Our athletes are ready to compete at the 2015 Mercer Lake Sprints · Hosted By Princeton National Rowing Association/Mercer
Please read the entire message carefully, for it contains important information.
Date:
Saturday April 18, 2015 through Sunday April 19, 2015.
Novice races Saturday morning and afternoon only (girls/boys) – 1500 meters
JV/ Varsity races Saturday and Sunday (girls/boys) – 2000 meters
Address/ GPS:
Richard Coffee Mercer County Park (West Windsor, NJ)
1638 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550
Weather:
Please plan for the weather. Check weather conditions in Princeton when packing for the weekend.
Apparel:
NRRA unisuit, JL long sleeve, jacket, sneakers, sweatshirts, rain coat, change of clothes *depending on weather. Prepare prepare prepare!
Parking and Venue Map: Click here Venue Map
Heat Sheets: Not yet available.
Check here during the week prior to the regatta. Once published, the race schedule is subject to change at any time.
Initial Schedule of Races: 2015 Preliminary Schedule
Regatta Central – Mercer Sprints
Parking for Spectators:
Parking for trailers, buses and vans will open at 12 pm Friday, April 17.
Buses drop-off athletes in designated lot.
- Parents will be able to drive a team food trailer to the team food trailer parking area on Friday. However, the finish area will be closed to cars. Team food trailers can be brought in between 12:00 and 4:30pm on Friday.
- Absolutely no vehicles will be permitted in the team food trailer parking area on Saturday until after the completion of racing.
- PNRA staff will assist parents dropping off food on Saturday with golf carts. However, parents are encouraged to bring wagons and hand trucks in order to avoid waiting in line for a golf cart.
- Aggressive food tent parents will lead to the team’s exclusion from the regatta without refund.
Buses
Athletes should arrive at the slab no later than 4:15 am to prepare for departure.
Buses will leave the boathouse on Saturday, April 18, at 4:30 am sharp for the entire racing team (Varsity and Novice)!
If you miss the bus, you MUST arrange for your own transportation.
First race is at 8:00 am.
Novices will be returning Saturday after their scheduled race.
JV/Varsity will stay over night in a hotel, coaches will create room assignments.
ALL Novice athletes are anticipated to return to the boathouse at around 4-4:30 pm. As always, phone calls will be made to parents when buses are 30 minutes away from Norwalk. Do not make the chaperones wait for you. Please be on time to pick up your athlete.
As always, food will be provided for athletes during the day, free of charge, at the Parent Tent. Parents/friends who wish to eat at the Parent Tent are asked to provide a $10 donation per person.
Breakfast on Saturday will be served at 8:00 am in the Parent Tent for all Athletes, coaches, visiting families and friends at the Mercer Regatta. If your rower needs any food before then it is up to each individual family/rower to bring it and eat it on the bus.
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JV/ Varsity Rowers and Parents
Hotel
JV/ Varsity (girls/boys) team will stay over night, Saturday April 18th, in the Courtyard Marriott
3815 U.S. Highway 1
Princeton, NJ, 08540
Coaches and chaperones will stay with the team at the hotel. 4 rowers of the same gender will share one room with two queen size beds. If your rower is not comfortable with sharing a bed, please bring a sleeping bag.
Dinner
Dinner will be provided at the hotel. All JV/Varsity rowers are required to bring $20 to Stephanie prior to Saturday’s race day.
Overnight Rules For JV/ Varsity
This is the first overnight trip for many of our athletes, and there are rules that must be mentioned:
Keep in mind that all athletes have read and signed the Eligibility and Participation Contract. Athletes are very aware of any consequences they will face in the event of a violation.
- The NRRA Eligibility and Participation Contract will be followed. Any violations will have consequences.
- Boys and girls are not permitted in the same hotel room at any time for any reason. No exceptions.
- Athletes must be in a hotel at all times. There is no roaming, running, or congregating in the hallways. Under no circumstances may an athlete leave the hotel property.
- Athletes will be in their assigned hotel room after 9:00 pm. Chaperones will seal each door with a piece of masking tape around 9:00 pm. If that seal is broken before morning, the athletes in that room will not be allowed to race–and by extension, their entire boat will not race.
- Athletes will follow all chaperones’ instructions. Any disrespect will be dealt with severely.
- Athletes are responsible for waking up and being ready to leave the hotel on time. The chaperones and coaches will not be making wake up calls.
- The Hotel Chaperones will contact all the parents with an email to answer questions and give further helpful guidelines.
Lineups will be released by coaches, and are subject to change at coaches’ discretion.
