February Training Trips

Varsity Trip

Many have asked about the Varsity Winter Training trip and I will give you a quick recap. We are leaving Thursday February 16th (early evening) in a 28 passenger Brown’s rental bus (Brown’s drivers included) down to Augusta, GA. In Augusta we will check into our hotel and row the next week at the Augusta Rowing Center. On a typical day the kids row early morning for a couple of hours, go back to hotel for breakfast, rest, go back to Augusta Rowing and row, eat Lunch, hotel/rest, back to Rowing Center for afternoon/evening row, dinner, hotel/sleep. Wake up and do it again. We plan on being back the following Saturday February 25th
The trip is extremely beneficial to rowers that attend. We get approximately 3 weeks worth of on the water training in this one week while the water at home is still frozen. Many teams down south and out west are on the water year round and this trip helps us keep up with those teams. Just like any sport working out in a gym is a great supplement but nothing can replace on the water training. This trip is highly recommended for any rower that wants to be competitive in the spring.
One important note about the trip: Your rower MUST do the 2nd part of winter training OR be approved by Drew Kroft to attend the trip. With rowers working out 3 times a day Included in the cost is the transportation, hotel, rowing fees, meals (except for travel meals while on the bus). The only thing the rowers need is pocket money as 1 night we like to have some fun and go to a go-kart adventure park where there is laser tag and various indoor activities. If you would like more information, please email me or call (sjmir12019@gmail.com ). You can also ask your coaches.

Mod Trip

Our middle school athletes have a special opportunity being offered to us for this coming February Break. The Saratoga Rowing Association has invited us to join them on their annual Modified February Break trip.

Summary

The trip leaves on busses on Saturday, February 18, and will return Saturday February 25. No school will be missed for this trip. Everyone will stay at Camp Ithiel, in bunkhouses. The camp is a little north of Orlando, Florida. Each day there will be multiple practices on the water. Two of the days however, there will only be practice in the morning. One of these days after practice, there will be a trip to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, and the other will be a trip to Cocoa Beach. There will be about 35-40 Saratoga rowers, several Saratoga coaches and chaperones going on this trip. If Shen Crew decides that there is enough interest in the trip, and our rowers attend, I will coaching. Additionally, we would need to provide a female chaperone.

Benefits

There are several benefits to sending your athlete on this trip. These are just some of my initial thoughts:
The experience is great for this age group. It is a week with their friends, participating in a sport which they enjoy. For some it might be their first time away from home, but I can’t think of a better situation for this. There will be little down time to think about home, they will be with their friends, and they will be in the sunny weather, away from the perpetual gray that is upstate New York from November to April.
They will have the opportunity to drastically better their rowing skills. Winter training it great (and is highly recommended for a successful spring) but nothing can replace water time. It will give the rowers a chance to get away from the constant indoor training, and remind them of why they train so hard all winter. Additionally, the multiple practices a day are great for technical development. With crew being such a technical sport, we work on technique all the time, but then the rowers have 22 hours until their next practice and often lose much of what we worked on. The multiple practices a day allow the athletes to work on aspects of technique with little time to forget in between.
Finally, it will be FUN! I would have done anything for this opportunity when I was their age. A week in the sun, rowing with my friends! They will also make friends with rowers from another crew team.

Cost

The cost is roughly $600 per athlete. This is “roughly” for two reasons. First, the bus details are still being worked out. Secondly, it might cost Shen rowers $25 to be part of Saratoga Rowing Association’s insurance policy. The $600 includes: lodging, transportation, food, rowing expenses, and passes to Universal Studios. The only money the rowers will need to bring is for personal spending and for food on the way to Florida. This price is excellent considering all that it covers.

Feedback

This trip is not yet official for Shen Crew. Saratoga is definitely going and would love the opportunity to row together for a week. I am sending this information out as a feeler to see what interest is like. I wanted this to go out as soon as possible because I know that if this trip happens; it may be a holiday gift for some rowers. Please email me any questions, thoughts, comments, and whether you would be interested in sending you child, so I have an idea of what numbers are like. I can be reached at Christopherausten@shencrew.com.

Thanks for taking the time to read,
Chris Austen (Pugs)