Youth Discover Rowing Lessons Details
Welcome to Sweeps & Sculls Discover Rowing Lessons!
Welcome to Sweeps & Sculls Rowing! We are very excited to have your kids joining us for our Discover Rowing Lessons. My name is Sue Koscielski and I am the Program Director and Head Coach at Sweeps & Sculls Rowing. I will be one of the coaches for your rower’s lessons. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and sharing this amazing sport. I wanted to give you some idea of what to expect along with some logistics and lots of other information. If you have any questions at any time, you can always reach me via phone, text or email. My contact information is below.
Coach Sue Koscielski Contact Info
Email: sue@sweepsandsculls.org
Mobile: (815) 693-3734
Waivers & other forms…
You should have completed 2 online waivers, one for Sweeps & Sculls and one for US Rowing. Those should both have been signed digitally in iCrew. We will be checking those and following up if there are any not completed.
There should also have been a “Swim Pre-certification” form. That just gives us an idea of what we are working with in terms of comfort level of the kids around water.
Drop off & pick up…
Drop off time: 5:05-5:15p
Pick up time: 6:45p
Sweeps & Sculls Boatyard (at Port Barrington Marina)
1317 Behan Road
Crystal Lake, IL
Our primary location for Sweeps & Sculls on water rowing will be our boatyard located at Port Barrington Marina. The road in to Port Barrington Marina is a narrow gravel road that winds down to the river through conservation land for about 1/4 mile. Please remember that there will be drop off and pick up traffic coming both ways.
Speed limit – 25mph…
Once you turn onto the road leading to Port Barrington Marina, please observe the 25mph speed limit out of respect to the residents and the marina owner.
Parking…
You can park facing the field on the left side. You can park facing the corn field on the right side as well. If you drive past the fields in to the marina and see power boats on trailers, you have too far and should turn around. Please call Coach Sue if you have any trouble finding the location.
**Please see map below for additional information**
Rower drop off and pick up…
Rower drop off will be in the parking area. Once we check in all of the campers, we will walk down to the boatyard together. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR ROWER UNLESS THERE IS A COACH IN THE PARKING AREA. You may notice that the coaches trucks are there, however, that may not mean that we are ready to start receiving rowers. We do not want our Beginner Rowers to be left unattended.
If you are running late, please put a note in GroupMe or call Coach Sue. You will need to walk your camper down to the boatyard to check in.
For pick up, we will walk rowers up to the parking area and make sure they get to you. If you need to pick a rower up early, or need to leave right on time, let us know and we can do our best to make sure they get to you.
Checking out the boatyard…
Parents that are interested are welcome to walk down to the boatyard with us on the first day so you can see how it all works.
If you need to miss a lesson…
If you need to miss a lesson for some reason, it’s completely fine, but I do need you to let me know as soon as possible. The way to do that is to log in to iCrew and unmark your rower’s attendance for that particular session. If you have to cancel within 24 hours of the lesson (so on Monday evening or later), please also put a note in the Beginner/Rec GroupMe as well. You can message me directly, however, I may not be the coach that is coordinating that Tuesday, so it’s helpful to put it in GroupMe so that everyone can see.
What to expect at the boatyard…
Our boatyard is an open space in the middle of conservation land next to a river where we keep our boats and equipment and maintain a dock to launch from. It is an absolutely beautiful, natural area where we frequently have wildlife sightings such as deer, sandhill cranes, herons, egrets and bald eagles. You will see this as you drive in to the boatyard as well. As such, there are many natural things to deal with such as insects and pollen. If you camper has allergies, it might be a good idea to make sure they have taken their allergy medication before they come to practice.
Severe allergies & other medical concerns…
If your camper has allergies or asthma severe enough that they require an epi pen and/or an inhaler, please do the following:
- Make sure that you note the
“trigger” for the allergy and/or asthma (bee stings, exercise induced, etc.) in the Emergency Information in iCrew. Please note if they are able to self-administer their epi pen of if someone will need to administer it for them. This will be important to know when assign rowers to seats in boats. - Ensure that your camper carries their epi pen and/or inhaler ON them (in a fanny pack, pouch, etc.) and that it is labeled with their name.
If your camper has other medical issues that require them to have special items (glucose tabs for diabetes, an Apple Watch that monitors for signs of POTS, etc.), please make sure that is noted on their emergency information and they carry those items on them.
What we’ll be doing…
During your lessons, 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
Rowers will have the opportunity to meet and row with current members of our Rowing Team. Some of them have been rowing for a long time and while others just started. It is a good time for campers to get some perspective on what the rowing journey might be like for them should they choose to continue rowing.
What to wear…
It is best to wear comfortable, athletic clothes that allow for easy movement. Please dress for the weather (layers when cooler, rain gear when necessary). Loose fitting clothes, especially shorts, can be problematic with the rolling seats, so closer fitting clothes are better. This can be especially problematic for boys. Steer clear of long, baggy basketball shorts. Sweatshirts and jackets with pockets can also be problematic. Clothing that dries quickly (synthetic fabrics) are always a better idea than cotton. As we get in to cooler Fall weather, you might want to take a look at our info on what to wear for cold weather rowing…
How to dress for cold weather rowing >>
Footwear…
Slip on shoes that are easy to remove are ideal for rowing. Our boatyard also has woodchip paths and areas around the boats, so closed toes are a good idea. Something like Crocs or Keens work well.
There are shoes in the boats, so rowers just need to be able to slip shoes off when getting in the boat. Rowers will want to wear socks with their slip on shoes so that you have socks on when you get in the boat. You may want to bring an extra pair of socks in case your socks get wet.
Lesson #1 – Please wear a pair of athletic shoes and socks. There are activites that we will be doing that are much easier with athletic shoes during the first lesson.
If we move indoors – Please wear athletic shoes and socks if we end up moving a practice indoors.
Please bring a filled water bottle…
Please be sure you bring a water bottle! We will be out in the sun and moving and we don’t want to see anyone get dehydrated! There will be water available during camp, but we will not supply cups, so please be sure you have a water bottle.
Bug spray & sun block…
While we don’t have issues with mosquitos when we are out on the water, we are very much in the middle of nature at our boatyard (our boatyard is surrounded by conservation land). We will fog for mosquitos before practice, but because we will be spending time on land, you are more than welcome to bring bug spray if you feel you need it. We do have some extra bug spray at the boatyard just in case as well.
It’s a water sport – you’re probably going to get wet…
This is one of our favorite things to say to the rowers and it couldn’t be more true. They may get splashed while rowing among other things. What this means, however, is that they should come prepared to get wet. A towel and a change of clothes is always a good idea.
Water safety and life jackets…
All beginner rowers will be wearing automatic inflatable life jackets while on the water during camp regardless of swimming skills. Life jackets are provided by Sweeps & Sculls.
Coaches will be in motorized safety boats while campers are on the water to provide instruction as well as safety oversight.
Safety overview…
Phones & other electronic devices…
Rowers can bring their phones to practice, however they will be asked to keep them in their bags or in our “rower cabinet” (including during breaks). Phones are absolutely not allowed during practice time and will not be allowed in boats. If there is a reason that your rower should have their phone with them at all times (medical or otherwise), please let us know and we can make arrangements. We will allow rowers to wear smart watches only if they do not become a distraction. If phones or other devices such as apple watches become an issue during practice, we will confiscate them from the rower and require that a parent come and pick them up from the coaches.
If you need to contact your rower for any reason during camp, please call or text Coach Sue (contact info above).
So what to pack for practice?
Except for day 1 when rowers should wear athletic shoes with socks, we recommend wearing your slip on shoes (eg: Crocs or Keens) with socks, and packing a bag to bring with you each day containing:
- Filled water bottle
- Athletic shoes
- Extra socks
- Sunblock
- Bug spray
- Towel
- Full change of clothes (just in case – because rowing is a water sport 🙂
Plan for inclement weather…
We will row in pretty much any conditions except lightning and high winds, so even if we get a little drizzle (please dress for the weather), we will typically plan to be on the water. In the event that we cannot be on the water, we still have practice at our Indoor Rowing Center. Please watch GroupMe for updates if you think that the weather is questionable. We try to make a decision by 3p at the latest.
Sweeps & Sculls Indoor Rowing Center
4410 Route 176
Unit #14
Crystal Lake, IL
If you have to miss a lesson…
Makeup lessons…
Team event in October…
