Welcome to Sweeps & Sculls Rowing! We are very excited to have you join us for one of our Discover Rowing Clinics. We are looking forward to getting to know you and sharing this amazing sport.
We wanted to give you some idea of what you can expect along with a few logistics. If you have any questions before your clinic, you can always reach out to your coach via phone, text or email. The contact information for your coach is below.
Times & Locations…
The times for your clinic are:
- Saturday: 11:00a-1:30p (*we often go a little bit longer, so if you have a back-end, please just let us know)
- Sunday: 7-9a (*we will discuss specific times and how this day will be structured on Saturday)
Your coach will meet you the parking area near the trailer with the rowing shells parked in the beach parking lot.
You will be meeting at Peterson Park Beach on McCullom Lake in McHenry. This is a temporary location for on water rowing.
Petersen Beach Park
Below is a Google and Apple map of the location of Petersen Park Beach.
Google Map >>
Apple Map >>
Waivers…
If you have a chance, please print the following US Rowing Waiver and Sweeps & Sculls Waiver and bring it with you. If you forget, we will have extra print outs avaialble.
Plan for inclement weather…
If the forecast calls for drizzle, we will still plan on holding the clinic at the boatyard. Please dress accordingly.
If there are storms coming through on either day, we will first attempt to move the time of the clinic by 30-90 mintues.
If that will not work, then we will do the following:
Inclement Weather – Day 1
If shifting the time will not work for Day 1 of the clinic, we will move the clinic to our Indoor Rowing Center. You will receive a group text message at least 30 minutes before the start time of the clinic letting you know that the location has changed. The address of our indoor rowing center is:
Sweeps & Sculls Indoor Rowing Center
4410 Route 176
Suite 14
Crystal Lake, IL
Inclement Weather – Day 2
If shifting the time does not work for Day 2 of the clinic, we will have to cancel and reschedle for a different Sunday. One option is to come to the next clinic date, however, we will make every effort to reschecule within 4 weeks of the orignal date and try to accomodate everyone as best we can. If we can’t find a date that accomodates everyone, then we will make individual accomodations.
What to wear…
It is best to wear comfortable, athletic clothes that allow for easy movement while rowing. Please dress for the weather. If it is going to be chilly, layers are best. Loose fitting clothes, especially shorts, can be problematic with the rolling seats, so closer fitting clothes are better. This can be especially problematic for men. Steer clear of long, baggy basketball shorts. Shirts and jackets with pockets can also be problematic. Clothing that dries quickly (synthetic fabrics) are always a better idea than cotton.
Footwear…
For day 1 of your clinic, any type of shoes are fine.
However, for day 2 we will be wet launching, which means we will have to wade into the water to launch the boat. We will talk about wet launching on Saturday so you care prepared, but some kind of slip on shoes that can go in the water are ideal.
There are shoes in the boats, so you just need to be able to slip your shoes off before you get in the boat. You will want to bring socks and we will give you time to put socks on when you get in the boat.
Coach Sue Koscielski Contact Info
Email: sue@sweepsandsculls.org
Cell Phone: (815) 693-3734
What we’ll be doing…
During your clinic, we will cover several aspects of the sport of rowing, including (but not limited to):
- equipment and how to handle it
- rowing commands and terminology
- safety
- the basics of the rowing stroke
Water, sun block…
These clinics are short, but you may want to plan to bring water with you.
While out on the water on day 2, you are out in the open so please feel free to use sun block, hats, etc. as you see fit.
It’s a water sport – you’re probably going to get wet…
This is one of our favorite things to say to all of our rowers and it couldn’t be more true. You may get splashed while rowing and it is possible that you could end up in the water. It is always a good idea to throw a towel in your car, and perhaps have a change of clothing just in case.
Want to keep rowing after your clinic?
One of the most important goals of our club is to educate people about the sport of rowing and provide a lifelong opportunity for participation in the sport. We hope to give you enough of an experience to decide if rowing is something you would like to continue. We would love for you to join us!
If you would like to continue rowing, we’d love to have you join our Masters (adults in the rowing world are called “Masters”) Program. I will follow up after the clinic with a link to our presentation about the Masters Program that you can watch at your convenience.