Regatta Advice for Parents

Before the Regatta

• Make sure that you volunteer to help
• ALWAYS check www.loyolaacademycrew.com and www.regattacentral.com before you leave.

Suggested Items to Bring to a Regatta

• Lots of spirit and enthusiasm!! The Loyola Academy Crew program has been around since 1985. We have a wonderful successful history. We have a lot to be proud of and the crew members throughout the years have worked very hard to achieve and maintain this history
• Clothing….The races start early and the mornings can be damp and cold. Layer your clothes. It could end up being a beautiful sunny and hot day or it could rain. Wear shoes that can handle the rain/mud. Bring hats for sun and/or warmth. Wear LARA apparel, if possible, to show your school spirit and to help identify you to other LARA parents
• Map site and directions. Race schedule printed from Regatta Central
• Charged cell phone
• Folding canvas chairs
• Still and video camera
• Binoculars, it is a very long course and you want to see how the kids are doing!
• Umbrella(s). Plastic tarps to put on the ground if it is wet. Plastic bags for chair and camera equipment.
• Blanket(s), an old towel
• Cards, books, newspapers, needlepoint etc. during down time between races
• Sunscreen lotion
• Sun glasses
• Lip balm
• Water
• Money. The main thing to buy is the regatta t-shirts. Other clothing items like sweatshirts and crew jewelry also may be sold. Food is sometimes available for purchase.
• FYI: The restroom accommodations are usually port-o-potties

At the Regatta

• Be sure to allow plenty of time to get to the site. Often there is a great distance between the parking lot and the viewing area
• The Food Chair and helpers are the first at the tent site. They make sure the crew members have food and beverages when they get to the site
• When you arrive, you will see that the event area is divided into three sections: boat staging area, team tent section, and headquarter/food section. Look for your crew member at/near the maroon and gold LA tent
• The boat section is off limits to parents. The coaches are working with crew members before and after the races and they need the crew’s total attention
• Regattas can be all day events starting early morning and ending around dinner
• The Novice races are usually the first events of the day. Therefore, the Novices, the coxswains and the first of the Varsity rowers go out to the race site first
• Parents set up their chairs in front of our two tents. When we have a boat in a race, we walk down to waters’ edge and watch the race
• The Novice uniforms are easy to spot on the racecourse. They are a maroon T-shirt with a big gold strip across them on an angle
• The Varsity uniforms are not as easy to spot in the distance. Therefore, it is the oars that help you spot your boat. The Loyola oars are maroon with one chevron of gold. Several other Jesuit schools row as well so the maroon and gold uniform you see out on the water might not be our team. Look for the oars!!!
• There is a lot of down time while the races are action-packed exciting minutes. At times we have boats in consecutive heats and other times there is nothing to do but wait and help out
• An Award Ceremony may be held at the end of the races. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place medals are handed out on a platform. Great photo opportunities
• At the end of the regatta all pitch in to take down the tent and load up the food trailer
• The crew members dismantle and load up the boats.

Day after the Regatta

• The day after the race the entire team meets back at the boathouse to unload the boat trailer. The coaches will inform the crew when they need to be back at the boathouse.