JL2RFAQ

How old do you have to be to join the club ?
We take junior rowers from year 7

When does this take place ?
Our new system for beginners allows junior rowers to join year round, not just at specific times of year.

How are the sessions run ?
We offer an introductory session supervised by a qualified rowing coach during which the participant will be shown around the club, practice the rowing stroke on a rowing machine, and go out on the water in a boat with floats which prevent it capsizing.   We typically only do these for one or two people at a time, so that they get very detailed one-to-one coaching.

If I enjoy the introductory session can I join the club afterwards ?
Yes, absolutely, we do not expect everyone to join, but we can handle a significant number of new rowers each year.
If you do want to, then the club has a monthly membership fee which is currently £28, although as with everything the club runs, in cases of hardship they will consider a reduced membership rate.

How long will it take before I can get to be a competitive rower ?
This is hugely variable - the shortest time I have ever seen from starting to row to competing for the first time in a British Rowing competition was just over three months, but for the majority of junior rowers it is more like a year, and for some it can take two years.  

What if I don't want to compete, and just want to enjoy rowing for fun ?
We provide opportunities for everyone, whether or not they wish to compete.
Currently our water sessions are broken up by age rather than ability, although as numbers increase that may change.
Land based sessions (e.g. on rowing machines or doing strength and conditioning training) are open to everybody

Can parents / guardians help out in any way ?
If they have time to help out then we welcome them doing so.
Initially we would typically ask you to do something that does not require specific rowing knowledge, e.g. walking along the tow path alongside a boat to keep an eye on them - e.g. to tell them if they are about to collide with something.  When their child moves on from the beginner group it is useful to have parents on bikes who can accompany crews.