Week 8 - May 13, 2007
To TC Williams Rowers, Parents and Boosters
 
Wow!  What a day on the Occoquan!  TC returned to Alexandria with a double armload of hardware:  Four golds, a silver and a bronze, and the girls' team trophy.  We've got lots of photos (be sure to check the Web galleries from Bob Laubach, Peter Hearding and Elizabeth Noguchi) and Jeff Shankles'  videos from the race.
 
Now it's time for Stotesbury.  The Stotesbury Cup Regatta, on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, is the oldest and largest scholastic regatta in the country.   A few statistics:  nearly 4900 rowers and coxes from 175 schools, rowing in 842 boats in 28 categories.  TC crew's long association with "Stotes" is evident in the presentation of trophies named for Dee Campbell (girls junior 8), Steve Weir (girls lightweight 8) and the "TC Williams Freshman Coach Award" for the girls freshman 8. 
Racing starts with time trials ("head races") on Friday morning.  Boats are sent out at 15-second intervals in timed races, and the top finishers go on to semifinals beginning Friday afternoon at 4:00.  Finals begin Saturday at 1:00.  TC will field boys and girls senior, second and junior 8s, girl's lightweight 8 and boys' freshman 8.  In the junior 8 category, everyone on the boat must be 11th grade or below.  The freshman 8 has to be all freshmen - no 8th graders at Stotes.  The number of boats for semifinals depends on the number of entries in a class.  The course has 6 lanes, so there are three semifinal races for top-18 events, two semis for top-12. The schedule is on the Web, in html format or printable PDF files for time trials and semis/finals.
 
Participating crews leave for Philadelphia on Thursday morning at 7:30 to set up and get some practice time on the river.  They will return to TC Williams at around 11:30 pm on Saturday, after stopping at the Boathouse to stow the shells.  Boats will be launching from an Athlete's Village, which is downriver from the finish line.  Rowers will be staying Thursday and Friday nights.  Be sure to bring money for dinner - food will be provided under the tent during the day.
 
Also be sure to bring wet weather gear and a change of clothes to the regatta site.  Ask the Storesbury veterans:  There's a major traffic jam on the river in the launch and recovery areas, especially during the time trials.  If a storm or shower comes up, you could be wet and cold for a while. 
 
Parents and Boosters.  Stotesbury is a spectacle - one of the great events in rowing.  Imagine a 1500-meter course completely lined with team tents, thousands of spectators cheering for their schools, exciting finishes in most events.  Even if you're not rowing at Stotes, come on up to Philly on Saturday to see what it's all about and cheer for your team.  There's a wealth of information on the Stotesbury Web site.  This weekend, it's the place to be in the high school rowing world. 
 
Driving directions are on the TC Crew Web site.  Once you get there, you'll be directed to parking ($8) in Fairmount Park. Shuttle buses will take you, and your gear, from the parking lots to Kelly Drive, which parallels the race course.  If you want to walk, there's a path through the woods.  Note:  TC Williams will be in a rental tent, so don't look for the blue and white big top.  Look for the red TCW trailer and our banner.
 
At the tent.  There will be breakfast and lunch for rowers AND boosters through the weekend .  Boosters can avail themselves of this fine cuisine for $15/day, $25/weekend.  Children 12 and under are $8/$14, and a family of four or more is $50/$80.  That's a lot of food, water and snacks, and it takes a lot of people to make things go smoothly.  For those who haven't already committed to help, food coordinator Tom Waters is asking you show up at the tent at the following times to lend a hand (naturally, you can take off to the grandstand to watch your child's race):
 

Boys 2nd.8           Friday 7-10 am

Boys junior 8        Friday 10 am -1 pm

Girls 2nd 8            Friday 1- 3 pm

Boys Frosh 8        Friday 3 pm - end

 

Girls Sr 8          Saturday 7-9 am

Boys Sr. 8         Saturday 9-11 am

Girls Lt. 8          Saturday 11 am - 1 pm

Girls junior 8    Saturday 1 - 3 pm

Cleanup            anyone still in Phila.

 

Don't forget camp chairs, binoculars, cameras, and clothing appropriate to the weather.  Keep an eye on the weather forecast for Philadelphia.  Sunblock and raingear are always good ideas.  But don't even think about not coming if there's rain in the forecast.  Unless there are trees floating down the river, or lightning, the show will go on.  Bring extra funds for t-shirts and trinkets, funnel cakes and cheese steaks.  The official regatta photographer will take pictures of each crew in action during their race, and you can order prints at the Sport Graphics tent.
 
Hospitality.  Many Boosters are staying at the Marriott Courtyard at the Philadelphia airport.  ACB is working to organize a happy hour Friday evening for parents (not rowers).   We'll ask parents to make a donation to ACB to help cover the costs.  Look for details at the tent, or on the Web site. 
Going to Nationals?  Here's some advance info.  The regatta starts at 7:30 Friday morning, May 23, and the final event is at 2:18 Saturday afternoon.  Allowing time to help clean up and strike the tent, you should be able to leave by 3:30.  It's 500 miles from Alexandria to the Marriott Courtyard Cedar Bluff in Knoxville, where Alexandria Crew Boosters has a block of rooms.  Check the Web site for details, and make your reservations by Thursday, May 15. 
ANGP.  A message from Julie Carey, co-chair of the TC Williams All Night Graduation Party:  "How often does the chance to volunteer involve attending a party?  The 2008 ANGP is in need of dozens of parent volunteer to help make TC Williams graduation night celebration fun and safe for the more than 350 new graduates who are expected to attend. If you're not familiar with the event, it's held June 20th, after the graduation ceremony, at Chinquapin Rec Center. Parents and others are needed to staff the many games and activities available to the grads. Volunteers can sign up for a set-up shift that begins at 2:30 pm, first shift 10:30 pm -1:30 am, second shift 1:00 - 4:00 am and cleanup 4:30 - 6:00 am.  Please contact Julie Carey at careyjj@comcast.net to add your name, phone number, email address and preferred shift to our list of volunteers. It really is great fun."
LINKS: 
TC Crew on the Web  Be sure to check for updates before you leave for Philly.
Race schedule  In html or pdf format
Regatta tips            
Stotesbury Cup  All about the regatta
This message comes from Alexandria Crew Boosters.  If you don't want to see it again, if we should be sending it to a different e-mail address, or if you're having trouble with the format and prefer to receive it in text-only form, just hit the "reply" button and let us know.  If others you know aren't getting their own copies, ask them to send us their email addresses.  Our e-mail lists are strictly private, and individual e-mail addresses are never revealed to the list. As always, the very latest information can be found at www.tcwcrew.org.  And remember ... GO T-C!
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