First race of fall season is this weekend!

Oct 4 – Head of The Port

Our first race of the fall season is right around the corner! Head of the Port will be our first opportunity to get the team out on the race course and put our training into action. All competitive athletes will travel together as a team to the Port of Sacramento by buses. Buses will leave on Sunday October 4 at 5 AM from Sports Basement parking lot in Redwood City and return at around 4 pm. We’ve attached the full race-day itinerary with all the important details, including the transportation, and race schedules.

🍽 Food Needs
We will be providing food and snacks for the athletes throughout the race day and will do our best to accommodate dietary needs whenever possible.

If your athlete has special dietary needs, allergies, or food preferences that may not be fully accommodated, please make sure they come prepared with enough food and snacks to meet their needs for the day. We want to make sure every athlete has enough food to stay fueled and ready to race!

🙋 Volunteer Needs
We will need parent volunteers to help support the team food tent throughout race day, including helping with breakfast and lunch. If you are attending the regatta and are able to volunteer, please sign up at the link below. Please note that parent volunteers attending the race should plan for off-site parking and the shuttle to the race course.

👕 What to Wear

New athletes will receive their Norcal fall racing T-shirt and all athletes should plan to wear it with black shorts, leggings or other athletic appropriate black bottoms. The shirts will be handed out to athletes this Saturday after practice. If your athlete is not at practice, we will coordinate to make sure they receive their shirt before the race on Sunday. If your athlete already has their Norcal fall racing shirt from previous races, there is no need to get a new one – they will wear the shirt they already have.

Race mornings can be cold, so athletes should also bring plenty of warm layers to wear before and after race.

Make sure that all athletes are registered in USRowing and have a valid championship membership.

We’re excited to kick off our fall racing season and get our athletes on the course. Let’s race!

Head of the Port Itinerary →

German exchange program · October · 2-23

German Exchange – Host Families Needed!

We are excited to welcome 16 German rowers (5 girls and 11 boys) and 2 coaches to Norcal this October! We are looking for families willing to host one or two athletes for all or part of their visit.

Hosting dates: Oct 2-4, Oct 8-14, and Oct 21-22. (Some athletes will be in Lake Tahoe Oct 5-7; the group travels from Southern California Oct 14 and departs from SFO Oct 23.)

Hosting is easy! Athletes need a place to sleep (a couch or air mattress is fine), access to laundry, breakfast and dinner, and ideally something they can pack for lunch. During weekdays, the German coaches will take the athletes rowing and sightseeing while our Norcal athletes are at school and practice. Host families will primarily have time with their athletes in the evenings and on weekends-including Fleet Week!

The athletes speak English and are polite, enthusiastic, and a lot of fun to have around. Coach Chuck Bonicci will coordinate housing, transportation and schedules with each host family. For questions contact chuck@norcalcrew.org

And remember – next summer Norcal athletes will travel to Germany for the other half of the exchange! We hope many of our athletes will join the adventure.

Interested in hosting? Here are the links, look at the athletes bios and the dates. Please let us know – even if you can only host for part of the visit!

German Exchange Hosting Interest Form →

More Information About German Exchange Here →

Links to Bios of Athletes →

Head Of the american · lake natoma, Ca · October 24

Head of The American

Our major racing trip this fall will be Head of the American at Lake Natoma in Sacramento! This will be an OVERNIGHT team trip, giving our athletes the opportunity to race, spend time together as a team, and experience one of the highlights of the fall season.

We have a full itinerary attached with all the important information, including departure and return times, hotel details, transportation, race schedules, and athlete expectations. Please review the itinerary carefully before the trip.

🚌 Team Travel & Overnight Stay

Athletes will travel together by buses on Friday night and stay overnight at the team hotel. Transportation to and from the race course will also be provided for the team. Parents will receive updates about the team's schedule and return time through BAND.

🍽 Food Needs

We will be providing meals and snacks for the athletes throughout the trip and will work to accommodate everyone’s dietary needs as much as possible. If your athlete has special dietary needs, allergies, or specific food requirements, please make sure they also bring enough food and snacks to supplement what we provide. We want every athlete to have plenty of options and feel comfortable with the food available throughout the trip. We’ll do our very best to make sure everyone is well-fed, fueled, and ready to race!

🙋 Volunteer Needs

We’ll also need parent volunteers to help throughout the day with food, team support, and keeping things organized. We appreciate everyone who is able to lend a hand—regattas are a team effort, and parent support makes a big difference!

👕 What to Wear

Athletes will receive their race T-shirt from Norcal at the first fall race and should plan to wear black shorts/athletic bottoms with it. Race mornings can be cold, so athletes should also bring plenty of warm and dry layers for before and between races.

We're excited for a great trip and a full day of racing at Lake Natoma. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers to make these trips possible!

Head of the American Itinerary →

Head of the charles · Boston MA · October 18

Head of The Charles Regatta

HOCR is the biggest fall regatta in the U.S., and we are so excited to have a select group of Norcal athletes representing our team at this incredible event! The athletes traveling to Boston will depart on Wednesday 10/14 and return on Sunday 10/18. Racing athletes and their parents will receive the full itinerary and additional trip information soon.

In the meantime, please make sure that:

– Athletes have an active USRowing registration.

– Athletes have communicated with their schools and made arrangements for any school conflicts due to the trip.

We are so excited to watch our athletes represent Norcal on such a big stage. We’ll all be cheering them on from home!

HOCR Live stream Link →

Sign Up to Volunteer

Pick Your Volunteer Job!

Norcal requires families to complete volunteer hours throughout the season. Now is the time to sign up and choose the opportunities that work best for you. There are many ways to help, from Regattas & events to equipment, facilities, fundraising & other team needs. Our program relies on our families, and your time makes a huge difference. Thank you for helping make Norcal Crew successful.

Sign Up For Your Favorite Volunteer Position Here! →

Halloween Row · October 30 · After practice

🎃 Trunk Or Treat – Friday, October 30

We are excited to bring back our Halloween celebration this year and make it a Norcal Crew tradition! Each class will choose a group costume ahead of time, and athletes will come to practice for a fun Halloween row by classes. After practice we will gather for a team-wide Trunk or Treat, with parents decorating their cars and bringing treats. Parents arrive by 6:30 pm to set up and athletes will be released at 6:45 pm to join the Trunk or Treat. We are looking forward for a fun night of costumes, rowing, candy, and Halloween spirit!

Where we are · practice locations

Day to day · BAND

Team Communication Happens on BAND

BAND is Norcal Crew's official communication platform — coaches use it for the day-to-day: practice changes, weather calls, regatta logistics and announcements. Everyone joins the Norcal All Team band, and athletes and parents also join their squad's group.

Upcoming Events

Always on hand

Our locations

Comp Women Parents

Comp Women Athletes

Comp Men Parents

Comp Men Athletes

Fitness Rowing

Event

Event

Regatta

Regatta

Regatta

Event