October Information Bulletin #8

The End is Near
Scary to believe but in one short month we start pulling the docks in preparation for another long winter. Fortunately, October is one of the nicest months rowing wise across the Province of Alberta. Take advantage of the next 31 days to get out and enjoy the calm waters that typically accompany the month of October.

CSG Initiatives
At the last board meeting the ARA agreed on a number of exciting initiatives that will benefit preparations for the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The first of these initiatives can assist your club financially in the year to come. CSG Aged Novice* athletes who break 6:45 (men) or 7:45 (women) over 2,000m at the ARA Erg Championships in March 2013 will earn up to $1,000 for their respective clubs. We at the ARA encourage all athletes to be on the look-out for individuals who may have the physiological characteristics to meet these erg standards; doing so will financially benefit your club.

The Second such initiative will see a coach in each of Calgary and Edmonton to oversee one practice per week exclusively dedicated to CSG Aged athletes; representing an opportunity for CSG Aged athletes from a cross section of club programs to come together on a weekly basis. Alex Marchuk will be the individual to oversee this weekly practice session in Calgary while Hilary Baker will be the Edmonton representative. CSG Aged athletes should receive an email from either Hillary or Alex in the next few days. Alternatively athletes can contact Alex directly by emailing her at asmarchuk@gmail.com while Hillary can be reached by emailing hillarybakker@gmail.com.

Athletes please note that this CSG session is not a replacement to your club practice schedule. Your club coach will still spearhead your development.

For those athletes in our smaller centres, please note that we have not forgotten about you and are still very much interested in your development. We will be updating your coaches on training programs and developments within the ARA to make sure that your progress is being monitored.

(*Novice athlete is an athlete who was not registered with the ARA/RCA prior to September 2012. )

CSG Camp #4
The ARA’s 4th CSG Camp is scheduled for Sunday October 14th in Calgary, Alberta following the Head of the Weasel Regatta on October 13, 2012. Athletes interested in attending the camp can gain an automatic invite by completing a series of weekly erg challenges and posting their results on the Google Spreadsheet. Athletes who fail to complete one or more of the “erg challenges may still be considered for the camp based on the results from the challenges. The challenges themselves and details surrounding invitation to the camp can be found by following the link http://albertarowing.ca/fall-2012-csg-prep-camp/.

NRC Update
Athletes interested in participating at the 2012 NRC event are required to attend a time trial on Saturday October 13, 2012 in Calgary, Alberta. Details of the Time Trial are as follows:

8:30am – Athletes Arrive in Calgary
8:45am – Boats to the Water
9:30am – Time Trial Starts

Athletes who cannot attend the Time Trial event on October 13th, results from the Prairie Championships in Edmonton, Alberta will be utilized by the ARA as the basis in determining an athletes on-water performance. Athletes who are/were not in attendance at either time trial are to contact the ARA Provincial Technical Director immediately to inquire if they may be eligible to compete at the 2012 National Rowing Championships.**

***The sole exception being those athletes who have qualified for Gold Funding. These athletes are excused from the Time Trial.

The National Rowing Championship is a small boat regatta restricted to singles and pairs. With this in mind the Time Trial is restricted to athletes in singles and pairs.

University Update
University programs across the province are now in full swing and the university regatta season is now upon us. We at the ARA want to wish Lakeland College, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and University of Lethbridge all the best this fall season. The University Rowing Season concludes with the Canadian University Rowing Championships on November, 3 and 4 in Burnaby, B.C.

RADAR Reminder
A reminder to all ARA athletes that the next round of RADAR submissions while not posted by Rowing Canada will likely be due by mid-November 2012 . The ARA encourages all athletes to complete the battery of tests that are required as part of RADAR and post their scores on the on-line database. It is the opinion of the ARA that completing the tests and posting your results on-line will assist you in your development.

Head of the North Saskatchewan
Thank-you to the University of Alberta and Edmonton Rowing Clubs for hosting the Head of the North Saskatchewan Regatta on September 22, 2012. The conditions could not have been more perfect and the amount of athletes in attendance was great to see. Next up is the Head of the Weasel Regatta in Calgary, Alberta

Upcoming Events
Head of the Weasel Regatta – October 13 – Calgary, Alberta
CSG Camp #4 – October 14 – Calgary, Alberta
Western Canadian University Rowing Championships – October 20-21 Burnaby Lake, B.C
Canadian University Rowing Championships November 3, 4, 2012 Burnaby, Lake B.C