Spring 2017 Registration General Information
Spring season begins on Monday, March 6, 2017 and continues through May 2017. Water practices will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30 to approximately 6:30 pm at Bladensburg Waterfront Park, with roundtrip bus transportation provided to and from Blair High School. Land practices will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at the Silver Spring United Methodist Church, 33 University Blvd East (formerly called Marvin Memorial UMC and located across from Blair High School). There also will be Saturday morning practices, for which carpools will need to be arranged, and weekend regattas.
All returning and new rowers must complete the full Spring Blair Crew Registration process before they will be allowed to practice with the team.
PLEASE READ THROUGH ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE STEPS IN THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.
Information Meetings
Parents and Rowers are strongly urged to attend the following meetings:
| Who | When | Where |
| Rowers | 3:30 pm, Thursday, February 16, 2017 | Silver Spring United Methodist Church, 33 University Blvd East, Room 111 (across from Blair HS) |
| Parents | 7:30 pm, Monday, February 20, 2017 | Silver Spring United Methodist Church, 33 University Blvd East, Room 111 (across from Blair HS) |
Registration Timeline
Registration Deadline
Friday, March 3, 2017
How to Register
To register for Blair Crew, parents and guardians (for rowers under 18) and all rowers must review and complete the following steps. If there is not a direct link to a document below, please access it under “Resources” near the bottom of the right-hand sidebar of this site.
1. Review the Montgomery Blair Crew Rowers and Families Handbook and the Safety Manual. Novice rowers must also watch the Safety Video.
2. Complete and sign the online Blair Crew Release and Waiver of Liability. THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN FOR ALL ROWERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
3. Review and sign the online Blair Crew Rower’s Contract, which sets forth the expectations for team behavior, including no use of alcohol or drugs. Both parents and rowers must sign the contract. Rowers must sign a paper copy of the form either at the rowers’ meeting or at another time prior to beginning practice.
4. Make sure that the rower has a current USRowing Basic Membership and a current Release of Liability Waiver. USRowing Memberships are good for 365 days and can be extended for another year beginning three months prior to expiration. Liability Waivers are good for each calendar year. No one can participate in regattas without a current USRowing membership and current signed waiver. For rowers under age 18, a parent or guardian must complete the waiver. There is a $5.75 fee for joining or renewing. Rowers should keep a record of their USRowing ID number and password for this and future registrations.
a. If you are a returning rower, and your membership has been renewed within the last 12 months and will be valid through May 2017, then your membership is current. If the rower participated in Winter Workouts, then a parent or guardian should have completed the 2017 USRowing liability waiver, and that also should be current. You can determine whether the membership and waiver status are current, and that you are affiliated with Montgomery Blair High School, by going to the USRowing website, https://membership.usrowing.org, going to Edit Profile under Members on the Individuals side of the page, then entering the USRowing ID number and password. If the membership and waiver are current and the affiliation is correct, skip to step 5. Otherwise, go to step b.
b. If you are a returning rower but your membership has not been renewed in the last 12 months and/or your parent or guardian has not executed a 2017 Calendar Year liability waiver, please update your membership and/or waiver by going to the USRowing website, https://membership.usrowing.org. First, renew the membership if it is not current or will expire during the spring season. On the Individuals side of the page, under Members, click on Renew/Upgrade, and enter the USRowing ID and password. If you don’t remember them, use one of the links on the Login screen. Make sure that you are affiliated with Montgomery Blair High School. If not, click the Join Organization button, enter “Montgomery Blair High School” as the organization name, and enter “GN7H6” for the club code. For membership type, select the Basic Membership. Click on Renew. On checkout, the site will ask for the $5.75 payment. Once the membership is current or if it is already current, fill out the waiver. Under Members, click on Waiver.
c. New rowers need to join USRowing and to sign the waiver. Go to https://membership.usrowing.org. On the Individuals side of the page, click on Join and fill out the form. For Club or Team Name, enter “Montgomery Blair” and click on the Montgomery Blair High School selection that appears. A pop-up screen will ask for the Club Code. Enter “GN7H6”. For Membership Type, select the Basic Membership. On checkout, the site will ask for the $5.75 payment. Once the membership is complete, fill out the waiver. Under Members, click on Waiver.
5. Complete all parts of the online Blair Crew Registration Form.
6. Fee and Payment. Last, but definitely not least, is the fee. The fees cover all of the rowers’ expenses except uniforms and fees for special regattas (e.g., Stotesbury Cup Regatta). The fees are paid for each of the Fall and Spring seasons. Important note: Rowers who have not paid fees will not be allowed to participate in practices and regattas. If you exceeded the fundraising goal of $200 through the Fall Wreath and Menorah Candle sale, you are eligible to receive a credit to be applied to your Spring registration fee of 50% of the overage raised through the sale. Please email the registration coordinator, aspielberg1@gmail.com to determine the amount of your credit.
7. Fee and Payment. Last, but definitely not least, is the fee. The fees cover all of the rowers’ expenses except uniforms and entrance fees to special regattas. The fees are paid for each of the Fall and Spring seasons. Important note: Rowers who have not paid fees will not be allowed to participate in practices and regattas. Those whose fundraising and escript credit exceed $200 by the Spring of 2017 may receive a rebate, to be calculated at the end of the season.
a. Fees. The fees for the current season for novices and varsity are $900 per rower.
b. Scholarship. A small scholarship fund is available. Please e-mail Carole Giunta at cgiunta1@verizon.net for consideration.
c. Payment Methods. Payment Methods. Blair Crew accepts payment by check or through PayPal. Families who wish to claim a credit for exceeding the fundraising goal must pay by check.
i. Payments by check: Make payable to: Blair Crew and mail to Blair Crew, Box 7056, Silver Spring, MD 20907.
ii. Payments by PayPal :
| Full Payment Option | Installment Payment Option |
| $900 due by the Registration Deadline. | $450 due by Friday, March 3, 2017, and $450 by April 7, 2017. |
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d. Payment Options. Whether you pay by check or with PayPal, Blair Crew allows payment in full or installment payments:
i. Full Payment Option: $900 due by the Registration Deadline.
ii. Installment Payment Option: $450 due by the Registration Deadline, and $450 by April 7, 2017.
e. Refund Policy. All those who previously participated with Blair Crew in a prior Fall or Spring season are not entitled to refunds, except in exceptional circumstances. New rowers may obtain a refund of the registration fee minus $25 only if they contact the Registration Coordinator in writing by March 12, 2017. Rowers who do not get a spot on the team due to oversubscription will get a full refund.
AND THAT’S IT! You are done– just make sure you have completed all steps!
Questions? Contact the Registration Coordinator: Anne Spielberg at aspielberg1@gmail.com or 301-587-7972 after 7 pm. If you have problems with the forms or links please contact Michael Blain at citizenblain@gmail.com.