2004 Olympics, Athens

Men's Eight Grand Final


Courtesy of NBC and YouTube

Know the Competition

BLADE DESIGN - Being able to identify blade designs is often the easiest way to distinguish different teams on the water. All club, scholastic, and collegiate rowing programs have blades with very deliberate shapes and colors intended to represent some aspect of their program.

Athletes learn the blade designs of teams in order to recognize their competition more quickly. When at a major regatta, teams that have memorized competitor's blade designs are able to easily identify a competitor and evaluate their skill level and, thus, make the adjustments necessary to one's own strategy.

Spectators are also encouraged to become familiar with blade designs. This is very easy to do because, most often, as boats go by, teams point themselves out by the chants and cheers of team supporters.

Niskayuna High School's rowing program uses a bold "N" in red, shadowed by silver, against a white background. This unique combination quickly identifies Niskayuna Rowing at any major regatta.

Here are the blades of other crews in New York's Capital Region:

First Practice

First practice for the Niskayuna Fall Crew season, including all freshmen and novice rowers, is on Tuesday, September 4, 2007. (Notice that this is the Tuesday before school begins). Here are a few notes to keep in mind as you prepare.

1. Practice at the boathouse runs from 3:00-5:30pm, Monday through Friday.
2. There will be two buses parked in the back of the high school each day that will transport you to the boathouse. Be prompt and do not miss the bus.
3. Bring necessary rowing gear, including: proper clothing (nothing that is too loose), socks and sneakers, water bottle, and inhalers if you need them.
4. Have your gray card completed and signed by the nurse. The nurse will only sign off if you have a current physical (within the last year).
5. All first time rowers must pass a mandatory swim test. This test will be administered on Friday, September 7, from 7:00-8:00pm at Niskayuna High School.

If there are any athletes you know who are interested in joining the Niskayuna Crew team, please invite them to Tuesday or Wednesday's practice.

I'll see everyone at the boathouse.

Welcome

Rowers and Parents:

This year, Niskayuna's freshmen/novice boy's crew team is entering the blogosphere with our very own site at:

http://www.niskayunafreshmencrew.blogspot.com/.

The purpose of the blog is to open up new and more efficient means for communication among the team. Anybody is free, and encouraged, to comment after each blog posting. (Disclaimer: Coach maintains the right to remove any and all inappropriate comments). Moreover, if you have an interesting idea or some nice photos of the team to post, let coach know about it via email and he will include it as an entry.

Among the many ways this blog will benefit the team, it will:

• Provide practice and race information
• List results from scrimmages and races
• Explain different concepts in rowing
• Share training ideas
• Post team photos
• Publish race narratives
• Coordinate pasta parties

Ultimately, this blog is created for Niskayuna rowers, parents, and anybody else interested in the success of the freshmen/novice boy's crew team. Take a few minutes to get acquainted and navigate through the different links. If there is something you would like to see added to the blog to make it more valuable, let Coach know.

Otherwise, enjoy and check regularly.