Expectations & Procedures

Friends’ Rowing focuses on providing students with the opportunity to develop physically, socially and emotionally. We strive to offer all in our care the opportunity to reach their potential as rowers, crew members and individuals that act with integrity.

Crew selection and the seating of crews is the decision of the coach. Across the season, coaches will aim to share around seating and opportunities to provide a ‘best possible’ experience for everyone. As the season progresses, coaches will become more specific in crew combinations that allow like-minded students with similar abilities to row together. The coach is consulting with the Head of Rowing across all this time in making three decisions. In making these decisions, criteria is based upon: demonstrated levels of fitness, technical ability, teamwork, attitude. Every effort will be made to provide students with the maximum number of rows at each regatta. At times, Illness or injury (or regatta cancelations) may impact crew decisions at a regatta. Parents and students can help this process by supporting the coach’s decision. If a query is to be raised it will need to be taken up directly with the Head of Friends’ Rowing.

The Opens Rowing program is to be viewed in the same light as any other 1st team offered by the Friends’ School. Students will be arranged in crews with the goal of creating the fastest boat on the water. The coach will make these decisions with oversight from the Head of Rowing.

The duration of the rowing season allows students to develop their skills and abilities over the course of the year. With this in mind, it is important to understand that a crew selected at the start of the season will not necessarily stay the same. The coach can change crew selections and crew seating at any stage throughout the year.  Rowers who are not successful in a 1st crew will still be given the opportunity to train and row at all regattas.

Attendance at the Australian Nationals Rowing event will be considered if crews have reached bench marks on and off the water that identify them as being deserving of an opportunity to represent the School in contesting a National Title. It is a School expectation that all rowers given this opportunity to attend will be contesting for a podium finish in the primary selected event and may participate in other events to give further opportunities.

A performance measurement is based on the expected finishing times in recent Nationals races. This allows for target times for all boat types and events so that rowers and coaches know where they are in relation to those targets after early regattas, or by State Pennant 4. In some circumstances we may require some crew average ergometer times that will act as a minimum target as a requisite.

The size of any group going from Friends’ will be up to a maximum of 20 students. If there happened to be more than this number eligible to contest events in any one year, then Open rowers would be given preference as Under 17 rowers would have their opportunity two years later.

The School’s trip guidelines require the planning, bookings, logistics, staffing and risk management for any group of students wishing to attend an event, whether that be sporting, cultural or educational, be conducted by the School’s representative.

In summary, the School needs to be the arbiter in these decisions so that parents, rowers and coaches are knowledgeable about the process. While it can be agreed that the experience of rowing at the Nationals is valuable in itself, this is not a valid reason to ask families to commit to costs of around $1,500 or to take students away from school for a week, given that most, if not all of them will be studying Year 11 or 12.

Guideline for students who row for School &/or row for a Club.

During the formal school rowing season of Term 4 & Term 1, students who participate in the Friends’ School rowing program are expected to prioritise this commitment to the school.

The school rowing commitment is expected to take priority over all other Club rowing commitments.

Students who have registered to row for Friends’ Rowing (i.e. they are officially registered with Rowing Tasmania as a Friends rower) must be available for all training sessions, camps and regattas as directed by the Head of Rowing and the squads rowing coach.

It is expected that students will not participate with another Rowing Club in training, competition or camps during the Term 4 & Term 1 rowing season.

If a student seeks to have further involvement with a Rowing Club during Term 4 & Term 1, they must seek special permission from the Head of Rowing.

If a student wants to prioritise Club rowing over School rowing, then they should accept that they may be unable to compete for the Friends’ School at ALL competitions across the entire rowing season (including the National Rowing Championships).

Consideration will be given to a Friends’ School student (who is not a registered Friends’ rower) who wishes to compete at the National Championships in the ‘School Single Scull’ event. The student will be required to obtain written permission from the school (under the guidelines supplied by Rowing Australia). Consideration will be based upon the schools rowing guidelines to attend National Championship events. If permission is granted, the school will not accept responsibility for the student at this competition.