The Varsity team is a competitive, year-round program for experienced high school rowers (have completed at least two novice seasons) . The club is not affiliated with any school district and rowers come from a range of area-schools (including home-schooled students). Rowers have come from as far away as Corning, Elmira, Watkins Glen, and Whitney Point.
Fall 2026
The Varsity team develops athletes for competing at the highest level regionally and nationally. Intensive physical and technical training is anchored in the values of teamwork, accountability and effort.
Who: Rowers in grades 9-12 who have completed one full year (or two seasons) of novice rowing (Started rowing Spring 2024 or before)
Season dates: August 24 - October 26
Practice days:
Girls: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Boys: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays
Practice Times:
Girls: MTThF 6:00-8:00am
Boys: TWF 5:45-8:00am, Sat 8-11am
No Practice on Monday 9/7 or on Monday 10/12 (School holidays)
Varsity WILL practice on Monday 9/21 (for those not celebrating Yom Kippur) and Friday 10/23 (no school for ICSD those days)
Regattas:
Program Fee: $400 before August 17, $475 after
Regatta Fees Estimates (2025 numbers given below, fees will be higher this year):
Head of Genesee - $150
Head of the Charles $400
Head of the Fish - $350
CBC Dates TBD
Varsity Program: Extra Days
What: an opportunity for rowers who want to train more intensely to get additional days on the water.
Who:
Note: Your job in the first season as a varsity member is to adapt to managing the new practice and academic schedule. For that reason this option is not open to first-season varsity athletes. We also strongly encourage you to get in two more sessions of cross training on your own (biking, running, swimming. erging, etc.). If you have questions about the ideal workouts, reach out to either Alli or Luke!
Practice times:
Girls: Wednesdays 6:00-8:00am, Saturdays 8-11am
Boys: Mondays & Thursdays 5:45-8:00am
Season dates: August 24 – October 26
Program Fee: $330 (in addition to Varsity team fee of $400). Total of $730 for 6 days/week of training
Please go to our Registration Page for information about required paperwork and how to register through iCrew
Refund Policy
Time Commitments
Rowers on the varsity squad must make a strong commitment to attend all practices and races. Each boat depends on the punctuality and consistent attendance of every single rower. It is always challenging to balance the practice schedule with academic, family, and extracurricular commitments. But the effort pays off, with rowers continually challenging themselves to improve their overall fitness and set personal records in erg times. It pays off in the confidence rowers develop as they gain technical mastery of the sport. And, finally, the commitment to rowing pays off in the camaraderie that grows as rowers work towards a shared goal, coordinating their strokes into a single, fast, and powerful rhythm. Varsity rowers must also make the commitment to participate in CBC fundraising activities throughout the year.
A note on practices...
All spring, summer, and fall practices meet at the Cascadilla Boathouse in Stewart Park. Weather permitting, practices are held on the Cayuga inlet, the Fall Creek Inlet, and Cayuga Lake. Typically, boats go out in most weather except when there is a strong north wind or thunder. I f the weather does not allow rowing, practices are held on-land and include aerobic workouts, strength training, erging, and stretching.
Fall 2026
The Varsity team develops athletes for competing at the highest level regionally and nationally. Intensive physical and technical training is anchored in the values of teamwork, accountability and effort.
Who: Rowers in grades 9-12 who have completed one full year (or two seasons) of novice rowing (Started rowing Spring 2024 or before)
Season dates: August 24 - October 26
Practice days:
Girls: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Boys: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays
Practice Times:
Girls: MTThF 6:00-8:00am
Boys: TWF 5:45-8:00am, Sat 8-11am
No Practice on Monday 9/7 or on Monday 10/12 (School holidays)
Varsity WILL practice on Monday 9/21 (for those not celebrating Yom Kippur) and Friday 10/23 (no school for ICSD those days)
Regattas:
- Head of the Genesee, Sunday, October 11, Rochester, NY
- Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), Friday-Sunday October 16-18, Boston
- Head of the Fish, October 24-25, Saratoga Springs, NY
- Notes:
- Head of the Charles and Head of the Fish are overnight regattas. Head of the Genesee is a day trip
- More information will be provided as bids are finalized, but anyone who wants to be in contention for a HOCR boat must sign up for Extra Days sessions
Program Fee: $400 before August 17, $475 after
Regatta Fees Estimates (2025 numbers given below, fees will be higher this year):
Head of Genesee - $150
Head of the Charles $400
Head of the Fish - $350
CBC Dates TBD
- Parent Information Meeting, early in the season
- Fall banquet & Rent-a-Rower fundraiser
Varsity Program: Extra Days
What: an opportunity for rowers who want to train more intensely to get additional days on the water.
Who:
- Varsity student athletes in 10th-12th grade who have been rowing for at least one full year + 1 season on the Varsity squad.
- Athletes are committed to training 6 days a week and have had minimal absences in past seasons.
- These sessions are required to be considered in the selection process for rowers at the Head of the Charles River regatta and top Head of the Fish boatings.
Note: Your job in the first season as a varsity member is to adapt to managing the new practice and academic schedule. For that reason this option is not open to first-season varsity athletes. We also strongly encourage you to get in two more sessions of cross training on your own (biking, running, swimming. erging, etc.). If you have questions about the ideal workouts, reach out to either Alli or Luke!
Practice times:
Girls: Wednesdays 6:00-8:00am, Saturdays 8-11am
Boys: Mondays & Thursdays 5:45-8:00am
Season dates: August 24 – October 26
Program Fee: $330 (in addition to Varsity team fee of $400). Total of $730 for 6 days/week of training
Please go to our Registration Page for information about required paperwork and how to register through iCrew
Refund Policy
- Practice cancellations due to weather are non-refundable and typically are not rescheduled due to time constraints
- No refund for individual missed sessions
- Class/team fees cannot be pro-rated due to work/travel/personal schedule conflicts that prevent a rower from attending all sessions
- Once a program has begun, there will be no refunds
- Exception: If someone has a medical issue come up that prevents them from attending all/part of a class/season, a full or pro-rated refund may be granted, based on their attendance, if any
Time Commitments
Rowers on the varsity squad must make a strong commitment to attend all practices and races. Each boat depends on the punctuality and consistent attendance of every single rower. It is always challenging to balance the practice schedule with academic, family, and extracurricular commitments. But the effort pays off, with rowers continually challenging themselves to improve their overall fitness and set personal records in erg times. It pays off in the confidence rowers develop as they gain technical mastery of the sport. And, finally, the commitment to rowing pays off in the camaraderie that grows as rowers work towards a shared goal, coordinating their strokes into a single, fast, and powerful rhythm. Varsity rowers must also make the commitment to participate in CBC fundraising activities throughout the year.
A note on practices...
All spring, summer, and fall practices meet at the Cascadilla Boathouse in Stewart Park. Weather permitting, practices are held on the Cayuga inlet, the Fall Creek Inlet, and Cayuga Lake. Typically, boats go out in most weather except when there is a strong north wind or thunder. I f the weather does not allow rowing, practices are held on-land and include aerobic workouts, strength training, erging, and stretching.
