What is a Club Sport?
Club sports are activities run by the students, not by the Montgomery County Public School system and are not affiliated with the athletic department at Montgomery Blair High School.
Blair Crew has a Board of Directors which oversees the management and control of the club.
How much does crew cost?
There are two independent racing seasons, Fall and Spring, and a winter conditioning program.
Currently, the Fall season is $900 and the Spring season is $950. Winter conditioning is required for all who wish to row in the spring; the fee for Winter conditioning is $225.
What do I wear to practice?
Blair Crew practices on the water, in rowing shells, and on the land for conditioning workouts.
Bring a reusable water bottle. Blair Crew is helping lower the amount of plastic being used in the world by banning disposable water bottles.
Wear weather appropriate clothing. We practice outside in all weather conditions except thunder and lightning, or temperature below 45 degrees.
Wear tight fitting shorts made of lycra spandex and a tight fitting shirt. Loose clothing gets caught in the moving parts of the boat. This is more than distracting, it will slow or stop a boat and can cause minor injuries.
Where do we practice (land/water)?
Water practices are held at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park:
4601 Annapolis Road
Bladensburg, MD 20710
Land workouts are held at:
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Blvd E
Silver Spring, MD 20901
How do I get to the boathouse?
Blair Crew has water practice Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. There is a bus that transports the rowers to the boathouse and back to Montgomery Blair High School Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The bus leaves at 3:30 PM and returns to the University Blvd. bus parking lot around 7:00 PM. Rowers carpool to the boathouse on Saturday. Saturday practices start at 9:00 AM and end at 12:00 noon.
Winter workouts are held from 4:30-6:30, Monday through Friday at Montgomery Blair High School.
What is a Regatta?
A regatta is rowing race. There are usually many races during the day of the regatta. An individual rower will only be entered into one or two events, as part of a crew, for a regatta that typically starts at 8:00 AM and ends in early afternoon.
Do I have to be there for whole regatta since I am only rowing once?
Yes. At most regattas, we transport our racing equipment by trailer. The entire crew is responsible for getting the equipment on and off the trailer and getting the equipment ready to race and then ready for transport.
If you have an engagement that you can’t get out of, you, not the coaches, are responsible for finding someone to take your place to ensure all the work gets done.
Do I have to try out?
There are no try outs. It is Blair Crew’s goal that all our rowers fully participate in all the activities of the team.
Do I have to go to all the practices?
Yes. All water and land practices are mandatory. Blair Crew wants everyone to row. We have lots of rowers and a limited number of seats in boats. Blair Crew uses the following criteria, in order of importance, to fill seats:
- Attendance
- Erg scores and run times
- Rowing technique
The first two criteria are objective and easily measured. Attendance is the most important. If we have two rowers for one position in the boat, Blair Crew will fill the position with the rower who has come to the most practices. If there is a tie, the rower with the lowest erg score and run times will get the seat.
The rower coming to the most practices usually has the best scores, as he or she is usually in better physical condition.
What is an erg?
An Erg, or Ergometer, is a rowing machine used to practice technique and improve fitness when rowing on the water is not available.
Blair Crew uses Concept 2 rowing machines.