What a “picture perfect” day for NRC athletes and their families on Saturday at Mercer Lake and it all started with the fabulous weather that seemed to follow us all spring. We couldn’t have “ordered” better weather if we tried. And the day only got better from there…

Highlights included - Friday evening’s competition had our JV4+ capturing second in their heat with a strong performance, but unfortunate issues in the semifinals made it difficult to match their performance on Saturday. The Men’s Novice 4+ crew changed up the order of their lineup (first time rowing it!) and bettered their time by 11 seconds in the finals. Men’s Novice 8+ had a strong preliminary heat but a very strong St. Joe’s Prep dominated the field in the finals.

The Men’s Light 8+ final was led again by a very strong St. Joe’s Prep crew and an exhausted NRC crew, four of whom had just raced the Light 4+, just didn’t have anything left to draw upon. The Women’s Novice 8+ continued their dominance in their preliminary heat, leading the rest of the field by almost 40 seconds, but had an oar lock issue early in the final race that they couldn’t recover from – congrats girls on a beautiful season!

The Men’s Pair captured 3rd in just their second race of the season against a very strong pair of Pairs from Radnor while the Women’s Pair managed to hang on to their third despite catching a crab right before the finish line. This young Women’s crew (a freshman and an 8th grader) started rowing together just a week ago – what an incredible accomplishment, girls!

And our Lightweight Men’s and Women’s 4+s turned in the same strong performances as they had all spring with nail-biting finishes in the finals.

All of the results for the day -

• Women’s JV 4+ – 2nd in heat, 5th in semis
• Women’s Novice 4+ – 5th in heat
• Men’s Novice 4+ – 3rd in heat, 5th in finals
• Men’s Light 4+ – 3rd in heat, 4th in finals
• Women’s Novice 8+ – 1st in heat, 4th in finals
• Men’s Novice 8+ – 3rd in heat, 5th in finals
• Men’s 2nd Novice 8+ – 2nd in finals
• Women’s Light 4+ – 3rd in finals
• Men’s Pair – 3rd in finals
• Women’s Pair – 3rd in finals
• Men’s Light 8+ – 5th in finals

That means four out of our six crew who were eligible to qualify for nationals did – what a great accomplishment! Congratulations to athletes and coaches for a very impressive Spring 2012! We are all very proud of you!

Following are some thumbnails of pictures from this past weekend’s regatta. There are over 700 pictures that were taken – click here to look at the entire collection from Regionals! Thanks again to Meg Carr and Barry Smith for such beautiful images of our kids. All are high res photos. Feel free to download, crop, and edit as needed (just right-click on the photo and choose “Original” resolution). Enjoy!

Next stop – Youth Nationals!

Friday-Saturday, May 11-12, 2012 – Our final race of the season is the MidAtlantic District Championships which is also a varsity squad qualifier for Nationals. This weekend’s regatta is held at Mercer Lake, Princeton Junction (aka West Windsor), NJ, the same venue as Mercer Sprints.

Good news again – the forecast is calling for absolutely fabulous weather – 78 degrees, sunny, no wind. Bring your sunscreen!

Arrival Times
Athletes are expected to arrive well in advance of their race to rig boats. Coxswain and Coach’s meeting is scheduled for 6:00am. Please be at the venue for 5:45am.
 

• Women’s Youth 2nd 4+ – 4:00pm on Friday for a 6:00pm race
• Women’s Youth Novice 4+ – 6:48am for an 8:48am race
• Men’s Youth Novice 4+ – 7:12am for a 9:12am race
• Men’s Youth Lwt 4+ – 8:16am for a 10:16 am race
• Women’s Youth Novice 8+ – 8:40am for a 10:40am race
• Men’s Youth Novice 8+ – 9:04am arrival for an 11:04am race
• Women’s Varsity 2- – 11:18am for a 1:18pm race
• Men’s Varsity 2- – 11:26am for a 1:26pm race
• Everyone else – please show up at 1:00 pm

Heat Sheet

Menu
We’re going to follow the same menu plan that we have used for the season…it seems to be working well. It provides a choice of healthy food selections to athletes and spectators. But this is only a guideline – if you have a favorite healthy dish you would like to prepare, we’d love to have it!

Please select something from the following list and also bring a 6- or 8-pack of water or sports drink. 

 

• Marinated Chicken breast (boneless skinless breasts or thighs)/ cut into smaller pieces (bring uncooked in zip-lock baggie, can use 1/2 bottle Italian dressing for marinade, or your own recipe)
• Brown rice pilaf (or any brown or wild rice recipe, make note if made with chicken broth since we have vegetarians)….3-4 cups cooked bring in ziploc so we can heat in chafing trays
• Clif bars, Luna bars or protein bars  (12 total)
• Whole fruit – bananas, grapes, oranges, apples, strawberries
• Salads and dressing

• Coffee (box of Joe) – parents really appreciate this!
• Whole wheat wraps/pita sandwiches filled with turkey and cheese, or other lean luncheon meats, veggies/lettuce (12 total)
• Cold pasta salad (hi protein or whole wheat pasta, veggies)…3-4 cups bring in ziploc baggie; will have bowls at regatta
• Melon cut up any way (2 total)
• Container of Hummus and bag of Pita chips
• Veggie tray and healthy dip (assorted, your choice)

Note: For anything that needs to stay cold on the table, please bring a bag (or ziploc baggie of ice ), which will go under the bowl, plate, or platter of food to keep the food at a safe temperature.

The food sign-up sheet worked well so we’re using it again to make sure that there is enough of the proper selections of food items for our hungry athletes and parents - please let us know what you’ll be bringing. Help is appreciated first thing in the morning to set-up the tent site and for tear-down at the end of the day.

Directions:
GPS: Richard Coffee Mercer Co. Park Marina Venue
(334 S. Post Road, West Windsor, NJ)
Please note: do not follow directions to the Caspersen Rowing Center. That is on the opposite side of Mercer Lake and will add 15 minutes to your trip!

Directions to Richard Coffee Mercer Co. Park Marina:
Coming from Wilmington/Newport DE: Take DE-141 S. Continue onto  US-202 S. Take exit 2 for I-295 N toward Del Memorial Bridge/New Jersey. Slight right at I-295 N Entering New Jersey.  Take exit 1B to merge onto I-295 N toward Trenton. Take exit 65A for Sloan Ave E. Merge onto Sloan Ave. Continue onto Flock Rd.  Turn left at Paxson Ave. Destination will be on the right ~1 1/2 hr.

Coming from Kennett Square/Chadds Ford PA: Follow US-1 N. Take  I-476 N exit toward Plymouth Mtg. Continue toward I-476 N. Keep  left at the fork to continue toward I-476 N. Keep right at the fork to  continue toward I-476 N. Keep right at the fork and merge onto  I-476 N. Take the exit onto I-276 E toward New Jersey. Take exit  351 to merge onto US-1 N. Proceed 19 miles. Turn right at Bakers  Basin Rd. Continue onto Youngs Rd. Turn right at Hughes Dr. Turn left at Paxson Ave. Destination will be on the right.~1 1/2 hr.

Parking:
There is a fee for parking – either $5 or $10. You can drop your athlete at the boat trailers then go on to park.

Thanks, again, parents for all of your help and support.

Go NRC!!!!!!!!

Friday, May 4, 2012 – Not necessarily the most beloved piece of equipment by rowers, the ergometers (aka, erg, indoor rower or torture chamber) proved to be a very popular “ride” at this year’s Patton Middle School Spring Carnival.

Hundreds of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys and girls tried their best to beat their buddies and claim title to “most meters rowed.” Following are some photos capturing the fun on the ergs -

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 – Families, friends and athletes gathered with USRowing leadership on Wednesday evening to celebrate NRC’s Founders Day, marking the anniversary of the “notion of NRC,” outlined on the back of a napkin just two short years ago at the very same restaurant.

With folks filing in from work, practice and USRowing headquarters, Iron Hill wasn’t quite ready for the size of the crowd, but reacted quickly and opened up their banquet room to accommodate the NRC party.

And when things couldn’t get any better, the evening was topped off by a call to Hudson Boat Works to order a brand new Hammerhead Lightweight Hudson 4+, which was so generously donated by an NRC family.

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the celebration!  Go NRC!
 

• Women’s Novice 8+ – 3rd in flight
• Men’s Novice 8+ – 3rd in flight
• Men’s 2nd Novice 8+ – 3rd in flight
• Women’s Novice 4+ – 4th in flight
• Men’s Novice 4+ – 4th in flight
• Women’s Varsity 4+ – 5th in heat
• Men’s Varsity 4+ – 3rd in heat
• Men’s JV 4+ – 3rd in flight
• Women’s Lightweight 4+ – 2nd in Final
• Men’s Lightweight 4+ – 3rd in Final

Congratulations to all athletes and coaches for their hard-fought races!

More than 500 photos were taken on Sunday (thanks Barry Smith and Meg Carr)! Also, thanks to Carol Beane, Mike Malchione, Louisa Wright, and Colleen Simpson for their photos of the proud athletes posing with their medals. Following are thumbnails of some of the pics. Feel free to browse the entire collection of photos for the day. Please note – these are all high res images. Just right-click each image and save as “Original” then crop, edit, and print as desired!

Next regatta in two weeks – MidAtlantic District Championships – can we even hope for more of the incredible weather we’ve enjoyed this spring season?

[flickr-gallery mode=”photoset” photoset=”72157629948086757″

Sunday, April 29, 2012 – Our third race of the season is the Cooper Cup held at Cooper River in Pennsauken, NJ. This is another great venue and will be a very competitive regatta, similar to last week’s Mercer Sprints regatta as it attracts top teams from the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

Latest weather forecast calls for morning showers with a high of 62 degrees, 30% chance of showers. Bring your rain gear and bundle up in layers. Blankets and sleeping bags are recommended to keep warm and anyone who has camping tents, please bring them so we can set them up as shelter for our athletes.

Arrival Times
Athletes are expected to arrive well in advance of their race to rig boats. Coxswain and Coach’s meeting is scheduled for  7:30 a.m. (moved up by 30 minutes from original time).

• Coaches and Coxswains – 7:15am (new time)
• Novice Women’s 8+ – 7:18am
• Novice Men’s 8+s – 7:24am
• Lwt Women’s 4+ – 7:42am
• Lwt Men’s 4+ – 7:54am
• Novice Women’s 4+ – 8:54am
• Novice Men’s 4+ – 9:00am
• Varsity Women’s 4+ – 9:18am
• Varsity Men’s 4+ – 9:48am
• JV Men’s 4+ – 1:00pm

Download Heat Sheet (race schedule)

Menu
We’re going to follow a similar menu plan as the past couple of  regattas. It provides a choice of healthy food selections to athletes and spectators. But this is only a guideline – if you have a favorite healthy dish you would like to prepare, we’d love to have it!

Please select something from the following list and also bring a 6- or 8-pack of water or sports drink. Note: Last week we ran low on beverages and a couple parents had to replenish the supply for our athletes – proper hydration is key to ensuring healthy athletes who are able to perform at their peak. Please don’t forget beverages.

• Marinated Chicken breast (boneless skinless breasts or thighs)/ cut into smaller pieces (bring uncooked in zip-lock baggie, can use 1/2 bottle Italian dressing for marinade, or your own recipe)
• Brown rice pilaf (or any brown or wild rice recipe, make note if made with chicken broth since we have vegetarians)….3-4 cups cooked bring in ziploc so we can heat in chafing trays
• Clif bars, Luna bars or protein bars  (12 total)
• Whole fruit – bananas, grapes, oranges, apples, strawberries
• Salads and dressing

• Coffee (box of Joe) – parents really appreciate this!
• Whole wheat wraps/pita sandwiches filled with turkey and cheese, or other lean luncheon meats, veggies/lettuce (12 total)
• Cold pasta salad (hi protein or whole wheat pasta, veggies)…3-4 cups bring in ziploc baggie; will have bowls at regatta
• Melon cut up any way (2 total)
• Container of Hummus and bag of Pita chips
• Veggie tray and healthy dip (assorted, your choice)

Note: For anything that needs to stay cold on the table, please bring a bag (or ziploc baggie of ice ), which will go under the bowl, plate, or platter of food to keep the food at a safe temperature.

The food sign-up sheet worked well so we’re using it again to make sure that there is enough of the proper selections of food items for our hungry athletes and parents – please let us know what you’ll be bringing. Colleen and Wayne Simpson will be trailering our utility trailer to and from the race. Help is appreciated first thing in the morning to set-up the tent site and for tear-down at the end of the day.

Directions

GPS: Camden County Boathouse, 7050 North Park Drive, Pennsauken, NJ 08109 – this is at the 1000 meter mark of the race. Pass the boathouse and your destination will be on the right, approximately 1/2 mile or so…Look for team tents on the right and signs for parking. If you pass the Crowne Plaza on the left, you’ve gone too far.

Coming from Newport and Wilmington area: Take exit 2 for I-295 N toward Del Memorial Bridge/New Jersey. Slight right onto I-295 N. Enter New Jersey (~32 miles). Continue onto I-76 W. Exit onto US-130 N/Crescent Blvd toward Collingswood. Turn right onto N Park Drive. Pass Camden County Boathouse. Destination will be on the right. ~45 mins

Coming from Kennett Square/Chadds Ford: Follow US-1 N. Turn right onto US-322 E/Conchester Hwy. Follow signs for US-322 E/I-95 N/Comm Barry Bridge/Philadelphia and merge onto I-95 N/US-322 E. Take exit 4 to merge onto US-322 E/Barry Bridge Appr toward Comm Barry Bridge/New Jersey. Continue to follow US-322 E. Take the ramp onto US-130 N. Take the ramp onto I-295 N. Continue onto I-76 W Exit onto US-130 N/Crescent Blvd toward Collingswood. Turn right onto N Park Dr. Pass Camden County Boathouse Destination will be on the right. ~1 hour

Go NRC!

What a great weekend of rowing at this year’s Mercer Lake Sprints! And it all started with the absolute beautiful weather ordered up by the regatta organizers. For the past couple of years the weather posed problems for rowers with cold, damp, rainy conditions and winds causing choppy waters and whitecaps. Not so this year – calm waters and sunshine prevailed, providing near-perfect rowing conditions.

Repeating their performance from the week before both Lightweight 4+ and Novice 8+ squads captured gold medals, taking first in their events while our 2nd Novice Boys’ 8+ and Lightweight Girls’ 4+ took third and bronze medals.
 

• Novice Women’s 8+ – 1st in Flight (Top time overall)
• Novice Men’s 8+ – 4th in Flight
• 2nd Novice Men’s 8+ – 3rd in Flight
• Varsity Women’s 4+ – 6th in Heat
• Varsity Men’s 4+ – 2nd in Heat, 6th in Final
• Lightweight Women’s 4+ – 3rd in Flight
• Lightweight Men’s 4+ – 1st in Flight

On hand to pass out medal to winners was Barbara Grudt, former member of the US National Team, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Team, and US Jr. Women’s Team Coach from 1996-2000.

And many thanks to the parents who helped with tent set-up and take-down as well as the phenomenal food selection for the athletes and spectators. Special thanks to Meg and Jim Carr for taking on the role of Regatta Lead Parents and props to Tara and Rose Carr who indisputably spent the longest time at the regatta of any of the athletes.

Congratulations to all athletes and coaches for their hard-fought races!

About 350 photos were taken on Saturday (thanks Barry Smith)! Following are thumbnails of some of the pics. Feel free to browse the entire collection of photos for the day. Please note – these are all high res images. Just right-click each image and save as “Original” then crop, edit, and print as desired!

Saturday, April 21, 2012 – Our second race of the season is Mercer Sprints held at Mercer Lake, Princeton Junction (aka West Windsor), NJ. This will be a very competitive regatta as it attracts top teams from the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

Good news – there has been an update to the weather and now the forecast is partly cloudy, mid-70s and 20% chance of rain! Bundle up in layers and bring your blankets and sleeping bags to keep warm.  Anyone who has camping tents, please bring them as shelter for our athletes.

Arrival Times
Athletes are expected to arrive well in advance of their race to rig boats. Coxswain and Coach’s meeting is scheduled for 6:45am.
 

• Coaches and Coxswains – 6:30am
• Novice Women – 6:30am
• Novice Men – 7:00am
• Women’s Varsity 4+ – 8:50am
• Men’s Varsity 4+ – 9:15am
• Women’s Lightweight 4+ – 12:40pm
• Men’s Lightweight 4+ – 12:45pm
• Men’s Lightweight 8+ – 2:45pm

Download Heat Sheet (race schedule)

Menu
Following are suggested items to be brought by parents and athletes to the race on Saturday. We strive to provide a choice of healthy food selections to athletes and spectators, but please understand this is only a guideline. If you have a favorite healthy dish you would like to prepare, we’d love to have it!

btw – parents and athletes raved over last week’s food selections. We were running low towards the end of the regatta on sandwiches and chicken so maybe we can increase those selections a bit.

Please select something from the following list and bring a 6- or 8-pack of water or sports drink.
 

• Marinated Chicken breast (boneless skinless breasts or thighs)/ cut into smaller pieces (bring uncooked in zip-lock baggie, can use 1/2 bottle Italian dressing for marinade, or your own recipe)
• Brown rice pilaf (or any brown or wild rice recipe, make note if made with chicken broth since we have vegetarians)….3-4 cups cooked bring in ziploc so we can heat in chafing trays
• Clif bars, Luna bars or protein bars  (12 total)
• Whole fruit – bananas, grapes, oranges, apples, strawberries
• Salads and dressing

• Coffee (box of Joe) – parents really appreciate this!
• Whole wheat wraps/pita sandwiches filled with turkey and cheese, or other lean luncheon meats, veggies/lettuce (12 total)
• Cold pasta salad (hi protein or whole wheat pasta, veggies)…3-4 cups bring in ziploc baggie; will have bowls at regatta
• Melon cut up any way (2 total)
• Container of Hummus and bag of Pita chips
• Veggie tray and healthy dip (assorted, your choice)

Note: For anything that needs to stay cold on the table, please bring a bag (or ziploc baggie of ice ), which will go under the bowl, plate, or platter of food to keep the food at a safe temperature.

Our Lead Parents this Saturday are Meg and Jim Carr (Rose and Tara’s parents) – thank-you! They will be organizing the setup and take-down of the tent, tables and food-related items with help from the rest of our parents.  Please let Meg know (302-345-2146) if you can help out on Saturday. Also, Tracy Goorland (Jake’s mom) has created a food sign-up sheet so that we can make sure that there is enough of the proper selections of food items for our hungry athletes and parents – please let us know what you’ll be bringing. Thanks, Tracy!

Directions:
GPS: Richard Coffee Mercer Co. Park Marina Venue
(334 S. Post Road, West Windsor, NJ)
Please note: do not follow directions to the Caspersen Rowing Center. That is on the opposite side of Mercer Lake and will add 15 minutes to your trip!

Directions to Richard Coffee Mercer Co. Park Marina:
Coming from Wilmington/Newport DE: Take DE-141 S. Continue onto  US-202 S. Take exit 2 for I-295 N toward Del Memorial Bridge/New Jersey. Slight right at I-295 N Entering New Jersey.  Take exit 1B to merge onto I-295 N toward Trenton. Take exit 65A for Sloan Ave E. Merge onto Sloan Ave. Continue onto Flock Rd.  Turn left at Paxson Ave. Destination will be on the right ~1 1/2 hr.

Coming from Kennett Square/Chadds Ford PA: Follow US-1 N. Take  I-476 N exit toward Plymouth Mtg. Continue toward I-476 N. Keep  left at the fork to continue toward I-476 N. Keep right at the fork to  continue toward I-476 N. Keep right at the fork and merge onto  I-476 N. Take the exit onto I-276 E toward New Jersey. Take exit  351 to merge onto US-1 N. Proceed 19 miles. Turn right at Bakers  Basin Rd. Continue onto Youngs Rd. Turn right at Hughes Dr. Turn left at Paxson Ave. Destination will be on the right.~1 1/2 hr.

Parking:
There is a fee for parking – either $5 or $10. You can drop your athlete at the boat trailers then go on to park.

Thanks, again, parents for all of your help and support.

Go NRC!!!!!!!!

What a great start to Spring!  Both Varsity and Novice crews captured wins (and near-wins) at this year’s Baltimore High School Invitational! And for the second straight year, NRC came in second out of twenty-six (26) teams  for the Men’s Points Trophy, this time to a very impressive DeMatha Squad. Congratulations, athletes!

Although the day started very early and a little chilly, it heated up quickly with NRC’s Men’s Pair taking first and second and both Men’s and Women’s Lightweight 4+ capturing first.  And that was just the start!  Results for the entire day were -

• Men’s 2- – 1st (06:01.90) and 2nd (06:30.40)
• Men’s Novice 4+ – 4th (06:37.30)
• Women’s Novice 4+ – 4th (07:36.00)
• Men’s Lightweight 4+ – 1st (05:27.60)
• Women’s Lightweight 4+ – 1st (06:12.50)
• Men’s JV4+ – 3rd (06:15.50)
• Women’s 2x – 2nd (07:25.10)
• Men’s Varsity 4+ – 3rd (05:56.70)
• Women’s Varsity 4+ – 6th (07:30.70)
• Women’s Novice 8+ – 1st (06:49.00)
• Men’s Novice 8+ – 4th (06:17.70) and 5th (06:50.90)
• Men’s Lightweight 8+ – 1st (05:29.10)
• Men’s Varsity 8+ – 2nd (05:14.70)
• Women’s Varsity 8+ – 3rd (06:08.20)

A huge thank-you to parents for their support at the regatta and the volume and diversity of delicious and healthy food at our tents.  In fact, Coach Sam McDonald can’t stop talking about the quinoa and shrimp salad.  She’s requested that whomever made the salad let her know so she may rave some more and perhaps nab that recipe.

Special thanks to Michelle and Bob Collins for volunteering as Lead Parents to coordinate the food, tent set-up and take-down at Baltimore. Thanks also to Colleen and Wayne Simpson who have volunteered to pull the utility trailer to and from regattas this spring. We really appreciate it!  Again, many thanks to the volunteers, parents, friends, and spectators who braved the early morning hour and chilly temps to show their support for our athletes. We really appreciate it! Hats off to the terrific folks from the Baltimore Rowing Club who held, yet again, a great rowing event.

Again, congratulations athletes and coaches for a spectacular showing!

Almost 800 photos were taken on Saturday (thanks to Meg Carr and Barry Smith)! Following are thumbnails of some of the pics. Feel free to browse the entire collection of photos for the day. Please note – these are all high res images. Just right-click and save as “Original” and crop, edit, and print as desired!