Girls/Boys Varsity - Winter/Spring 2024

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The BLS Crew Winter/Spring Varsity programs are intensive and competition-oriented with practice 5-6 days per week and a full schedule of weekend regattas in April and May. These programs are designed for athletes who have already completed a Spring season in the Novice program. Athletes continue to develop technical skills, achieve peak fitness, and compete in a range of boats including eights, fours and pairs in both lightweight and open weight divisions. In recent years, BLS Varsity squads have competed at the highest levels in state, regional and national events.

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Please register for the season ASAP using the BLS Crew Registration Form. All required forms must be uploaded directly to the BLS Crew Forms Submission Portal. The deadline for Varsity registration, forms, and payment (unless a financial aid arrangement has been made) is Saturday, December 30th, 2023. No rower will be permitted to practice until all required forms and payment (or financial aid arrangement) have been submitted.

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Practice Times and Locations

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• Indoor winter training starts Wednesday, January 3, 2024, with practices from 5:00-7:00 pm (meet in the “erg loft” area at BLS, near the Athletic Director’s office).

• When weather conditions permit (typically in late March for Varsity), practice will move outdoors to the BLS Boathouse, and will run from 5:00-7:30 pm, with some Saturdays 8:00 -11:00 am practices.

 

Required Forms

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ALL Rowers must obtain a new Sports Clearance every season; prior seasons' Sports Clearances are not valid for subsequent seasons. Athletes no longer need to meet with the Nurse in person to get their Clearances. All rowers are now required to register via the BLS Athletics registration process in addition to registering via the BLS Crew registration process. The BLS Athletics Registration Form, which takes only a few minutes to complete, asks each athlete to upload a physical dated in the last 13 months. The Nurse will use the uploaded form to determine whether the athlete is eligible for a Sports Clearance and will notify the Registrar if the Clearance is granted. The Registrar will notify the rower by email if their Sports Clearance is not granted so please check your email regularly. We strongly recommend that all rowers get their Sports Clearance before December 20th. After December 20th the Nurses will not start issuing clearances again until Jan. 3rd.

 

The criteria for Sports Clearances has not changed. Each rower must provide a physical dated within 13 months of the start of the season (for Winter 2024, the physical must be dated no earlier than 12/04/2022). Asthma Action Plans and Epi-Pen Authorizations will still be required, where applicable. Those additional forms should all be uploaded to the BLS Athletics Registration Form but can also be dropped off to the Nurse during school hours. Students who have had COVID no longer need to be cleared by their physicians but are encouraged to speak to their doctors before returning to practice.

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Spring 2024 rowers who did NOT row in Fall 2023 must submit the following forms via the BLS Crew Forms Submission Portal: 

1. A Concussion Training Certificate, obtained by completing the NFHS Concussion Training. 

2. A signed Rower Safety Pledge*.

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​*All athletes and parents must read the information regarding opiate and substance abuse provided in this file labeled  "Opiate Substance Information” and will be required to acknowledge in the Rower Safety Pledge that they have read this information. 

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Fees and Financial Aid

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• Rowers Fees: $750

• See Spring Payment web page for credit card, PayPal, or check payment information.

• Friends of BLS Crew is committed to ensuring that crew is affordable for all students and families in the BLS community. If you would like to request financial assistance for the crew program, please send an email to registrar@blscrew.org.

• Payment is due Thursday, December 21, 2023, unless a financial aid or payment plan arrangement has been approved by the Registrar.

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Bus to Varsity Practice

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​In recent years, BLS Crew has provided bus transportation to the 5:00 pm Varsity boathouse practices. Most rowers and families have felt that the bus is very helpful to allow rowers time after school for homework and extracurricular activities, and to avoid a long and complicated trip by public transportation at that time of day. 

To fund the bus, we will need a majority of Varsity families to make a $300 contribution to BLS Crew, in addition to the standard rower fee. At the same time, we understand that some families will not be able to fit this additional contribution into their budgets or will not contribute because their rowers do not use the bus. We also greatly appreciate that some families have offered to make a donation above and beyond $300 to make the bus financially possible. All rowers will be able to use the bus regardless of their family's financial contribution. The registration form contains a question about your family's ability to contribute to the bus.