Head racing season is upon us, which means that soon falling leaves and temperatures will follow. Initially meant to be a break in the monotony of fall training, head racing has become the focus of many rowers’ training. Knowing the rules of racing, as well as the layout of the body of water, will keep you and your crews safe and, hopefully, successful

While most of the USRowing Rules of Racing apply to 2,000-meter races, there is one head racing rule in particular that needs to be reiterated to your crews:  you must stop if ANY one of the rowers or coxswain in the boat becomes separated from the boat. The boat must stay with the ejected member until they are safely out of the water. 

Knowing the body of water you will be racing on will help you make decisions about safety should they be necessary. There are many Web sites that give up-to-the-hour weather and wind reports for any location in the United States. Checking this site the night before competition, or better yet, the morning of racing will give you wind direction and velocity, as well as the forecast for temperature and storms. Those of you with internet capability on your cell phones can subscribe to weather sites that will give you current radar information on any location you choose. Look at the course map and notice the warm-up and race direction. This can help you determine contingencies if wind might be a problem should it start blowing hard. 

No “seasons” on the West Coast? That’s an advantage in the fall, when floating piles of leaves on the racecourse are a common occurrence in the Midwest and East. Avoid them whenever possible, as a clump of leaves in the rudder will render it useless and coxswains will find themselves going sideways fast. If you must, stop and back to clear them from the rudder of small boats and bow-coxed fours, or reach under in stern-coxed boats and grab them.

Last but not least, coaches and scullers are ultimately responsible for deciding when it is unsafe to launch. Race officials are the authority on all things racing, but you are last word in what you want your crew (or yourself) to go out in. Use all of your resources to make good, safe decisions – and have a great fall of racing!