Philosophy of Carnegie Lake Rowing Association

Club Information

Philosophy & Policies

Philosophy Statement

The attributes listed below describe the overall mission and philosophy of CLRA, and serve as a guide to decisions about the club’s programs, policies and activities.

CLRA is:

A community-based club that is predominantly focused on sweep rowing.
Open to anyone (high school age or older) who pays membership fees.
A cohesive organization that accommodates its different types of members – men, women, juniors, open, masters, experienced, novice – within the context of a single unified program.
Committed in equal measure to "Competitive," "General" and "Novice" rowers.
Serious about rowing and racing, and committed to coaching, training and developing the skills of all active rowers.
Committed to providing racing opportunities to all interested rowers who seek them.
Cognizant that its members must maintain a minimum level of fitness and skill, as determined by the coaches, in order to actively participate in the rowing program.
Interested in providing social activities as an important, but secondary, aspect of the club.
Dedicated to helping support Princeton University Crew and the National Team through housing, assistance at regattas and other activities.
Committed to rowing on Lake Carnegie and therefore accepting of the limitations imposed by Princeton University.

CLRA’s Competitive Philosophy

A primary purpose of Carnegie Lake Rowing Association is to provide opportunities for members to participate in friendly competition with other rowing clubs. In support of this, our on-the-water practice session boatings are stratified. Boatings for regular sessions and regattas are made by the coaching staff and are based upon fitness, rowing ability, and level of commitment and participation. Rowing sessions emphasize improvement of technique and conditioning. While the primary consideration in the selection of rowers for race boats is to do as well as possible, an effort is made to accommodate all who sign up to race. Anyone who rows regularly is eligible to sign up for any regatta. Intramural races provide additional opportunities for competition. In short, the club’s competitive philosophy can be summed up as having fun doing the best we can with what we’ve got.

CLRA Racing Program

CLRA seeks to exemplify good sportsmanship throughout its program. Underlying this is an assumption that all CLRA members and its coaches will treat each other with respect. This attitude is also reflected in our proper treatment of the equipment we are privileged to use, as well as in our dealings with Princeton University and our racing opponents.

Rower’s Racing Eligibility:

All members in good standing (i.e., no overdue balances) are eligible to sign up for and participate in regattas, unless the coaches deem otherwise.
Coaches’ decisions on boatings are based upon fitness, rowing ability, and level of commitment and participation; seat racing and erg tests may also be used. An individuals’ record of no-shows and regatta dropouts will also be taken into account.
Commitment level throughout the season is a key criterion.

Rower’s Responsibilities:

Seek to become a better rower.
Communicate with coaches (preferably after regular rowing sessions) concerning your individual performance; i.e., what you need to do to improve. If in doubt about your eligibility for racing, ask a coach. If unsatisfied after speaking with the coaches, talk to the Captain. An individual’s placement in race boats is not an appropriate subject for discussion with coaches.
"Pull your own weight" – volunteer and be helpful.
Review the complete regatta schedule (available each March under Racing on the website) early in the season and plan your participation. Remember, when you sign up for a regatta, you are committing to the practice period as well as the regatta itself, so consider the complete schedule in your plans..
Sign up for regattas according to the schedule. No exceptions: late sign-ups will not be honored; instead, you will be placed on a waiting list.
Attend all race practices on time. If you are unable to attend a practice, it is your responsibility to recruit an appropriate substitute and notify your Boat Captain. (Note: The Competition Captain maintains a list of individuals who cannot attend the regatta, but who are available during the practice period.)
If you find that you will miss more than half of your boat’s practices, notify your Boat Captain that you are dropping out. If the waiting list does not contain an appropriate substitute (coaches’ decision), work with your Boat Captain to find someone to replace you. Notify the Competition Captain about the proposed change in order to obtain a coach’s approval and alert the regatta organizers prior to the entry deadline. Depending on the regatta and the date, it’s possible the boat may have to be scratched (ask the Competition Captain).
A rower who backs out of a regatta boat after boatings are posted is liable for the entry fees of any boat that he/she causes to be scratched, may not participate in this regatta, and jeopardizes future regatta boatings for which he/she may be considered.
Arrive at the regatta site a minimum of two hours prior to your race start time to help with rigging and other preparations.
Help with trailer unloading/loading and rigging/derigging at the regatta.
Attend trailer loading and unloading at the boathouse.
Never, ever be a no-show!

Competition Captain Responsibilities:

Manage overall CLRA participation in regattas and intramurals.
Communicate Competitive Philosophy and Racing Program policies as necessary.
Propose the regatta calendar annually for Board review and approval.
Create a schedule for sign-up periods, posting of boatings and practices for all regattas, and follow it rigorously.
Obtain entry materials and make arrangements with regatta host for CLRA’s participation in approved regattas.
Post sign-up sheets per schedule, including an area for individuals who can sub for race practices but cannot race. Also post basic regatta information; e.g., types of races and categories.
Take down sign-up sheets per schedule, organize applicant information (gender, age, P/S/cox, etc.) and any special rower issues (e.g., no-show record and backing out of regattas) and provide this and relevant regatta and other information to the coaches.
Assist coaches in any way they request.
Manage waiting list, changes and adjustments to line-ups, and get coaches’ approval for any substitutions due to dropouts.
Once boatings and equipment are determined and provided by the coaches, assign a Boat Captain to each boat, create the practice schedule in cooperation with the Captain (minimizing impact upon non-participant rowing sessions) and inform all who signed up, including those not boated, by:

Emailing a regatta information sheet to them and asking the Boat Captain to contact any rowers in their boat without email within 24 hours to inform them of their boating, event and the practice schedule.

Posting the full regatta information on the club website ASAP.

Making the information available to any rowers who were not boated and do not have email by posting a regatta information sheet on the outside bulletin board.

If there are not enough coxswains signed up for a regatta, contact the Cox Captain, who will recruit the needed coxswains.
Provide blank waiver forms, if required, to Boat Captains who are responsible for getting them signed and returned by the specified date.
Submit entries and related fees to regatta organizers by the due date.
Serve as Regatta Captain or recruit an individual to handle this function.
After each regatta, provide a final list of boatings and all related regatta costs (e.g., truck rental, tolls, gas, etc.) to the Treasurer for billing purposes.

Coaches’ Responsibilities:

Help rowers understand what they need to do to improve.
Determine the eligibility of members to race and their racing ability based upon fitness, rowing ability, and level of commitment and participation throughout the season.
Determine entry categories for each regatta in consultation with Competition Captain.
Make race boat line-ups, assign coxswains and equipment. Provide boatings to Competition Captain according to the published schedule.
Make every effort to place all sign-ups in at least one race boat, including drawing from the Competition Captain’s waiting list if necessary.
Make changes and adjustments as necessary. Notify the Competition Captain about any changes that affect race boats (line-ups, personnel, equipment, etc.); communicate any changes and the reason for the changes to rowers involved.

Boat Captain Responsibilities:

ASAP (within 24 hours) after receiving the regatta boatings email from the Competition Captain, notify any members of your boat without email of their boating, event, practice schedule and other relevant information. Subsequently, provide them with a printout of this email.
If the members of your boat cannot make a practice as scheduled and subs are not available, the practice must be canceled. Notify both the Competition Captain and the Captain and then work with the Competition Captain to determine whether the practice may be rescheduled. Rescheduling may only be done with the advance approval of the Competition Captain.
Be aware of practice subs and assist in recruiting a sub if a member of the crew needs help.
Recruit a cox for all practices, since the designated cox typically has multiple boatings.
Keep track of who actually coxes each race practice and report to the Treasurer for recording.
If someone drops out of your boat, work with the dropout to find a suitable replacement. When you have found a potential replacement, contact the Competition Captain to gain coaches’ approval for the substitution. To help in this process, the Competition Captain will maintain a waiting list of individuals who are available to participate but failed to meet the regatta sign-up deadline. Coaches must give final approval for all substitutions.
Get all waivers signed and returned to the Competition Captain on schedule. Remember, failure to meet the deadline jeopardizes your boat’s participation.
Organize your crew’s attendance for trailer loading/unloading at the boathouse.
Organize your boat at the regatta; e.g., on-time arrival of rowers, launch time, bow numbers, rigging/derigging, trailer loading/unloading, etc.
Keep Competition Captain informed of any changes; e.g., equipment or line-up.

Regatta Captain Responsibilities:

Oversee all CLRA activities related to a specific regatta, from trailer loading at the boathouse through post-regatta unloading. This includes serving as the official CLRA representative at a regatta, making necessary decisions on matters pertaining to unforeseen situations, and ensuring you have access to a cell phone on site.
Set trailer loading and unloading schedule in cooperation with the Captain.
Arrange for equipment (boats, trailer, truck/van, etc.).
Coordinate with the driver of the truck/trailer and ensure there are at least two people in the cab.
Ensure that all the right equipment is loaded (boats, oars, boxes, tools, slings, low-boys, etc.) and that everything on the trailer is securely tied down, both at the boathouse and at the regatta.
Ensure that you or someone you designate arrives at the regatta site early to complete registration and ensure the coxes’ meeting is covered.
Ensure that Boat Captains are on top of things at the regatta.
Inform Boat Captains of unloading time at the boathouse and put info on the LakerLine.

Cox Captain Responsibilities:

Encourage coxswains to sign up for regattas and recruit additional coxes as needed.

Cox Responsibilities:

Participate in as many race practices as possible.
Bring required cox boxes.
Acquire cox meeting information.
Ensure boat is launched in plenty of time before race with the correct bow number.

Discussed, modified and accepted at 3/19/2002 Board Meeting