Set the oars at the bottom of the stairs rather than carrying them all the way up the hill. This will enable you to get back to the boat faster.

To carry the boat, rowers should bunch up on each end. With the eights, four rowers carry the bow end and four carry the stern end. At each end, rowers should be paired opposite each other. Go slowly. The bow end should lead the boat gently – the stern end should not push the boat up the hill. The stern rowers should stay to the outside of the dock until they are able to turn and go uphill. With boats that are being returned into the boathouse, walk the boat straight up the hill until all rowers have gone over the curb before swinging towards the boathouse.

Wipe down the boat carefully after practice. Pay special attention to cleaning the areas around riggers and where the side of the hull meets the gunwale.

Take the time to clean up the inside of the boat. Saturdays after practice or when it is in stretchers are good times to clean the boat, or even wash it down inside and out.

At the end of practice, and before heading off to home or work, rowers who have put their boats away should get the trailer and head down the ramp to pull out the launch. Oars can be retrieved and placed in the rack after the launch is back at the boathouse. Remember – the coach can carry oars by himself if everyone is gone, but he can’t pull the launch out by himself.