Hi! So I’m going to youth nationals soon and the minimum weight is 110 lbs. I know that I’ll need weight, 8 or 9 lbs. What kind of weights are best to use and where can I get them? Thanks!
Go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a bunch of sand. It’s weird that USRowing makes you provide your own weight but whatever. Weigh yourself and then fill up a plastic bag with sand with whatever the difference is between that and 110lbs. At Sprints, IRAs, etc. the coxswains would fill the bags, duct tape it into a nice solid block, and then write their names, schools, event, and weight on there. I’m not sure if USRowing requires you to do all that but I’d recommend it just because it’s easier to transport when it’s not flopping all over the place and if you misplace it it can easily be returned to you.
Also, just gonna take this opportunity to copy/paste this section from the 2015 Youth Nats entry packet. Coxswains, read and be aware of this.
“The weight of Coxswains shall be determined once each day during either the Weigh-in Window or Adjusted Weigh-in Window, but not both. In the event a Coxswain is weighed after the applicable Weigh-in Window or Adjusted Weigh-in Window but before the first Race in which the weight is relevant, the Coxswain may be subject to one of the penalties described in Rule 2- 602 (“Types of Penalties”); the presumed penalty for such infraction is a Warning. Failure to weigh-in at any point in time prior to the first Race in which the weight is relevant shall constitute a violation of Rule 4-105.1 (“Coxswain’s Weight”) and result in the Coxswain being deemed ineligible to race.
When an Adjusted Weigh-in Window is created due to a scheduling change, a Competitor may weigh-in during either the original Weigh-in Window or the Adjusted Weigh-in Window, but not both, provided the Competitor completes his or her weigh-in prior to the newly Scheduled Time of the Race and on the same day as the newly Scheduled Time of the Race.
“Adjusted Weigh-in Window”: Should Race Officials adjust or alter the racing schedule for compelling reasons, changing the amount of time between the Weigh-in Window and the newly Scheduled Time of the Race, an Adjusted Weigh-in Window shall be created. The Adjusted Weigh-in Window shall be no less than one (1) hour and not more than two (2) hours before the newly Scheduled Time of the Race.
An “Adjusted Weigh-in Window” is only created if an adjusted schedule is officially posted or published by USRowing. Commonly occurring delays throughout the day are not considered an official adjustment to the schedule.
Coxswains who do not comply with the minimum weight standard must provide their own materials to create deadweight in accordance with the USRowing Rules of Rowing. This weight must be placed in the boat as close to the torso of the coxswain as possible, and is specifically forbidden to be distributed throughout the boat. At any time, before or immediately after the race, the Referee, another Race Official, or a member of the Control Commission may require the weight of the deadweight to be checked.”
JUNE 2016 EDIT: New favorite solution – scuba weights. They’re small, easy to carry (and travel with), and there’s no mess. We bought some before IRAs and they worked great.
