Hello Justice Rowing Family,

So, here we are about to begin a new season! I do hope everyone is excited to see the kids on the water!!!

The volunteer regatta jobs for the season have been assigned. Justice Rowing has been given about 3 jobs at every regatta.

There are several things everyone needs to know about volunteering. Usually, we would have a meeting where I would tell you all about volunteering.  But Covid has changed that, so here we go…

All volunteers get free parking at Sandy Run. (Yahoo!) All LOC managers will make sure you are able to see your child row if they row during your shift. Make sure they know what time your child rows. (Some jobs give you the best seat to watch your child row.)

Who can volunteer? Students can not fill regatta volunteer jobs. They can volunteer on the VASRA workdays and receive community service hours.  It is imperative that we fill our workdays as well as our regatta volunteer jobs. Yamil, Daniel, Zack, Carla, and I are covering several workdays for our team. However, we need others to step up for workdays. Workdays are fun and provide you the opportunity to get to know the park. If you sign up it is not a “couples” event. Your spouse should not come as your plus one. If you sign up, you and you alone are expected to do your job.

Shifts CAN NOT be split between two people. You must start and finish your shift.

Children Your child can not accompany you while you perform your job. Many jobs can be dangerous for a small child. Please do not bring your young child with you when you volunteer.

Sign In. You must sign in for your job. The sign-in is at the bottom of the hill across from the Boathouse. Shirley needs to see your smiling face. Don’t send your rower or anyone else because you are running late. We have ways of getting you to your job on time if needed.    

Safesport.  There has been no clear decision as to who must complete the Safesport training. Safesport is a training that addresses sexual harassment, bullying, and other uncomfortable situations that we may encounter as volunteers. It is designed to help understand situations and appropriate responses to those situations.  I don’t think it will hurt anyone to take this training. The bottom line is the training is to provide a safer environment for our children. So, if you chose to volunteer please complete the Safesport training on US Rowing. It may not be required of you, but I think we can all agree that we can all learn a little something by completing the training. It will take about an hour to complete the registration and training. I have detailed instructions on how to complete the training below.

Drivers. All driving jobs are on the water driving a launch/boat, not a land vehicle. Only those people cleared by Coach Rob will be able to drive a launch during a regatta. Once cleared you can sign up. It is very important that we have trained individuals driving on the river. Launch drivers serve very important positions that are key to the safety of all rowers.

Times. The first time listed in the job is the start time for your job. You need to be at your job at the start time. The regatta may run late, but you cannot! You need to be signed in at least 20 minutes prior to your job start time. (Set up jobs and 6 AM concessions do not require you to be there early, just on time.) Give yourself time to arrive, park, and walk to the volunteer sign-in, and then to walk to your job. Finish times are fluid because of the many situations that can cause the regatta to be delayed. If you see “until the end of regatta” or “until mid-day break” please know that the time can shift. Every effort is made to keep the regatta on time. Decisions are made to ensure a safe rowing environment. I hope you understand and can be flexible about finish times.

Attire. Do not wear your Sunday best! You are going to be getting dirty, wet, and sweaty. Dress in layers, the weather shifts. If you are going out on the water, plan on getting wet. Ladies, please do not wear skirts or high-heel shoes. Do not wear red on the water. Have sunblock and a drink if you need it.

Cell phones. I have been told there are hundreds of cell phones on the bottom of the river. Secure your cell phone. No one will be able to go in after it should your phone fall into the river.

Weather. We row if it rains, snows, and just about any other time. Lightning and high winds are the exceptions. Either will delay or cancel a regatta. VASRA does not want to cancel regattas, so often the regatta will be delayed to allow weather conditions to improve. When you come to volunteer, be prepared for odd weather shifts and delays. If it is raining you will be expected to arrive and complete your job.

Job descriptions. Everyone can fill a job and have fun helping out. None of the jobs require a great deal of training. A description of all jobs can be found on the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association (VASRA) website under the Club Info tab.

Please Sign Up

Volunteering should not be stressful, have fun! We do this for our children. It is all about keeping our children rowing. Volunteering is fun and an essential part of team success. The regattas need you! Our rowers need your support.  Please review the Justice Rowing VASRA Volunteer Sign Up Genius. If you are able to help out, please sign up.

All jobs must be filled by March 7th. We must fill our jobs to be in good standing with VASRA.

I hope this has answered some of your questions.  I am sure there is information I have forgotten. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am your one and only point of contact with VASRA for volunteer jobs. If you have a hiccup and can’t make it to your job, let me know ASAP.  If you don’t show up I will have to fill your job on the fly. So, please let me know. Don’t email, call, or tell a Justice Board member, let me know.  I can fix the situation so our team does not fall into poor standing with VASRA. SHOULD THIS HAPPEN OUR TEAM CAN BE REMOVED FROM A REGATTA. Please communicate with me.   

Thank you in advance for your support.
Sandra C. Coronado
Justice Volunteer Coordinator
VASRA Concession Manager
Concessions@vasra.org

How to complete Safesport training:

Part one… Register with USRowing.org

Go to USrowing.org Membership Portal for Individuals

Select individual/join

Complete your personal information.

Membership type is Volunteer

Select Justice Rowing as your organization. You will be asked for a code to join. The code is W2GS4

Once you have completed your membership registration you should see a membership overview. Review this screen for errors. Write down your membership number. About halfway down the screen, you will see Safesport needed.

Part two… Safesport

From your membership overview screen tap the top right corner drop screen and select SafeSport.

Scroll down until you see the “For Volunteers” and click that training program. If you get the 401 or 404 error message, refresh your screen and the video should load.

The training is interactive and you will need to answer a few questions. It is not a video, it is similar to a PowerPoint presentation. You need to read a series of screens and interact with several.

Once you have completed the training your membership will update.  You will see SafeSport is completed and a “valid until” date on your membership overview.

Congratulations, you have completed the training!!!

You do not need to report the information to anyone as Justice Rowing and or VASRA  will receive an automated update list of volunteers.