News

Posted: July 7, 2016

As part of the first phase of the Scottish Rowing Project Rio campaign (funded by Awards for All), clubs across the country opened their doors, offered coaching and showed newcomers how much fun rowing can be.

With some 300 newcomers taking part in Come and Try events at clubs across the country in June, it proves that people out there really are keen to give rowing a try.  It also shows that our clubs are well prepared to encourage them in and get them started.

On the face of it, the busy Castle Semple Rowing Club might appear to be a club not in need of new members.  However with an eye for the future, and through a combination of advertising and word of mouth, they attracted 30 to their two Come and Try days. “The response was very positive with some people coming back for the second session dragging their spouses,” said Club President Graeme Fletcher. “We had previously invested quite a bit of money into training boats and they were worth their weight in gold for these sessions.  They allowed us to get everyone who came down out in a single and a double, which meant they got a real taste of rowing.”

It’s a similar story up in the Highlands where Inverness Rowing Club had 20 people rowing during its Come and Try day.  One, a former rower, signed up for membership immediately apparently “loving” being back on the water.  

“We also now have a full waiting list of both senior and juniors for our next come and try sessions which we are now scheduling,” said Vice-Captain, Robert Gordon.

Inverness plans to run sessions for juniors in July which will finish at the club’s summer camp when they can progress into full junior membership and take up the seats of the departing juniors who will be heading to University.

Elsewhere, Aberdeen Boat Club made a great start to their “novice nights” which runs through-out the summer.  Strathclyde Park Rowing attracted 16 newcomers and Stirling Rowing Club report a fantastic morning with an above-expected 30 complete beginners turning up for their Come and Try event.

Of course introductory events only make sense if there are follow on opportunities and our clubs are investing in the follow-on Learn2Row courses.

Castle Semple signed up 14 people for its rowing course on Saturday with others who are currently on holiday, interested in a Learn2Row course later this summer.  

Inverness ran week-long Learn2Row sessions right after its Come and Try day, and of the six that took part it signed up five as members, increasing its senior numbers by 15 percent.

All 30 people who had their introduction at Stirling have said they want to book on the Learn2Row sessions in August, whilst the club is starting its junior Learn2Row course this month.

And Scotland’s newest rowing club, Tay RC, are as keen as ever to get newcomers along.  Their Learn2Row sessions are already up and running with eight people booked.

“We are delighted with the turnout,” said Eoin Ryan who, along with fellow club coaches is planning a Come and Try day at the spectacular Tay venue on 16 July where they hope to attract a further 10 newcomers.

Project Rio is funded by Awards for All and delivered to clubs by Scottish Rowing.