The End.
Learn to Row Course - Warwick Boat Club
I did the Learn to Row course at Warwick Boat Club when I moved there just over 3 years ago. I was new to the area, and I'd just driven over the bridge overlooking the castle when I saw the sign: 'Learn to Row'. I searched online for the boat club and signed up right away!
Warwick Boat Club is relatively small as boat clubs go, and each learn to row course had a maximum capacity of 8 people. I signed up in February 2013 and was on a waiting list, until a space became available in September 2013.
Winter is Coming...
Learning to row in the early Autumn, early in the morning, when it was cold and frosty, was arguably the best time to learn! It's easy to be seduced by warm days on the river, with the beautiful Warwick Castle as a backdrop, and to think that rowing is all about sunbathing and picnics. In the winter, however, the frostbite and runny noses separate the men from the boys.
At the end of our first session, the coaches asked if anyone wanted to go out in a training single. It was a wide yellow boat. More akin to a kayak than a fine single scull, but it was relatively stable, although it had no additional floats. I was the only one crazy enough to jump at the chance. Luckily I managed to stay dry and afloat, but it was at that moment that I knew I'd found my sport!
You've Gotta Go Back to Go Forward
Although I knew that you row backwards - I'd seen it on TV and in Cambridge were I grew up - but doing it is very different. It took me a while to fight the urge to row forwards so I could see where I was going. I managed to row up to the weir and back, and to park the boat back alongside the pontoon. I was absolutely buzzing when I'd finished!
We were lucky in our learn to row course that we did mostly sculling, which is unusual as learn to row courses go, as they tend to favour sweep oar rowing. We did, however, go along to the rowing tank at the University of Oxford to do some practice there. It was very good because the coaches could walk alongside us and really see what we were doing so they could give us some tips. I have only recently started sweep rowing more regularly, and I'll be competing in a IV at the Northampton head race on Saturday (weather permitting).
A Good Fit
Rowing is the best sport or exercise activity for overall strength and fitness that I have ever done! It works out your whole body! The fact that I love it is reason enough for me to row, but the fitness benefits are a real added bonus. Professional rowers also have the largest lung capacity of any sport, so the benefits are truly holistic!
You can row recreationally or as a hobby, but if you want to row more competitively, you can! Whatever you want to achieve, the only barriers to progression are your time and commitments. There are competitions throughout the year, the main ones being the regattas in the Summer, and then the head races and mini-heads throughout the Autumn and Winter.
Warwick Boat Club was a brilliant place to learn. The learn to row course was very well organised and the coaches were friendly and professional. The club had a really good social calendar, so newbies could integrate easily.
If that has piqued your interest, check out the British Rowing website for a club near you.
No comments:
Post a Comment