Walton Rowing Club has over 100 junior members, boys and girls from beginners to national champions and GB representatives.  The junior programme is committed to teaching the rewards of rowing and what it means to be a part of a crew.  Rowing is one of the best sports for building endurance, co-ordination and all-round physical conditioning.  Our rowers come from all over Surrey and enjoy great team camaraderie in addition to dedication, hard work, and the thrill of making a boat move or making a crew “click”.

At the top levels, rowing is physically and mentally very demanding, and Walton has many junior athletes who do achieve the highest standards of personal and athletic excellence.  But for younger participants it is important to develop watermanship skills and enjoyment in a relaxed and safe environment, and this is what we aim for. 

Most juniors start at between twelve and fourteen years old; of course you can start later, while some eleven-year-olds can take it up successfully.   New junior members are assessed and given a training programme that suits them and their time.  All of our coaches are volunteers and have appropriate coaching qualifications; we try to maintain low ratios of junior rowers to coaches, particularly in the early stages, and incorporate safety and capsize drills at appropriate points.   We do not over-stretch young people, but we are a successful racing club and do encourage juniors to race as soon as they are able.

It is usually best to start in the spring or autumn, ideally on one of our beginners’ courses which are run in the Easter and summer holidays.  In winter rowing is often disrupted by bad weather and this can be frustrating for beginners.  We run a waiting-list for our courses (which are usually over-subscribed) and so it is good to contact us early if you are interested.

Junior beginners will usually start on a Saturday or Sunday morning (one morning a week initially), but can then move on to more sessions, including evenings in the summer.  In addition we offer indoor rowing and supervised circuit-training.

Juniors who already row at school can join as holiday members, for a reduced rate; they will receive less coaching but will be able to maintain their fitness and join in with other members in racing and training.

Contact team@ waltonrowingclub.co.uk to arrange a time to visit or for more information about our junior programme.

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