We are still looking for rowers and coxswains! Its not too late to join the team. Please download our informative presentation, in PDF format:
Orientation for New Members Presentation.
The 2011-2012 rowing season will be our 10th year of rowing as a team representing James Madison High School in Vienna, VA. Our home rowing facility is at Sandy Run on the Occoquan. We have won gold, silver and bronze at the VA State Championships and we typically row at Nationals. We row Stotesbury, the oldest scholastic championship regatta in the U.S. held in Philadelphia (May). It is lots of fun, but not mandatory.There has never been a more exciting time to join Madison crew! The 2011-12 season is very bright for the Warhawks as we return to the river with an experienced core of about 55 rowers/coxswains. We are primed to work hard as we ride the momentum from our most successful season in team history and make history again for our 10th Anniversary as a rowing club.
In order to reach these goals the team is looking for motivated freshmen / novice rowers and coxswains to become the future of the team and continue our tradition of excellence. With 9 novice state medals (6 being state championships) in the past four seasons, the time is now to proudly represent Madison HS at the local, state, and national levels. See the enrollment tab for more details.
You don’t have to be an accomplished athlete to join, but you must be dedicated and committed to personal achievement and team effort.
Please click on Enrollment (navigation bar at top of page) for more information
Time Commitment
Winter Conditioning starts in November -- not mandatory, but highly recommended. Water training starts in mid to late February on the Occoquan at Sandy Run. Typically, a school bus takes rowers to and from Sandy Run after school (2:45 – 7PM). Until regattas begin in late March, training is 6 days a week (2-3 hr. sessions). Regatta season: 5x days practice --regattas every Saturday-through mid May, followed by Stotesbury and National Regattas. Rowing is a demanding sport, and like most sports, demands a day-in, day-out commitment to practice and improvement.
Spring Break is in the middle of the competitive rowing season so there is always practice!
The Organization
The Crew program is managed and run at the direction of the Board of Directors of James Madison Crew Boosters Organization (JMCBO) . Board members are typically parents of rowers, elected in late spring to one-year terms. Crew is an approved Virginia High School League Interscholastic Sport Activity, though it is a club sport, which means it is financially self-supporting. Madison Crew receives no public funding -- this means no funding from the school system or JMHS athletic booster club. The boats, oars, ergometers and other equipment are purchased by JMCBO, and these purchase requirements as well as operating expenses are paid through club dues and through fundraising.
JMHS Crew Volunteer Requirements
Madison Crew is a volunteer-run organization. Each family is expected to contribute their time and talents in some way in order to provide the best experience for our rowers. Here is a summary of the parent volunteer requirements for each Madison Crew family:
• One day of bus chaperoning (round-trip) during water practice (Feb.-May) at Sandy Run Regional Park on the Occoquan River.
• Two Regatta/Sandy Run jobs. These are volunteer jobs assigned to Madison by the Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association (VASRA).
• Sign up for one JMCBO committee and participate as necessary. Committees include Hospitality, Operations, Fundraising etc.
• Other “All Hands on Deck” requirements for fundraising (mulch delivery/carwashes etc.) as well as JMCBO work days at Sandy Run.
Parents should refer to the JMCBO Handbook for additional information.
Join a successful team!
Last season, Madison Crew reached new highs at the Virginia State Rowing Championships with both the Women's 1st Varsity 8 and the 2nd Varsity 8 winning the VA State Championship, the Men's Junior 8 winning a silver medal, the Women's Novice 8 winning the VA State Championship for the 3rd year in a row, and the Men's Novice 8 winning the VA State Championship for the 3rd year in a row. These tremendous finishes contributed to the team earning the Governor's Team Trophy as well as the Women's Team All-Point Trophy.
Additionally, the team had four boats make the Finals at the Stotesbury Cup in Philadelphia, PA., with the Women's 2nd Varsity 8 earning a silver medal which marked the first boat in team history to earn a medal at the largest scholastic regatta in the country. At the Scholastic Rowing Association of America's National Championship Regatta in Camden, NJ, we had a team high 3 boats make the Finals with the Women's Senior 8 being the first crew from Virginia to make the Finals since 2005. Most recently, we truly put our name on the map by placing 2nd at the US Rowing Youth National Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge, TN, earning the first Youth National medal in team history! We also received a tremendous amount of recognition in the Washington Post's All Metropolitan Team with Katie Lawless & Georgia Ratcliff being named 1st Team All Met, Caroline Comey & David Mottola receiving Honorable Mention, the Women's Varsity 8 & Men's Lightweight 4 receiving All Met Best Boat in Category, and Coach Albright being named the All Met Coach of the Year.