Gainesville Area Rowing’s High School Rowing program teaches physical fitness, nutrition, and psychological skills that lead rowers to heightened mental and physical self-awareness. GAR Alumni have gone on to compete at many universities including Boston College, Boston University, Emory University, Georgia Tech, Northeastern University, University of Central Florida, University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rhode Island, University of Virginia, University of Texas, The United States Naval Academy, Rollins College, Rutgers University, Williams College and Yale University.
Our first practice for the 2011-2012 season for returning rowers will be on Monday, August 29th. Returning rowers will practice Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (optional small boats), Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. Practice times during the week are 3:30-6:00 pm except if your squad is at the UF stadium, stadium practices are from 3:30-5:00 pm. Saturday morning practices are from 7:30-10:00 am.
Our first practice for the 2011-2012 season for all new rowers will be on Tuesday, September 6th from 3:30-6:00 pm. Novice practice will be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 3:30-6:00 pm. Saturday practices are from 7:30-10:00 am.
Interested? You are invited to start at any point during the season. No experience is necessary. Every new rower gets two free weeks to try it! After that point the dues are $115 per month which includes coaches fees, equipment, food at regattas, boat transport to regattas, and race entry fees. We will have 1 fall regatta that costs extra (Head of the Hooch), and 2 spring regattas (States & Regionals) that will cost extra. These are due to a hotel stay.
For novice women’s rowing contact Coach Courtney Fosmoe, Email: cfosmoe@yahoo.com , Phone: 352-281-7102
For novice men’s rowing contact Coach Glynn Hayes, Email: glynn.hayes@gmail.com, Phone: 407-670-9370
GAR Summer Camp!
GAR is offering 3 one week summer camp sessions this summer. These sessions are open to children in grades 6-12 and they do not need to have any previous rowing experience but should be comfortable around water. Each session will be divided by age group when possible and a child can take more than one session to further their skill development. Rowing is not a sport that needs to be started when a child is young so if you have a high schooler who wants to try something new and fun, we have a seat for them too! If you have a middle or high school student who is very petite we can also train them to be a coxswain. Coxswains are the brains behind the brawn and they steer the boats and help rowers with their technique and timing. We would love to have some potential coxswains come to our camp too, we will teach them all they need to know!
GAR stands for Gainesville Area Rowing and we are a club rowing team for middle school and high school students. We have a fall and spring season each school year. Our middle school program offers students 3 practices per week and a few fun races each season. Our high school program is a competitive program that practices five days per week and races 5-6 times per season. Our team is like a huge family with supportive and very positive coaches, great children who are supportive of each other and work hard, and parents who volunteer and really make our club successful. Anyone can learn to row regardless of their athletic experience, if you provide a child who is interested and excited, we can do the rest! Even juniors and seniors in high school can join our team and be successful, attitude is everything!
Camp Location: Melrose Bay Park, Melrose FL
Located just 15 min from Gainesville, this beautiful park allows GAR boat storage and access to Melrose Bay and Lake Santa Fe. This is a temporary location for us as our water levels are too low to use Newnan’s Lake, where our facility is located. To get to Melrose Bay Park, take 26 out to Melrose and turn left down either Quail St. or Trout St. and then you will go onto Devonia St. (If you took Quail, you will run into the beach park). If you turn left on Trout St. instead of Quail, turn left on Devonia and the park will be on your right. You can stay at the park during camp to swim, kayak, or relax or shop in Melrose and support the community who has been so terrific to GAR this year. Melrose Bay Park is a little piece of heaven!
Click below for our camp registration form:
If you have any further questions, please contact GAR Head Coach, Jen Figueroa, at murphymurphy@hotmail.com or (352) 219-0717
New Rower Checklist!
When you become involved in a new organization it’s hard to know what you should do first. Below is a checklist of things that every parent of a new rower should do:
- Join the GAR list serve so that you know all of the important news. Go to the contacts tab and follow the instructions under GAR Youth and Parents Mailing List.
- Complete all of the waivers listed. Some of them are online and some will be hard copies. This is a large set of waivers but should cover us for most of the races this year. Go to the members tab, then youth, then forms. Have your rower bring all hard copies to the boathouse and give them to their coach.
- Complete the online GAR registration. This sets you up in our accounting system and provides emergency contacts for our emergency database. Coaches can access this database with their smart phones at practice. Go to the members tab, then youth, then registration.
- Use the GAR google calendar! You will see every event coming up from races to fundraisers. Go to the calendars tab, then select youth.
- Read the GAR handbook. Go to members, then youth, then guides and rules.
If you have any questions at all about GAR, please contact the coach of your child. They will either assist you or if they cannot, they will make sure that your question goes to the appropriate GAR member who can help you.
Welcome to our team!
Jen Figueroa
GAR Head Coach
High School Racing Schedule 2011-2012
This is our racing schedule for the high school program for the 2011-2012 season. Please notice that Southern Sprints (Erg Sprints) is optional this year but encouraged for rowers looking to row in college and would like to post a fast time. Any time an SAT/ACT can be taken on a non-regatta weekend, we would greatly appreciate it! It’s always most beneficial for the whole team to race at regattas.
Here is the updated schedule: GAR_Racing_Schedule_HS_2011-2012 UPDATED
GAR Polos and School Uniform Requirements!
After careful research we have the information about wearing GAR polos at school. Unfortunately, each school had a different opinion on this so please check your high school below for their rule on GAR polos:
Eastside High School: Rowers may wear GAR polos, GAR t-shirts, and regatta t-shirts as long as the GAR name is listed on it.
Buchholz High School: Rowers may wear GAR polos BUT they must have Buchholz High School embroidered under the logo. No GAR t-shirts are allowed.
Gainesville High School: Rowers may wear GAR polos but they may not wear GAR t-shirts.
GAR polos will be available for purchase at the booster meeting on Tuesday, Sept.14 at 7:30 pm at the Life South on 13th St. Please represent GAR at your school by wearing the appropriate GAR gear!