House Crew Handbook

2011 HOUSE CREW HANDBOOK

Tank Times

March 1st, 4pm
Dudley House Dining Hall
Mandatory meeting of crew representatives from each house to discuss general information

March 1st-11th
Pre-Season Tanks. Houses should assemble all likely canidates for IM rowing. Novices should be trained on the ergs at the Malkin Athletic Center, and then in the tanks at Newell Boathouse (see tanks schedule). Dan is available for coaching if need be.

March 14th-20th Spring Break

March 21st -25th
Newell Tanks Certification
All crews and coxswains will be certified during one of their assigned tank times. Email Dan Boyne (boyne@fas.harvard.edu) to confirm a time. No exceptions. Crews must bring rosters, waivers and photocopies of swim cards to their session. No new additional crews or coxswains will be permitted after April 1st. Individuals without stickered ID’s will not be allowed in the boathouse.

March 28th Weld Boathouse Opens for IM Crew practice.

The tentative race dates are:

A Heats April 28th
B Heats April 29th

A consolations, May 1st
B consolations, May 3rd

Finals, May 5th
 

Tim Wheaton, Assistant Director of Athletics,twheaton@fas.harvard.edu

Jennifer Carney, Intramural Coordinator, jcarney@fas.harvard.edu

The Intramural Office is in charge of the administrative aspects of House crew. Any questions of policy, such as eligibility, etc., can be directed to them.

Dan Boyne, Director of Recreational Rowing. (617) 495-2226 boyne@fas.harvard.edu

Dan works directly with the House crew program: certifying, scheduling, and coaching crews. Team rosters, swim test sheets, and waivers should be turned in to him during certification. Contact Dan for any issues regarding boathouse use, equipment, and practice schedules.

Assistant Coaches

Assistant coaches direct the dock and river traffic and take care of any immediate problems regarding equipment and procedure. Two student assistants are also on hand present to help crews land, disembark, and put their boats away.

House Crew Heads

House crew heads are responsible for the organization and general conduct of their crews. They must submit rosters, swim card lists, and waiver forms from participants. They should delegate boating with both safety and compatibility in mind, and fully understand all rules and procedures presented in the House crew manual. They are responsible for the competence of their coxswains, making sure they understand the rules of the river, rules of the float, and coxswains hand-out. Both House crew heads and coxswains must attend the pre-season meeting at Weld (see calendar). The House crew head is also responsible for equipment maintenance, delegating some of this work to qualified coxswains. 

1. All crews and coxswains must have training and get certified before they get on the water.

Every year we get several crews who are trying to learn how to row from scratch, and coxswains who are trying to learn how to cox without any prior experience. Crew heads go out and recruit great numbers of interested novices, only to realize that it takes a huge amount of effort to train these people I such a manner that they will have a good experience on the water – and a safe one.

The tank practices and the coxswain’s meeting are an effort to assist you to this end, but they were not really designed to encourage crews filled with total novices, coxed by someone who has never been in a boat. Imagine sticking a pair of skates on someone who has never skated and sticking him/her in the goalies’ position of an ice hockey team! Think about this before you go out and try to fill five boat’s worth of beginners.

The Harvard House crew program is a great experience, but it is also a huge commitment. You need to make this clear when you recruit your rowers, and tell them that they’ll need to show up at least two or three times a week, attend the tank sessions, etc – especially to those who haven’t rowed much before. Again, take people who are going to help you create a positive experience, and avoid those who need to be “dragged along.” If this means you end up with two boats instead of four, so be it.

2. Practice times are based on the level of the crew’s experience

Because the Charles river is very crowded in the early morning hours, we have begun to restrict the earliest sessions to “A” (veteran) crews only – the 6 am – 8:15 am slot. “B” crews (intermediates) can row from 8:15 am on, and crew that contain either a novice coxswain or more than a few novice rowers will have to row from 9:00-10:00, or during the afternoon slot 12:00-2:00. This may preclude a lot of purely novice crews, but that’s the way it has to be.

3. Select your crews based on fitness, rowing ability, and commitment

Often people ask us how to go about selecting their crews. There are many ways to do this, but perhaps the most important thing is to be clear and consistent about the way you do this. If you are going to have all the seniors row together, for example, that’s fine, but you have to state this up front.

Most Houses use an initial erg test to screen out the unworthy, but keep in mind that a good erg score doesn’t always translate directly into the boat.

You should also watch the way someone handles an oar in the tanks, and on the basis of this and the erg score, you can begin the sorting process. The seating plan can develop gradually, and we will be happy to help you out with this. Identifying the stroke seat – someone who rows well and sets a tempo everyone else can follow – will save you a lot of time.

Once you get on the water, smaller adjustments may need to be made. Someone may quit, or not be able to show up on time. Another may make rapid progress, and need to be moved up. Again, be consistent with any changes you make, or your athletes may get disgruntled. Also, keep in mind that a crew will “gel” over time, if they continue to row together. If you keep switching people around this process will take longer.

From time to time, the coaching staff may make a suggestion or two about your seating plan. Usually it is wise to take our advice...

4. What to do about a novice coxswain

Again, we do not encourage novice coxswains, because the process of learning to steer and command a boat is much more rigorous than most people imagine – it also poses a big safety issue. What we do with new coxswains is show them a video and then arrange for them to go out in a launch to see the river, but this is a very minimal preparation for the job.

If you do have to recruit/train a novice coxswain, let us know and we will accompany that person for their first few trips on the water. We would rather see an ex-rower take the helm than to have to “baby-sit” such a person, because it ties our coaching staff up from helping other crews.

Getting your hands on an experienced coxswain will save you an incredible amount of time getting organized. Beg, borrow or steal a good coxswain before you resort to a complete novice!

- The Charles River is a heavily trafficked waterway. The following regulations are for the safety of the crews, and must be upheld when scheduling your crews. Violations will mean loss of practice time and/or loss of Straus points.

- “A” rowers are those who have a minimum of 1 year rowing experience, and will practice 4-5 times per week

- “B” rowers have a minimum of 1 semester of rowing experience, and will practice a minimum of 3 times per week.

April 4th – April 27th

6:00 - 8:15 am “A” boats only. The following schedules are suggested for your crew:

Men’s A: 6:00 – 7:10 am, Monday – Friday
Women’s A: 7:10 – 8:15 am, Monday – Friday. Or:

Men’s A: 6 – 7:15 am, M, W, F 7:15 am Tues & Thursday
Women’s A: 6 – 7:15 am, Tues & Thursday/ 7:15- 8:30 am M, W, F

8:15 – 10:00 am “B” boats Men’s and women’s crews can either split the session in half (as above), or alternate days. Below is a suggested schedule:

Women’s B: M and W 8:15 – 9:30 am, Friday 8:15 – 9:15 am
Men’s B: Tuesday and Thursday 8:15 – 9:30 am, Friday 9:15 – 10:00 am

The House crew program at Harvard is a unique privilege for over four hundred undergraduates. It exists primarily as a recreational outlet, although a competition is held every May. The Weld boathouse facility where the program is run also houses the Radcliffe women's crew and the Harvard sculling program. The hours for House crew use are six to ten a.m., although the two other programs also practice at this time. As such, the boathouse and the Charles River are quite busy in the morning and crews must heed the rules and regulations provided by this booklet.

1. TANKS. Before going on the water, all House crews and coxswains must be certified through the use of the tanks. Not everything can be learned here, but the more the better. A tank schedule will be provided to the house crew heads. Only the old tanks (closest to the door) are to be used. Ergs are also available on the top floor of the Malkin Athletic Center.

2. PRE-SEASON COXSWAIN MEETING. Both house crew heads and their coxswains must attend this meeting (see calendar). Here the entire procedure of handling the boats will be demonstrated, and any questions regarding the program will be answered. Note: House crew coxswains should already be familiar with the basic procedures (see coxswain handout). The demonstration will merely be a refresher. Crews will be allowed to clean their shells after the meeting.

3. TEAM ROSTERS. Rosters, waivers, and swim card sheets (photocopies) must be submitted at certification. No paperwork, no row. Please separate names by gender, original class year, and affiliation (i.e. tutor). Alphabetize.

4. SWIM TESTS. Swim tests will be given at the MAC pool. It is required that
participants secure these before spring break (see calendar for dates).

5. STICKERS. At certification, each athlete will be given a participation sticker to be placed on their ID.

As you may know, the dock at Weld is quite a busy place in the morning; especially between six and seven-thirty. The house crew staff will be on hand to direct traffic, and all rowers should pay attention to their commands. The following rules should also be observed.

1. No crew should put its shell in the water until the entire crew is ready to row.

2. If the float is busy, foot stretchers should be set on the water.

3. After shoving off, crews must row through Anderson Bridge and continue on for at least another thirty strokes or so before stopping to turn or set foot stretchers.

4. Crews landing must approach Weld from downstream. Crews should land directly on the lower third of the float. After disembarking, the shell must be moved upstream to make room for the other boats.

5. Under no circumstances should a crew leave with the shell in the water. If your next crew is not ready to take the shell out, it should be brought back into the boathouse.

6. At least one person should be with the shell at all times while it is docked.

7. When storing boats in the bay, use the highest rack possible. This makes it easier for later crews.

8. Oars break when stepped on. If you leave them on the dock, make sure they are out of the way (the space on the lower dock between the two ramps is a good spot.)

1. Always stay on the right-hand side of the river.

2. Always take the right arch through the bridges, with the following exceptions:
a. Weeks Footbridge, Anderson Bridge, and Eliot Bridge--crews going upstream may use the center arch.

b. The "powerhouse stretch" bridges (Western Ave. and River Street)--crews going upstream may use the right hand side of the center arch, but only when necessary.

c. B.U. Bridge. Going downstream, the rightmost three arches are permitted; upstream, there are two, but the one farther from shore is best.

3. Never cut corners--always stay to the right. Be especially careful at Eliot Bridge going downstream.

4. Never stop near or under a bridge, or in any spot where you will not be seen by another crew (e.g., sharp corner).

5. Be alert for other crews and debris. Singles and other sculls have right of way at all times. Don't be afraid to shout to another crew who is heading blindly toward you.

6. Crews that are being passed should yield the easiest course to the passing crew. Usually this means giving them the middle of the river, but don't cut someone off just to get to shore.

7. When two or more crews are together, coxswains should take their course off the boat nearest the shore.

8. Crews should not row in fours going through the powerhouse stretch; all eight are required because of the potential for traffic jams.

9. On particularly windy days, crew should avoid rowing in the basin. Ask the float supervisor if in doubt.

All House crew members must read this sheet and sign.
In the event of a capsize, observe the following rules:

a. Stay with the boat. Use an oar or the boat itself for flotation.
b. Do not attempt to swim to shore without a means of flotation.
c. Utilize the buddy system. Count for nine heads and make sure that no one
is trapped underneath the boat.
d. Use distress signals: wave arm or shirt overhead; raise an oar vertical.
e. Keep as much of your body out of the water as possible (suspended over shell, etc.).

1.) I have watched the coxswain’s video, provided by my house, and familiarized myself with safety procedures.

2.) I am aware of that heading upstream, I will stay on the right side of the river, use the right hand arches (except at Weeks and Eliot bridges).

3.) I will never turn around in front of a bridge or near a blind turn in the river.

4.) I understand that in passing situations I am responsible to move toward the riverbank if my crew is being overtaken. By the same token, if I am commanding the faster crew, I will move toward the center of the river.

5.) If I have the faster crew, it is my responsibility to avoid collisions, even if it means stopping my boat in the middle of a power piece.

6.) I will communicate well in advance my intentions to other river traffic, including coaching launches, scullers, powerboats, and other eights.

7.) I will stay upstream of the Weld Boathouse until my crew has been given clearance to head downstream

8.) I will not land at the Weld dock simultaneously with other boats. I will observe any waiting line and directions from the dock staff, and will approach the dock with only the stern four.

9.) I will be responsible for having either a manual or an electric megaphone, and its upkeep. This includes the storage and recharging of a coxbox.

10.) I will work my shell across the river while in the midst of a turn so as to avoid a diagonal course across traffic.

11.) I will report any damaged equipment to coach, as well as writing it on the boatman’s repair list.

Print Name:________________________

Sign and Date:_________________________