News

Posted: April 27, 2016

There are many ways to benefit from Scottish Rowing’s Project Rio campaign which aims to capitalise on rowing interest generated by this summer’s Olympic Games.

Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University is planning to use the campaign’s promotional and coaching resources to recruit more students when the term resumes in September.

“Freshers week is when we will have our major push and it’s also a good opportunity to take on second and third year students as well,” said PhD student and Assistant Coach, Adam Hardy.

“So hopefully the Rio Games will help invigorate things and we will get an even bigger base of people involved.

“We have a qualified coach and three volunteer coaches and we always make sure that beginners are well looked after.”

Heriot-Watt has some 50 registered boat club members but on the back of this summer’s Rio Games it hopes to attract more. It may even target other nearby universities which don’t have their own rowing sections.

“Our Sports Union has a big push with a sports fair and festival of exercise at the start of next term,” continued Adam.

“It’s aimed at increasing participation and we are always looking for new ways to attract people.

“We are an open club so we are looking to expand to Napier and Queen Margaret Universities who don’t have their own club, and we have a couple of members already who are Napier students.”

Heriot-Watt Boat Club is also benefitting from a Ready for Rio £500 grant from the national governing body, Scottish Rowing, to be used for marketing.

“The Ready for Rio grant from Scottish Rowing will help with our recruitment push,” added Adam.

“And I’m sure that we will be able to use the coaching resources from Project Rio to help with coaching and encouraging new members.”

Led by Scottish Rowing, Project Rio is a direct result of the surge in rowing interest following the London 2012 Olympic Games, when clubs across the country were inundated with newcomers wanting to learn to row.

Project Rio aims to help clubs maximise the interest around this summer’s Rio Games by being better prepared as well as taking a more proactive role within their communities.