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SOUTH ORLANDO ROWING ASSOCIATION

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  • 02/26/2016 3:14 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    We are excited to be hosting the Battle of the Blues on Saturday!  Although this is much smaller than the Giblet, we do still need volunteers for stake boat holding and finish line.  Please visit our signup genius http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4baca72ba7fc1-battle

    REPORT TIMES:

    All High School rowers 8:15 a.m.

    All Middle School rowers 8:45 a.m.

    Expected release times:

    Middle School 1:30 (earlier if not racing in MS 4+)

    High School 4:30 p.m.

    Race Schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mEnOx5XHwetI2LtKvmUfwX2ivW5cd-PiIhOv0qwX330/edit?usp=docslist_api

    Although we are not loading a trailer at the end of the regatta, we do need to clean and put away equipment, pull in stake boats, and pull up launches.

    Hospitality: This will be a "bag lunch" event. We do have award-winning BBQ being sold for lunch and some of the proceeds will go back to SORA so you can either bring lunch/snacks for yourself/your rower or buy lunch from Smitty's BBQ. 

    For more information (Including BBQ lunch for sale and RAFFLE!!), please visit the Battle of the Blues website: www.soracrew.com/bob

    As always, Moss Park is a NO PETS and NO ALCOHOL park.  

    Park entry fees do apply on Saturday.


  • 02/23/2016 1:33 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Saturday is our battle of the blues regatta!! Although this event is MUCH smaller than the Head of the Giblet (6 teams), this is a wonderful day to show the local rowing community what SORA is all about.

    A detailed regatta planner will come out tomorrow morning.  However, we do need volunteers to make Saturday a success.  If you can help, please visit our sign up genius: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0C4BACA72BA7FC1-battle

    For more information on our regatta, or for raffle prizes, visit www.soracrew.com/bob


  • 02/23/2016 11:12 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Importance of Vitamins, Minerals & Supplements for a Young Rower

    by Jill Castle, MS, RDN | Feb 23, 2016

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    Vitamins and minerals are undoubtedly an important component to exercise performance. They help the body use food, assist in efficient energy use, and supply important factors for growth and development. There are 14 vitamins and over 22 minerals that keep the “engine” in the young rowers body humming along.

    Vitamin and mineral supplements are often used as an insurance policy against poor food choices or eating behaviors.

    They have also been advertised as providing a boost of energy, improvingendurance in athletic endeavors, and offering up peak performance, but few of these claims, if any, have been substantiated in the research. Up to 94% of young athletes who reported using supplements use vitamin and mineral combination supplements to enhance sports performance, according to a 2012 U. S. National Health Interview Study. 

    For many rowers, adequate vitamins and minerals can be obtained from a healthy, balanced diet consisting of whole foods like fruit, vegetables, dairy products or non-dairy substitutes, meat, fish and beans, and whole grains. Additionally, many commercially-made foods are fortified with extra nutrients, such as ready-to-eat cereal (folate, calcium, and iron), milk (vitamin D), bread (folate and sometimes calcium) and orange juice (calcium and vitamin D), making the quest for a diet rich in vitamins and minerals easy to achieve.

    On the flip side, there may be young rowers who are at a higher risk for poor micronutrient intake due to their eating habits. In this case, a multivitamin and mineral supplement may benefit their health and athletic performance. 

    Here are some common reasons why a multivitamin supplement may be advantageous for the young rower: 

    The rower is underweight or has a low body weight. A rower who is below his expected body weight for his age and stage of development may benefit from a multivitamin supplement. When calorie intake is lower than required and growth is stagnating, micronutrient intake may suffer as well.

    The rower is a picky or selective eater.  Some young rowers may be picky, shunning whole food groups such as vegetables, meat or dairy, which can set them up for inadequate consumption of nutrients such as vitamin A, iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin D. 

    The rower makes poor food choices, often. A diet with too many high-calorie, low nutrient foods, such as chips, cookies, desserts, and fried foods may lead to high calorie consumption but a low intake of vitamins and minerals.

    The rower has a food allergy. Rowers with a food allergy or multiple food allergies may be at risk for nutrient deficiencies, especially if they avoid whole food groups such as milk and dairy products, which places calcium and vitamin D at risk. Those with more than one food allergy are at the highest risk for nutrient deficiencies, as well as growth problems. 

    The rower is a restrictive eater. Rowers who are very careful about food selection and the quantities of food they eat in order to control or lose weight may miss out on important nutrients, particularly iron, calcium and vitamin D. Young athletes who diet to shed pounds may sacrifice important nutrients while cutting calories. 

    The rower has a known nutrient deficiency. A swimmer who has a documented nutrient deficiency, such as iron deficiency, will need a nutrient supplement. This is typically diagnosed and prescribed by a healthcare provider and may be in the form of a single nutrient supplement or a multivitamin and mineral supplement.

    In general, if it appears the young rower has a condition that may benefit from a multivitamin supplement, always double-check with your healthcare provider and be sure to use a supplement that offers no more than 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA).

    Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian, childhood nutritionist, and youth sports nutrition expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. Learn more about Jill at www.JillCastle.com and check out her free list of 70 Awesome Pre-Workout Snacks for Kids here.

  • 02/11/2016 11:12 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Thank you to our amazing members who donated $865 in less than 24 hours to allow SORA to purchased a 2nd "nearly new" erg from Erg Sprints this weekend. While the rowers don't always love the ergs, they are vital to our training.

    Thank you again!
    Robert McClory
    SORA President

  • 02/02/2016 12:41 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Should Growing Rowers Snack or Eat a 4th Meal?

    by Jill Castle, MS, RDN | Feb 01, 2016

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    Rowing is a high calorie burning sport. In fact, along with swimming and running, rowing torches significant calories compared to most youth sports. In the adolescent growth spurt, the need for calories to assure normal growth and cover the energy needs for rowing may be quite high.

    Young rowers may find it difficult to eat enough calories in the day, especially in light of school schedules before practice. Inadequate calories may lead to lackluster performance, fatigue, and even weight loss. 

    Healthy snacks are certainly one strategy to help the rower achieve sufficient calories to meet his nutritional needs for growth and sport. However, a snack may not be enough. 

    This is where a 4th meal can help. For some rowers, the switch to a meal mentality rather than a snack mindset may the ticket to proper fueling before exercise. 

    A 4th meal is generally higher in calories due to larger portions, and the inclusion of more food groups compared to a typical snack. A 4th meal is best eaten when there’s plenty of time (an hour or more) before exercise to allow for digestion. 

    Here’s a snapshot of a snack compared to a 4th meal: 

    Snack Approach: a bowlful of popcorn, two granola bars, or a handful of nuts and dried fruit 

    A 4th Meal Approach: leftover pasta with marinara sauce, a deli sandwich, or a loaded baked potato 

    Experiment with a 4th meal to see if it does a better job at fueling the rower adequately for an intense workout, especially if “snacks” are less nutritious, growing in size, or frequency, or if the rower is complaining about frequent hunger. 

    Try some of the following 4th meal ideas:

    Leftovers: If you have dinner leftovers, pull them out the next day and reheat them for a hearty 4th meal. Some suggestions:

    Pasta with meatballs and sauce;
    Rice with beef or chicken, and vegetables:
    Casserole such as lasagna, and fruit:
    Pad Thai or Lo mein. 

    Breakfast foods: Eggs, waffles and oatmeal are a fast and easy option as a 4th meal. Try these:

    Scrambled eggs in a tortilla with cheese and salsa:
    Egg sandwich with ham and cheese on an English muffin:
    Sautee eggs into leftover rice and chopped vegetables for a rice dish:
    Waffles layered with peanut butter, banana and a drizzle of honey; milk:
    Oatmeal topped with nuts, dried fruit, and milk:

    Sandwiches: When time is tight, pack a sandwich and rotate different types to keep it interesting.

    Panini with mozzarella, pesto, tomato, and fruit:
    Grilled cheese and tomato sandwich: 
    PBJ sandwich and a banana:
    Deli sub including lean meat, cheese, and veggies:

    Stews and hearty soups: Especially when the chill sets in, a soup can take the edge off of the cold, and fill up a hungry belly. Here are some good options:

    Chili (beef or vegetarian variety) with cornbread or other type of bread: 
    Beef stew with bread or crackers:
    Vegetable barley soup and peanut butter toast:
    Lentil soup and bread: 

    Baked potatoes: Zap these in the microwave and stuff them with lots of nutritious goodies:

    Southwestern-style: Load it with cheese, salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream:
    Veggie-style: Top a potato with broccoli and cheese:
    Pizza-style: Crust not necessary! Add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and chopped turkey pepperoni:

    Remember, a 4th meal may do a better job at fueling a workout and improve the rower’s overall diet, while also warding off excessive hunger.

    Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian, childhood nutritionist, and youth sports nutrition expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. Learn more about Jill at www.JillCastle.com.


  • 01/25/2016 1:17 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Edit: The problem with thanking people is omitting someone you meant to thank. So a BIG thanks to Chris Hutchingon for driving our boats to and from the regatta. Without this, we would have been swimming instead of rowing. Not something I suspect we'd have wanted to do in 32 degree weather :)

    Pictures from Citrus Sprints can be found here: http://www.robertmcclory.com/p708254563

    Please note that ALL SORA pictures I take eventually make their way to http://www.robertmcclory.com/soracrew

    What a great (but very chilly) day of racing at the Citrus Sprints in Inverness. The first thing many of us got to see when we arrived was the amazingly beautiful tents provided by the Lemos family and Dunkin' Donuts of Moss Park. Inside one of those tents, Tina, our new hospitality coordinator set up a great spread of food and hot/cold drinks that kept our rowers going all day. Thanks Tina and crew!!!

    After braving a morning of VERY cold weather, it was onto the water and victory for many of our boats. 

    Our Middle School team had an amazing day with open water wins in two of their 3 gold medal winning performances. 

    It was also a great moment for our Women's 4+ A boat who won (fairly easily) the last race their coxswain, Madi Deweese, will be able to participate in for awhile since she has corrective hip surgery scheduled on February 9th,. This will be her 2nd such surgery in a few months (both hips needed the same surgery) so all prayers and well wishing should be sent her way as she hopes to make a full recovery and return in time for States. 

    Thanks to our coaches who made the trip for their great work all day and to the coaches who couldn't make it for the training that lead to some impressive results on the water. 

    Lastly, thank you to all our parents who made the adjustment to their schedules and brought their rowers to Inverness. It turned out to be a great day of racing and even warmed up by the end.

    Here is a roundup of our medal count from the day (based on memory as final results are not posted yet...please forgive any errors or omissions. This info will be updated if necessary):

    GOLD:

    • Women's Varsity 4+ A
    • Women's Novice 8+
    • Middle School 8+ A
    • Middle School 4+ A
    • Middle School 4+ B

    SILVER:

    • Women's Varsity 1x
    • Women's Varsity 2x B (flight 1)

    BRONZE:

    • Men's Varsity 4+
    • Men's Ltwt Varsity  4+ A
    • Women's Varsity 2x A (flight 2)
    • Men's Varsity 2x
    • Men's Varsity 8+
    • Women's Varsity 4x
    • Middle School 8+ B


  • 01/20/2016 8:39 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    Due to high wind forecast, the hosts of Citrus Sprints has decided to move their regatta to Sunday. Our planner is still valid, just for Sunday instead of Saturday. Any changes to the plan will be discussed at our Kickoff Dinner on Thursday and posted to the event page. 

    Please let us know if your rower can attend the race on Sunday here.
  • 01/20/2016 9:33 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Can your rower race on Sunday if they move the regatta? Please click here to indicate yes/no.


    Overnight we got word that ROCCS, the team hosting Citrus Sprints this weekend, was very concerned about a high wind forecast for Saturday (15-25mph).  This wind forecast would make rowing unsafe for all aged/abilities.

    Because they want to see fair and safe racing, they have already implemented logistics to Sunday IF the weather forecast does not improve by tomorrow.

    This adjustment to the race schedule and willingness to move to Sunday is very uncommon (we've never seen it happen in Florida), but greatly appreciated.  Normally, if weather interrupts a regatta, the regatta is simply canceled and not rescheduled. 

    Although we will not know until TOMORROW (Thursday) if the regatta will be moved to Sunday, for planning and logistics purposes, we need to know TODAY if your rower will be able to make it Sunday (this also includes rowers who were unable to race on Saturday). 

    A new event page/registration has been set up and we need ALL rowers, High School and Middle School to register thus indicating they can row on Sunday. Your response to racing Sunday will not change whether the race is on Saturday or Sunday, it will affect SORA's decision on whether we can make the race on Sunday. Coaches will be following up with rowers today at practice.

    Can your rower race on Sunday if they move the regatta? Please click here to indicate yes/no.


    We have to make a decision as a team very quickly on this so please make every effort to let us know your availability now.

    Below is the full communication from the regatta hosts.  Again, we are extremely thankful that they are even considering offering a Sunday regatta instead of just canceling racing all together.

    Good Evening,

    We at ROCCS have been watching the Saturday Regatta weather forecast very closely.  The winds are forecast at 15 - 25 mph all day.  These are unsafe winds for rowing.  

    We will wait until approximately 7:00 PM on Wednesday to determine whether the wind forecast substantially changes.  If it does not, and if the winds remain unsafe for rowing, we will move the Regatta to Sunday, Jan. 24.  Sunday's weather is forecast to be ideal for rowers of all ages.  We have already received permission from the City of Inverness to hold the Regatta on Sunday, if required.  

    If the change is required, we hope that there remains enough interest from all teams and entrants to continue with the event.  (Perhaps even more scholastic rowers can participate since the day will no longer conflict with the state-wide SAT testing!)  We have worked very hard to ensure that the day is fantastic, and we apologize that the weather is not cooperating.  However, safety is of utmost concern for all rowers.  Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  An update will be sent Wednesday evening. 

    Thank you,
    Robert McClory
    SORA President


  • 01/02/2016 10:43 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Letter from the President - January 1st, 2016

    Hello to the extended SORA family. I’m Robert McClory and I think most if not all of you know me. I am now acting President of SORA and want to give you an idea of where we’ve been, where we are and where I see us going as a club.

    First, I'd like to thank outgoing board members, President Scott Deweese and Vice President Justin Lednar, for their years of service and dedication to the cause of making SORA great for our members. Without them, we'd not be where we are today. 

    Where we’ve been…

    The past several months have been tough from a “business” standpoint. Rather than concentrate on the “fun stuff”, we have been forced to implement several measures to tighten up how we do things internally so we can keep our 501c3 status and at some point pass an IRS audit if it comes to that. This is not necessary for the general membership to know/be concerned with but I wanted to share that so you understand what the previous board lead by Scott Deweese has been focused on most of the year starting last Summer. Hopefully the trailing edge of that effort is here and we can move forward to things that are more “membership facing” like better planning, communication, etc but first we had to shore up the core of SORA so it was around for the long haul.

    Where we are…

    The efforts of the previous board, a few of whom are still active board members (in the same or different positions), have left SORA as a much more efficient organization in nearly every way from finance to communication. As president, I will try to make sure those changes remain in place as well as putting the finishing touches on ongoing projects. Then I want to turn my attention to making sure your experience, and your rower’s experience is as good as it can be. After all, this is an organization that exists solely to provide our kids and members the opportunity to participate in this amazing sport. It’s not rocket science and it should be fun so my goal is to guide SORA in directions that supports that idea.

    Where we’re going…

    I really want to see us grow as an organization but also grow the participation of each member in the club. We are dependant largely on volunteer efforts by the membership to get certain things done, from the board on down. The only “staff” we have is our coaches, the most important being Katie Lednar, our head coach and director of our program who shoulders a lot of the burden but not nearly all of it. Everyone else is a volunteer. I believe with effective communication of our needs and what can be done to help, most people are happy to pitch in now and then, especially if it means their kids are going to have a better experience at SORA. Together we can create an environment where our rowers can thrive in their training and produce results in competition.

    To that end, I want to ask each of you to be as open as you can in communicating with me any concerns, questions, or comments you may have. I admit that if it has to do with coaching or “on the water” issues, I’ll simply defer to your kid’s coach but I can help make sure those things are heard by the right people.

    I look forward to the rest of the season and serving as your President.

    Thanks for your time!

    Robert McClory
    SORA President

  • 12/13/2015 1:27 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
    This week is Orange County Park's Light Up the Wild at Moss Park!  We encourage all members to see this incredible driving light tour at Moss Park ($5/car)

    However, due to the popularity of this event, please be prepared for increased traffic this week.

    ARRIVE AT THE PARK BY 5:30 PM

    Light Up the Wild begins at 6:30 p.m.  Gates will close for this event at 6 p.m.  ALL MEMBERS need to be in the park by 5:30 p.m. in order to avoid (hopefully) being in the line for Light Up the Wild.

    HS ROWERS without rides in the park WILL BE DRIVEN TO SPRING OF LIFE CHURCH

    If you are not able to get in the park BEFORE the gates close or BEFORE the line starts, parent volunteers or coaches will drive your rower to the Spring of Life Methodist Church (417 and Moss Park Rd) at the conclusion of practice (est arrival 6:30). 

    Please make sure you and your rower have their phones to communicate if they will be brought to the church

    Please be signed up on Text alert at http://www.soracrew.com/texts

    If you are available to be a parent driver for church dropoff, please let coach Katie know at the end of practice on whichever day you can drive.

    MS ROWERS PLEASE BE ON TIME!!!

    If you are late to practice this week (5:30), you will most likely get stuck in Light of the Wild Traffic.

    If at all possible, we encourage all parents dropping off middle school rowers to stay in the park.

    If you are returning at the conclusion of practice, parents please CLEARLY COMMUNICATE that you are picking up your rower (we encourage a right blinker and to have your rowing pass visible) while you are making your way to the park and through the gate. Please understand this is a stressful week for all park employees and be patient!  

    YOUR PARK PASS DOES NOT INCLUDE ACCESS TO LIGHT UP THE WILD.

    We strongly encourage all members to experience this event.  HOWEVER, your park pass DOES NOT include entry to Light up the Wild.  The cost is $5 per car and you must enter through the line (you can not take a left to start your tour).

    Members leaving the park who wish to see Light up the Wild:

    1. Leave Moss Park
    2. When safe, make a U Turn and join the line for Light up the Wild
    3. Pay your $5 at the gate house
    4. ENJOY!

    Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation through this week.  


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