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.

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 next Learn to Row Course?

Limit – 24 people:
The next course is provisionally planned to start on Saturday, 27th April 2013. Our courses normally begin with a free "taster" day on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, then, for those who enrol on the course and pay the fee:

three more weekend afternoons
followed by a programme of weekend and midweek sessions to be agreed with the aim of competing at events in the coming season.

It is recommended that you attend all three weekend sessions to get you off to a good start on the course.

What will the course cost?

The "taster" day is free. For those who enrol on the course proper, there will be a charge of £100 to cover use of rowing equipment, coaching, safety equipment etc.

After the course, if you’ve enjoyed rowing so much that you’d like to continue you can become a full member of the club.

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 are always in need of good coxes, and you’d soon 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 next course. We may be inundated so, to be safest, we suggest reserving early if you know you would like to get involved.