Parents ~ Northwestern Crew

NU Crew presents Northwestern students with the opportunities unlike any other student organization. We travel around the country and compete against crews at an intercollegiate varsity level. Our athletes train six days a week during the academic year and learn everything from the proper rowing stroke to good nutrition. Members of NU Crew are successful both on and off the water. Despite the time we dedicate to our sport, rowers and coxswains also excel in the classroom. The team’s average GPA is around a 3.6 with most members also involved in at least one other campus activity. Alumni of the program have gone on to train with the national team as well as become teachers, lawyers and doctors.

Through the endless practices and road trips, members of the crew form tight friendships. Rowing is the ultimate team sport in that success by a crew is completely dependant on how well the members work together. There can be no stars on a crew and members learn early that supporting and encouraging each other is good for the success of the team. Alumni of NU Crew still get together for events organized by our alumni network, BCRF, and many are still active in the sport today. Participation in NU Crew shapes a student’s experience at Northwestern.

Because we are a club sport, we present opportunities for students to gain experience organizing and running a large organization with a budget over a $100,000. Although we have been around for 25 years, we are constantly looking to improve the way our organization is run. Each rower or coxswain has the chance to impact how the team functions and grows.

“Crewing! What’s that?!”
Information for Novice Crew Parents

Since rowing is one of the few collegiate sports in which you can participate without prior experience, it is not unusual for parents of novices to be very confused when their son or daughter starts using words like erg, starboard, seat race, and 2K. And when you eventually hear that your child is going to spend spring break at a place called Camp Bob in South Carolina, you will probably start to feel that you need to become educated about this new extracurricular activity.

The following provides useful information about the sport of rowing, a description of a typical year in the life of a Northwestern rower or coxswain, and explains how to make the most of your child’s rowing experience by getting involved with the team. We greatly appreciate your interest in the team and hope to see you at a race cheering on the Purple! Go U! NU!

Background on Rowing

RowingHistory
Site offers a general history of rowing, in addition to images and essays (mostly in North America)

FAQ
This is a list of FAQ's about rowing, the answers provide detailed information on the basics

How can I support my rower or coxswain?

Attend Regattas and cheer on the Wildcats (see Schedule)
Contribute food or drinks for the athletes at regattas
Send us pictures of the team or articles from your local paper
Donations!
Join the NU Crew Parents Google Group
Check the website regularly for new ways to help!

A year in the life...

Fall

Our Varsity team starts the year with a training camp to prepare for head races - longer races between 4,000 and 6,000 meters where the winner is determined by time. The biggest race is the Head of the Charles, where we compete against crews from around the world.

The fall is also when we recruit our novice teams. Crew is unique in that a novice rower competes in a separate division from varsity athletes. Novices get a chance to learn the basics of the rowing stroke and begin training. At the end of October, they compete in their first race in Rockford, Illinois.

Spring

Throughout the year, the teams are raising funds through the Rent-a-Rower program, sponsored events, and other ways.

Both novice and varsity teams begin the spring by loading a bus after winter finals and making the sixteen hour drive to Summerton, South Carolina to spend a week at Camp Bob Cooper. During this week, team members sleep, eat, and row in the sun of South Carolina and away from the icy, Evanston weather. Because rowing in a boat is completely different from a rowing machine, this week is critical into recovering the technique and timing that are integral to the sprint season.

Races in the spring are sprint races- covering 2000 meters. In a traiditonal sprint race, crews line up and with a "Ready all...ROW" command, row to the finish. These races are different from head races in that the first crew across the line is the winner. Often, there are heats, semifinals, and finals, but we also participate in duals and smaller races. Spring races are characterized by exteremly fast, technical starts, strong surges, and are often decided by the smallest of margins.

Once back on campus, members of NU Crew are back on the water, practicing daily and racing on most weekends at locations throughout the Midwest. The teams travel to Philidelphia for the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate rowing event in the country. The season culminates in Oklahoma at the ACRAS National Championship.

Winter

In the winter, both the novice and varsity teams move to our indoor facility in Patten Gymnasium where we train on rowing machines and lift wieghts. The goal of the winter is to increase our fitness level for the spring season. Winter is also when we raise most of our funds.