CREW FALL SEASON
Great Valley Crew launches from the John S. Trinsey Jr. Memorial Boathouse which is part of the Upper Merion John S. Trinsey Jr. Memorial Boathouse Township Park. The boathouse is located on the Schuylkill River in Bridgeport, just past the King of Prussia Mall.
Fall is our non-scholastic competitive rowing season. Unlike Spring, we can accept students from any school in grades 7-12. We row as Great Valley Crew Club. and practice and race just as hard in Fall as the Spring season. In the Fall, there are less regattas than Spring and the race itself is a longer distance of rowing than the spring sprint regattas.
We have no transportation to and from practices or regattas. Parents have a voluntary carpool you can join but must participate as a driver in order to guarantee weekday rides to practice. Athletes and Parents to be need to be committed to practices and regattas. Rowing is unique in that we are in boats and the boat cannot go out onto the water unless every seat is filled. One person missing practice can force 7 kids to remain on land and miss out on water training.
General Fall Schedule
- SEASON: early September to mid November
- PRACTICES: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 3:45pm to 6:15pm, Saturday 8am to 11am
- The first practice, weather permitting, will be Monday, August 31st.
- Tentative Regattas – Navy Day Regatta, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the Christina, Frostbite and Bill Braxton Memorial
What to Bring/Wear
Sessions will be rain or shine. Rowers should be prepared for wet, cold and sunny and hot conditions. That means layers, hats and sunglasses when appropriate. Unless the coach deems water conditions unsafe due to heavy flow and debris, we will row in the rain. All participants should come ready to work out, with close-fitting leggings that allow a full range of motion. Stretch pants or compression shorts are ideal, blue jeans and basketball shorts are not. Please do not bring cell phones or jewelry on the water.
Bring a non-disposable water bottle for use in the boat every day. Please pack a snack for before practice. On hot and sunny days, wear sunscreen and a hat for protection. On cold rainy days, rowers should have a pullover waterproof jacket.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a competitive rowing team and we need your full commitment to all practices and regattas. We need the whole team at every practice to ensure we can get on the water every day the weather conditions allow. One rower missing practice means an entire boat must stay on-land.
NOTE: Uniforms are an additional cost.
All refunds for GVCO programming are subject to a $25 administrative refund fee.
September 18th is the last day to request a refund for Fall Crew. After this date, no refunds will be returned to the registrant. To request a refund, contact [email protected].
Fundraising and Volunteering
Fundraising is a must in all sports, and Crew is no exception. We may even have some of the largest equipment costs in all of sports. We need and expect your participation in our fundraising events to keep the costs down and make this a successful program for our kids. Volunteering is a must, whether it’s a fundraiser, donation, a Friday or Saturday night pasta or pizza dinner, regatta food or transportation. In the end it’s part of the fun and connection that is what makes crew so amazing for kids and parents alike.
Our largest Fundraiser is in Fall. We must keep this a successful and profitable event. It is our main means of purchasing and maintaining boats, oars, and other expensive equipment.