Happy Spring, and I hope everyone is doing well! It doesn’t seem like over a year ago we were gathering adult volunteers (since all student activities were cancelled/restricted) to help move our boats and equipment from Lake Barcroft back to our boathouse at Sandy Run for what eventually turned out to be the end of our season before it even began due to COVID-19.

This year things are looking much better. Weeks of winter conditioning have progressed to outdoor ERG conditioning, and we’re now set to get on the water again at Sandy Run on April 12—next week! We can only do this, however, if we all remain vigilant with following COVID-19 protocol (read COVID-19 Practice Protocol under the Forms/Resources tab), staying home if we have symptoms, and being smart in our choices. A reminder that if just one rower tests positive for COVID-19, the entire team must shut down operations for up to 10 days. In a season now compressed to just 8 weeks or so, that amount of lost time is critical, especially to our seniors who have missed their entire junior rowing year and are looking forward to getting back on the water to finish out their final year of high school racing.

To keep our team safe, please review and remain committed to the FCPS pledge to keep your child from attending any crew practices if he or she is/has:

• Feeling feverish and/or having chills (if documented temperature/fever of 100.4F or greater)
• A new cough not due to another health condition
• Fatigue (more tired than usual)
• Nasal congestion or runny nose
• Headache
• A new sore throat not due to another health condition
• New chills not due to another health condition
• New muscle pain not due to another health condition or that may have been caused by a specific activity such as physical exercise
• New loss of taste or smell, new onset of poor appetite or poor feeding
• Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting

SANDY RUN PRACTICES
Practices for non-novices begin April 12 and will run M, T, TH and F. The Boosters have again decided this year to arrange bus transportation from JHS to Sandy Run and back, leaving between 3-3:15 and returning around 7:30 depending on traffic. Novices will be provided conditioning information for next week, and are planned to resume practice on the water with the full team on April 19. This delay is to allow for novices to pass their swim tests and for our coaches to become acclimated with the additional COVID-related Sandy Run safety procedures. Refer to the Calendar.

REMAINING DUES PAYMENT
As we announced last Fall, we split this year’s dues payments into two installments, given we did not know what might become of the season in the Spring. VASRA has announced a full schedule of regattas this year, and so we are now collecting the final $475 dues payment, which will be the same total cost as last year. A substantial part of your membership dues pays for our bus costs which are $450 PER TRIP and amount to a large part of our yearly operational budget. Please mail your $475 check to Justice High School Rowing Boosters, P.O. Box 2377, Falls Church, VA, 22042, or drop it off at the front JHS office ASAP, or before April 23. Checks should be made payable to Justice High School Rowing Boosters, Inc. Credit card option is available online.

The Barcroft
Our new quad name has been chosen—”The Barcroft” was the resounding pick, over Alpha and The Pack. Thanks to all for voting (and to Heidi for the survey). We will plan to have a name reveal sometime this Fall at the Lake, most likely associated with a Justice Rowing Open House, where we invite the local community and potential JHS rowers to come out. Stay tuned.

1st Regatta—Polar Bear Regatta May 8!
The Regatta schedule has already been changed from what we earlier sent out. A revised schedule includes information about Saturday practices on non-regatta days. As with everything this year, be prepared for additional adjustments based on conditions, and we’ll try to get any new information out to you ASAP. Thanks in advance for being flexible. Based on the reduction in the number of regattas, the Rowing Lettering Policy has been adjusted for 2021.

Regatta Attendance
Under Sandy Run Regional Park rules, attendance in the park is limited to 1,000 individuals at this time. In order to meet that limit, no spectators are being allowed this year, only minimal volunteers are being used, and coaches will be doubling as referee and launch (boat) drivers. There will be no concessions, vendors or other activities and the boat house will no longer be able to be used to host food/drink or rest for the rowers. An additional fee for drone recording of the races is being charged for each rower, so you will be able to “see” your rower row, and probably better than you have in the past. These restrictions may change depending on Virginia Commonwealth or Park rules. [See a race course fly over by drone]

There is a lot of information contained above, so please reach out to Coach Rob or me if you have any questions.

Row Strong,
David Trissell
President
Justice High School Rowing Boosters