Parents are encouraged to come early on race days and stay for the entire day. Look for the tent with the Los Gatos Rowing Club banner to find other parents at race sites.
Transportation:
The racing schedule indicates how travel will happen for each regatta. Travel can be carpool/athlete arranged rides, bus or air travel. Athletes are discouraged from driving themselves to/from regattas.
Arrivals:
Coaches will communicate arrival times for athletes. This can vary from event to event.
What to bring:
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Binoculars and cameras
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Reading materials for relaxation between races
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Picnic lunch for yourself, or anything special your athlete requires. LGRC provides food and snacks for our athletes.
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Folding chairs and blankets
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Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat/visor, insect repellent, extra layers of clothing for weather changes
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Money for parking, regatta t shirts, and if vendor food is available
What your athlete should bring:
Depending on the regatta, your rower may be racing in one or many events. It is best if your athlete is not trying to seek you out when they need or want food, clothes or money.
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Clothing layers, dry clothes for post-racing
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Sunscreen, sunglasses hat/visors, insect repellent
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Extra money for regatta t shirts
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Folding chair to relax in between races
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Schoolwork for downtime between races
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Any specific food, snack items they need to perform at their best
Travel Rules:
LGRC Juniors are expected to adhere to the following when attending regattas:
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Athletes are expected to be with the team at all times during regattas. Late arrivals or early departures must receive permission from their coach in advance.
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Athletes are to remain in the general meeting area during the entire regatta. Athletes not racing are expected to help out with various tasks (rigging, derigging, launching, carrying oars, loading trailers) as asked by the coaches to support all LGRC athletes.
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After regattas, athletes are expected to stay until the trailer is loaded, and coaches have released them.
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When traveling with the team on buses, on planes, staying in hotels or in restaurants, LGRC Juniors are expected to present themselves in a respectable manner in terms of behavior, language and dress. There is a mandatory LGRC polo shirt athletes are expected to wear when traveling.
Nutrition
It’s important that Junior athletes eat balanced meals as part of their general health and fitness regimen. This is particularly important before, during and after competition.
A few guidelines:
A few hours before competition, rowers should eat a small meal that is a balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat in order to be digested before racing. To keep energy levels up, small snacks of dried fruit, fruit bars, granola/nutrition bars can be eaten closer to race times. Hydration is important at all times, and should begin in the day leading up to competition.
In all cases, avoid greasy, highly seasoned, spicy or very sugary foods. Avoid experimenting with new or drastic changes in diet shortly before competition. Avoid highly carbonated or caffeinated drinks.
There are many resources available, here are a few for reference:
https://usrowing.org/news/2016/11/30/11057_11057
https://www.cityislandrowing.org/post/nutrition-for-rowers
https://www.row2k.com/features/2708/longhaul-fueling-nutritional-needs-for-head-racing/