Junior Beginners Rowing Course

The 2023 Beginners Course is being planned.


Our Junior Beginners Course takes place once a year, starting in early September. Novice juniors should ideally be aged 11-12 (school year 7-8). The 2023 course will be run in September and run for six weeks. The course takes place in 3-hour sessions on five Saturdays, plus a capsize drill and swim test in a pool. Training includes land-based exercises, boat handling and an introduction to rowing on the river. Juniors are expected to attend all sessions, and parents/carers are encouraged to attend to help move boats and keep an eye on their juniors on the river. The course costs £200 and includes membership of the club until the end of December. From January, we encourage novice juniors to sign up as full members of the relevant racing squad.  Please email the Junior Coordinator for details and an application form.   

 For more information, please contact me via email: juniors@oxfordrowingclub.org.uk

Claire Grainger

Junior Squad Coordinator

About The Squad

The junior squad includes rowers and coxes aged 11-18 years old. Training emphasizes long term athlete development, good technique, and racing well. Juniors are encouraged to develop proficiency in all boats, especially the single. Training takes place up to 6 times a week (increasing with age). We introduce British Rowing omnium skills at J14, and compete in weekly Sunday morning time trial races, as well as local and national competitions. Children older than 14 will only be considered if they have had appropriate prior experience of rowing, and after vetting by our coaches. We are usually unable to accommodate older novice juniors – not because teenagers can’t learn to row, but because of the subsequent gap in experience and training load.