'Twas the last big weekend of racing outside before winter, and here's what row2k heard and saw while trying to warm up and stay dry out there this past weekend.

Cox Toss in November?

As you scroll through, you might notice that the coxswain didn't look too sure, either, but you can't let a little chilly water mess with tradition, right?

Cowbell Game Goes Up a Notch

Yep, that bell says 'Ring for Beer'--with an ergonomic grip to boot--so things were next level at UVA for the Romp.

Radnor Switches it Up

After giving us the usual horns on Saturday, this Radnor guy moved on to the full Usain Bolt on Sunday:

Peace Signs All Over

Mercer:

Augusta:

And, of course, another Radnor crew gave us peace signs and the horns, as you'll see here.

And...Rock, Paper, Scissors?

Yep: when the Gwynedd girls crew went out to the gazebo to watch their teammates race, they passed the time initiating rock-paper-scissors with many of the crews rowing past while on their way back to the dock.

While the guy above went with scissors (2x!), one WYRA guy tried paper, a Eustace guy went rock (then scissors), and the Unionville girls' coxswain scored a big win with...rock.

Frostbite-y Indeed

On Frostbite-Braxton weekend, attempts to clean the docks early Sunday morning a couple hours before racing were thwarted by the fact that all the, uh, stuff was frozen:

Luckily, after that the regatta ran pretty much on time--and this kid was making sure:

And it sure could have been worse, as we saw at the Head of the South, where it was all:

Got Umbrellas?

Got Ponchos?

Whereas, up in Jersey, we had

Warmth in Numbers

And Warmth in Pajamas

Plus Maybe a Uniform Violation

FISA would have flagged this one, for sure:

Ah, so close to "uniform uniforming" but not quite...

And they really wouldn't like this classic fall boys rowing look:

Which, naturally, we also spotted in a few college boats at the Foot of the Charles:

Bow men don't need no stinkin' sleeves.

Startin' Em Young in Virginia

Never too early to get your pull-up routine going, eh?

wild 2k This Week

The Mercer eagle put on a show:

...but he didn't get a fish like this bird did, and the 'eagle' of the Charles looks a lot like just a duck:

But, really, does any of that beat a launch dog who thinks he can drive?

Pyramids Are Hard

Don't feel bad, the pyramids weren't built in a day after all--and, to be fair, this Nereid squad did pull off a few good ones.

Overhead at the Course

• On the way back to the dock post-race: "We probably should have practiced in a four before trying to race it."
• As a novice crew rowed past: "They're all wet! They're all wet!"
• Two-seat to a three-seat playing rock paper scissors: "Put your hand back on the oar or I swear to god..."
• 'Back it on starboard! What about that don't you understand?!?!'
• 'Mercer is not novice.' Well, if they meant this crew here, they were probably right: just a few National Teamers out for a spin pre-regatta, NBD.
• "We came in second!! We came second!! WAAAOOOHHHH!!!!"

Lebowski in the House

Just abiding on the start dock, man.

Advanced Regatta-ing

Kids are pros, no question--and definitely ready for spring already.

Yeah, Well, You Too...

And that is almost it for fall racing, with a Speed Order and a couple warm clime events to go; we'll have to wait and see if there is another recap this fall, and we hope you have enjoyed them so far this fall!