Peterborough City Rowing Club Junior Squad
Peterborough City Rowing Club has a thriving Junior Squad which is always at capacity. The squad is structured into five groups from Learn 2 Row through Development to High Performance with a clear athlete pathway and criteria for each group. Our Junior Squad also regularly competes at local and national level and has an extremely high success rate at all of these events.
All of our lead coaches are British Rowing qualified and supported by a dedicated group of volunteers, who are all DBS checked, first aid trained and attend regular Safeguarding and Child Protection courses.
Junior Learn to Row
For those wishing to join the Junior Squad, we are usually able to offer membership to approximately 20 – 30 new junior athletes each year. In order to fill these spaces junior athletes are assessed via a Taster Session and then, for those who express an interest to continue, a place will be offered on a Learn to Row course.
Courses run in the Spring and Summer at our purpose built rowing lake on Thorpe Meadows and are open to any junior athlete aged 12-15.
The aim of the Learn to Row course is to introduce you to the sport of rowing in a way that is fun but also challenging and to get you to the stage where you can row confidently in a crew boat. Safety is also of paramount importance, so we will also be teaching you how to stay safe both on and off the water.
We will aim to get you rowing in a boat as soon as possible but there is a lot to learn and we want you to be comfortable and confident about your first experiences. To introduce you to the correct technique, you will therefore begin by rowing on an erg (rowing machine). You might have used one before at a fitness centre, but we can show you how to develop a good action for rowing in a boat – and this is likely to be a slightly different action from the one you might have used previously.
The next session will give you practice in carrying boats. We need to do this in way that avoids unnecessary strain on your body and which protects the boats which are very fragile. After your sessions on the ergs and your session handling the boats, we will aim to get you out on the water and rowing together.
As well as boat skills, indoor rowing and correct training techniques, we’ll also teach you how to capsize…or more importantly what to do when you capsize – but don’t worry, it’s all done in a fun and safe environment. The Learn to Row course culminates in a fun regatta where you will be able to demonstrate the skills you have learnt during the course before progressing onto the next step…. a place in the Junior Squad.
If you would like further information about the Junior Squad or a Junior Learn to Row course, email the Junior Coordinator.