RegattaCentral

Update emailed Sun, May 3, 2020, 11:32 AM

All,

The FSRA Regatta Committee worked with SANCA and the hotel bureau to preserve the opportunity to hold a State Championship Regatta in the hope of a best-case scenario regarding the re-opening of Florida. Governor DeSantis' Phase 1 plan does not allow for the possibility of holding any sporting events -- nor even the opportunity for most programs to even train -- so the regatta is cancelled and the FSRA season is officially over. 

We have a lot to consider as we move forward as an organization through this uncertainty.  Our seasons as a whole and the way we run regattas will surely be different, and we'll have to adapt and overcome as new information and best practices become available. The more input we have from our membership the better, so please don't hesitate to reach out. 

We'll announce the time and location of the annual meeting as soon as we can firm it up, but August 8th and August 29th are the two most likely dates. We will also be looking into hosting the meeting remotely if social distancing and group size restraints are still in effect late this summer. 

I'd like to thank the members of the Regatta Committee, SANCA, and the hotel bureau for working diligently to maintain the possibility of holding an event despite the knowledge of the odds being against it. 

Stay safe,

Brett Tillotson

FSRA President

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Emailed Wed, Apr 1, 2020, 3:12 PM

Coaches,

The survey that was sent out to each team's member representative indicated that over 80% of teams want the FSRA to hold a championship regatta at a later date. So, the Regatta Committee has worked with SANCA to schedule an FSRA Championship Regatta for May 29th - 31st. 

Teams that have booked hotel rooms through HBC Event Services do not have to call in and cancel their reservations. HBC Event Services will take care of notifying hotels and canceling your reservations. Once HBC Event Services has the room blocks set up for the updated dates in May, they will notify everyone had already reached out and/or had reservations for April. The link will also be posted on Regatta Central as soon as is ready. 

The Regatta Committee has decided on the following format:

• All 50 FSRA events will be offered
• Rowers may compete in one sweep and one sculling event
• Time Trials will be held on Friday to determine 8 lane A & B finals
• Sweep finals will be on Saturday, A followed by B
• Sculling finals will be on Sunday, A followed by B

Please understand that we are planning this in the hope of a best-case scenario, in which Florida Public Schools resume on May 3rd  and all state and local government restrictions on gatherings and events have been lifted. That would give most of our teams a month of organized practice to prepare. 

We have considered the competitive, cost, and logistic implications of holding a race. We accept that there will be some inequities between programs that attend, that not everyone will be able to attend, and that staffing and running the regatta will be more of a challenge than it has in the past. We all pay attention to the news, and do know that current projections make it seem unlikely that things will return to normal in time to hold this regatta. However, the membership spoke, and the regatta committee wants to honor what the majority of the membership asked for --- a chance to race.  If restrictions have not lifted by May 3rd, the FSRA will consider the season over and cancel the regatta. 

Coaches, please continue to be responsible and limit your training to align with state and local guidelines regarding COVID-19. Under no circumstances should you use this as a reason to re-convene before it's safe to do so. 

Questions, comments, concerns? If you're a parent, contact your child's program's FSRA member representative. They should then contact their district representative on the Regatta Committee. If you're a coach, contact your District Representative. The Regatta Committee will consider all feedback that's properly channeled. 

Stay safe, 

Brett Tillotson

FSRA President