Space Coast Crew 2022-23 Season

Spring Season Practice Schedule

All About Practice

Please check with the Coaching Staff to verify your practice times and requirements. 

Practices are held at the SCC Boathouse at Oars & Paddles Park, in Indian Harbour Beach, RAIN or SHINE! --- unless you hear something otherwise directly from your Coach!
Always bring plenty of water and wear appropriate clothing and footwear

SCC Practice Guidelines for Attendance:

Practice is the foundation of success in any sport. Rowing is unique with regards to practice - if just one member of a boat does not attend, the eight other athletes in that boat are unable to practice. Therefore, all athletes are expected to attend all scheduled practices.

While athletes are expected to attend all scheduled practices, the coaching staff recognizes that legitimate conflicts arise and perfect attendance is unrealistic. When at all possible, athletes and parents or guardians should notify coaches in advance of an impending absence. Such notification helps mitigate all the negative effects of missing practice. Our goal is a more than 90% practice participation rate with every team member.

Not attending practice may have the following effects:                                                                                                

• The absent athlete does not develop                                                                                               
  
• Teammates are unable to practice
• Another athlete practices in absent athlete's boat
• Absent athlete is removed from a boat and replaced by another athlete

Early dismissal from school, full days off from school, and holidays:

On an early dismissal from school day, practice continues on the normal practice schedule. In the case of a full day off from school (except major holidays), practice will follow the normal schedule unless you hear otherwise from your Coach. Major holidays are observed with no practice.

Weather Policies and Procedures

Though all the coaches work as a team each day to ensure practices are safe and productive, the Director of Rowing is chiefly responsible for ensuring that the weather has been judged and deemed appropriate to launch a practice on the water. As such, no crews launch for practice without the DoR knowledge and permission. In all but the most extreme cases, we will hold regular practices regardless of the weather conditions. Not only do we have very protected water to row on, we also have adequate equipment to do conditioning land training. In fact, our boathouse is rated to safely withstand winds well above a category 5 hurricane. So, when bad weather rolls in, as it can do from time to time, we move practice inside our boathouse where we stay safe and dry. 

There are 4 factors we consider when deciding to go on the water each day.

Lightning and Thunder 

• Lightning and thunder do hinder us severely. Our policy is 20-20:  We do not go on the water if lightening or thunder has struck within 20 miles and within 20 minutes. The DoR uses a lightening tracker every day at practice. We track lightning and thunder very closely throughout practice times.  

Wind

• Wind conditions involve numerous variables. Each coach is trained and equipped to make judgement calls on when it is safe to go on the water and when it is not regarding wind conditions.  

Rain    

• Ours is an aquatic sport. Unless it is a downpour, rain does not hinder our practices, nor does it force races to be delayed or canceled. After all, we are rowing on and through water, so if it is coming out of the sky who cares? We still hold practices in all but the most extreme of rains.  

Temperature 

• Most of the coaches have memories and experiences rowing with snow on the ground. That won't happen in Central Florida, but chilly weather still plays a factor in the winter months. It is the responsibility of each rower to wear appropriate clothing for the weather each day of practice. With appropriate clothing, even semi-cold days are perfectly safe. When doing an endurance sport that involves the entire body, each rower will generate a lot of heat. If their clothing is adequate, they will likely not even be bothered by temperatures in the lower 50s and even into the upper 40s. Always dress in layers and keep your outer layer wind and rain resistant. As paramedics often say: "cotton kills".      

01/17/23