FAQ
The Questions
Who are Free Sprits?
How do I join Free Spirits?
What is the meterboard?
How do I get my national flag changed on the meterboard?
How long does this thing last?
What are all these "challenges"?
What is the CTC?
Where can I talk about this and find out more?
Where can I get that pretty image in my signature that shows all my best times?
How can I let others see my Concept 2 log book?
The Answers
Who are we?
Free Spirits was founded in May 2006 by a group of about 12 people that used to be members of another team.
We wanted to create a team where everyone is welcome, there are no rules or obligations to meet any set targets and it is there for us to have fun. Since then, the team has grown and now each year pushes 500 active members (we go back to zero at the start of each season in April), having clocked more than 100 million metres!
There's no limit to the people in the team, who can be any age from anywhere in the world. We are a truly open global team.
There's no fee for joining, no obligation to do a set distance or achieve a particular speed.
Just keep track of all the metres/times you do , record it on the Concept 2 web site and the system automatically adds up our team total and compares it to other teams.
What's the catch? - there isn't one - except you might get a bit hooked on it, lose some weight and get fitter!
How to join us:
- First, you need to set up a profile on the Concept 2 website.
- This is free, takes 2 minutes and you don't get any spam email - your privacy is protected.
- Go to: http://www.concept2.com
- Near the top right, there is a link Personal Online Log - click on this.
- Click on REGISTER to join.
- Enter as many details you wish to….you can always edit this later.
- Right at the end of this is a drop down box labelled University/Club Affiliation.
- Click on this (it's a huge list), scroll almost to the end and Free Spirits are listed under Virtual teams.
- All you now need to do is record all of your times and distances as you do them. You can also retrospectively enter distances/times back to May 1st.
What is the meterboard?
If you set yourself up as described in the paragraph above, then your metres/meters will be automatically recorded each hour in the Free Spirits meterboard. N.B. It takes TWO rows for your name to appear. If it does not appear after two rows then ask for advice in the web site forum.
It is called meter board not metre board because it was created by an American, but Europeans can still read this as in a meter that records things (voltmeter, ammeter etc.).
How do I get my national flag changed on the meterboard?
At the bottom of the meterboard is an email address where you can email Jonathan Lemon to get your flag changed. This is useful if you live in America but row for Canada or something similar.
The rowing "year":
- The rowing season starts on May 1st each year and runs to April 30th.
- All distances are accumulated for the current season.
- At the end of the season, a new season starts - last year's results are archived.
- They can still be viewed, by looking at the History tab.
Other challenges we get involved in (optional):
Concept 2 Cross Training ChallengeA single challenge each month set by the web site owner at http://www.c2ctc.com/.
Teams take it in turns to choose the challenge each month.
You just record your best time - the system organises people into boats based on best time first. Each boat has 5 people - Positions 1, 2, 3 open to anyone, position 4 must be a Lightweight (Male or Female), position 5 must be Female.
Points are awarded at the end of the month for each FULL boat based on best time.
Examples of challenges:
- May 2006 - 5,000 m
- June 2006 - 1,000 m
- July 2006 - 30 minutes
- August 2006 - 500 m
N.B. Any times recorded on these challenge also go on your C2 logbook (but you have to enter them both separately)!!
Discussion Forum
Free Spirits has in the past had a single discussion thread called "Free Spirits" on the Teams & Clubs Forum, which is found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/forum but we are now using the forum on this site.
You need to register a profile to use it the first time though, which is easy.
Forum Signatures
You will see that several people have a special image in their signature that shows all their personal bests like the one below:
This image is easily created by going to the CTC site and using their image generator. Free Spirits have their own PB entry page to the CTC generator which will remember your times, so that is probably a better one to use. You then enter your times, click "Make Image" and follow the instructions. If you are not sure how to change you forum signature, go to the "profile" link (you need to be a registered forum user) and fill your signature in there.
How can I make my Concept 2 log book public?
The Free Spirits have a cunning and simple way of making your Concept 2 log book public. Follow these steps:- Make sure that you have joined Free Spirits and that your metres are appearing on the Free Spirits Meter Board;
- Go to your Concept 2 profile;
- Under Training Partners (half way down the page), enter the ID# 342705 (Free Spirit);
- Watch in amazement as your personal log book is made public on the meter board over the next hour or so.
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