Quintin Boat Club Learn to Row

Learn to Row

A Future in Rowing

Our Learn to Row courses are aimed at men and women in the London area aged 18+ who are interested to find out whether they have what it takes to become a rower. Our last course took place in April 2010, but we should be running another one towards the end of the summer. The details of the April course are given below so that you can see what to expect.

Not only is this course a fabulous way to get fit while trying a new sport, but we hope that you’ll get to meet some like-minded people in your area. We hope you’ll want to continue and become part of the Quintin BC Novice squad. We are looking for people who are prepared to commit a fair amount of time to a new sport with the aim of representing the club in competition.

If you think this is for you, why not sign up now, so that we can reserve you a place. Numbers are limited, so it is best to act quickly.

Click on a question below for more details.

When is the Spring 2010 Learn to Row Course?

Limit – 24 people:
Saturday, 17th April; 11:00am to 2:00pm - "taster" day - your chance to see the club, give rowing a try and for us to assess your suitability.

Then, for those who enrol on the course:
Saturdays: 24th April and 8th, 15th May; 10:30am – 12:30pm
Sundays: 25th April and 2nd, 9th, 16th May; 10:30am – 12:30pm
Wednesdays: 28th April and 5th, 12th, 19th May; 7:00pm – 9:00pm

The course will not run on Saturday 1st May as this is the day of our local regatta, run largely by volunteers from the club. You are welcome to come down on this day and experience a rowing regatta at first hand. Details may be found at our Chiswick Amateur Regatta page.

What will the course cost?

The "taster" day is free. For those who enrol on the course proper, there will be a charge of £30 which covers use of rowing equipment, coaching, safety equipment etc. In fact we’ll lay everything on – you’ll just need to turn up.

After the course, if you’ve enjoyed rowing so much that you’d like to continue we will deduct any course expense from your subs for 2010.

Do I need to be able to swim?

Yes you do. For safety reasons, you will be asked to sign a disclaimer before the course begins to state you are able to swim 100m in light clothing. Rowing is an inherently safe sport and qualified coaches will be working with you, but we have to insist on this basic level of ability.

Do I need to be sporty to learn to row?

Being sporty is definitely NOT a requirement! At the very top levels of the sport, rowers tend to be tall with long limbs. Rowers at club level come in all shapes and sizes with the emphasis on the ability to move through the water efficiently – if you have good technique and fitness it is a real leveller.

If you are not currently involved in sports, we will support you by tailoring the training around your current fitness levels and before you know it, you’ll find muscles you never knew you had.

On the other side of things, we would also welcome people who would like to change sports. Is rugby getting a little dangerous? Tired of chasing around after tennis balls? Rowing is unique in the way it welcomes people later in life than many sports – everyone learns to kick a football as a toddler but most rowers start as a teenager or in their 20s while at University.

A few words of warning – rowing is not as easy as it looks – to learn the skill effectively you need to be prepared to devote several sessions a week (we recommend three and we would expect that level of attendance during the course). If you persevere with this level of commitment, we could have you racing towards the end of the summer season.

What is coxing?

Coxes are the brains behind the operation. If you would call yourself relatively light (say not more than 55-60 kg) with good lungs and a brain as sharp as Lewis Hamilton, you could be the missing part of the Quintin BC Novice squad. We will need at least two coxes for the course and in fact, you’d become extremely popular with the other groups at the club including our Henley squad.

We do not plan to simply throw coxes out into boats. Coxing is a learning process in exactly the same way that you learn to row and as such, we will make sure you get support as you develop. For the initial few sessions, we’d actively encourage new coxes to take part in all rowing activities in order to understand rowing from the rower’s perspective.

As a cox, you will need to wrap up warm until we get to the summer.

What should I bring?

Please do come prepared for whatever the British weather decides to throw at us on the day as there will be both indoor and outdoor activities. There are full changing facilities at the club but please don’t bring anything of particular value. We may be able to arrange for some items to be placed behind the bar at the owner's own risk.

Essentials to bring:

warm, dry (if it looks like rain), sporty clothes that allow for sufficient movement but that are not too baggy. Think tracksuits and t-shirts. Do layer up...
a change of clothes
Wellington boots or sandals that you don’t mind going in the river (we will provide some for those that haven’t brought suitable footwear)
trainers for getting about on land.

How do I sign up?

Please follow this link to go to our simple on-line form which allows you to reserve a place on the course. We are a club and promise not to use your information for anything untoward other than planning your course.

At this stage, we do not know what the interest levels will be for our latest 2010 course. We may be inundated in which case our next course would run later in the year, so to be safest, we suggest reserving early if you know you would like to get involved.