Crew Selections
Friends’ Rowing focuses on providing students with the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally. We strive to offer all in our care the opportunity to reach their potential as rowers, crew members and individuals that act with integrity.
Crew selection and the seating of crews is the decision of the coach. Across the season, coaches will aim to share around seating and opportunities to provide a ‘best possible’ experience for everyone. As the season progresses, coaches will become more specific in crew combinations that allow like-minded students with similar abilities to row together. The coach is consulting with the Head of Rowing across all this time in making three decisions. In making these decisions, criteria is based upon: demonstrated levels of fitness, technical ability, teamwork, attitude. Every effort will be made to provide students with the maximum number of rows at each regatta. At times, Illness or injury (or regatta cancelations) may impact crew decisions at a regatta. Parents and students can help this process by supporting the coach’s decision. If a query is to be raised it will need to be taken up directly with the Head of Friends’ Rowing.
The Opens Rowing program is to be viewed in the same light as any other 1st team offered by the Friends’ School. Students will be arranged in crews with the goal of creating the fastest boat on the water. The coach will make these decisions with oversight from the Head of Rowing.
The duration of the rowing season allows students to develop their skills and abilities over the course of the year. With this in mind, it is important to understand that a crew selected at the start of the season will not necessarily stay the same. The coach can change crew selections and crew seating at any stage throughout the year. Rowers who are not successful in a 1st crew will still be given the opportunity to train and row at all regattas.
Selection to Attend National Championships
Attendance at the Australian Nationals Rowing event will be considered if crews have reached bench marks on and off the water that identify them as being deserving of an opportunity to represent the School in contesting a National Title. It is a School expectation that all rowers given this opportunity to attend will be contesting for a podium finish in the primary selected event and may participate in other events to give further opportunities.
A performance measurement is based on the expected finishing times in recent Nationals races. This allows for target times for all boat types and events so that rowers and coaches know where they are in relation to those targets after early regattas, or by State Pennant 4. In some circumstances we may require some crew average ergometer times that will act as a minimum target as a requisite.
The size of any group going from Friends’ will be up to a maximum of 20 students. If there happened to be more than this number eligible to contest events in any one year, then Open rowers would be given preference as Under 17 rowers would have their opportunity two years later.
The School’s trip guidelines require the planning, bookings, logistics, staffing and risk management for any group of students wishing to attend an event, whether that be sporting, cultural or educational, be conducted by the School’s representative.
In summary, the School needs to be the arbiter in these decisions so that parents, rowers and coaches are knowledgeable about the process. While it can be agreed that the experience of rowing at the Nationals is valuable in itself, this is not a valid reason to ask families to commit to costs of around $1,500 or to take students away from school for a week, given that most, if not all of them will be studying Year 11 or 12.
Friends’ Rowing Student Participation Agreement
Friends’ Rowing is a program run within the Friends’ School. As such, the aims of our program align with the Friends’ School Purpose and Concerns Statement.
During the formal school rowing season from Term 4 through to the end of Term 1, students who participate in the Friends’ School rowing program are expected to prioritise this commitment to the school, being:
- School rowing takes priority (with no club rowing during this time).
- Students commit to all training sessions, camps and regattas as directed by the Head of Rowing and the squads rowing coach.
- Students do not train or compete with any other rowing club during the Term 4 & Term 1 rowing season (excludes the moratorium period).
Exceptions to the above will be negotiated and managed with the Head of Rowing & Head of Sport and would only be considered in exceptional circumstances (eg involvement with the Tas Institute of Sport).
The purpose of this Agreement is to:
- Protect students from overtraining and injury.
- Support our volunteer coaches in the management of their rowing squads.
- Provide a platform that is fair and respectful to all students and coaches
- Support the wellbeing of every student involved.
View the full agreement here.
Grievance Process
On occasions, issues arise within Friends’ Rowing that may affect the positive experience of an individual in our community. At these times, a protocol is in place that allows for the issues to be dealt with in a structured way.
If a parent or rower has an issue with a coach or a coaching decision, we insist that the first communication of the problem be with the Head of Rowing, Anthony Edwards.
Following this initial contact, the matter may then be referred further to the School’s Head of Sport, John White, then to the childs’ Head of Middle School (Years 7 & 8) OR Head of Senior School (Years 9-12), Adam Chambers.
To view the School’s Grievance, Complaints and Conflict Resolution policies, guidelines and forms, please visit this page.
