Start rowing with us
Sudbury Rowing Club welcomes new members – whether you’ve never rowed before and are seeking a new activity, or have rowed in the past and would like to return to the sport.
We have two routes to club membership and only one essential criterion – that you can swim 50m.
Have you rowed before?
If you’ve rowed before, you can join the club immediately.
You’ll need to complete a short application form on our membership portal. We offer a considerable variety of membership rates (e.g. short term, student, family, etc.) and you can find out more about these on our membership page.
Your first step should be to contact the club captain.
Getting started in rowing couldn’t be easier
Our Learn to Row progamme starts with a ‘taster session’ after which you can apply for a place on one of our courses during which you will learn the basics of sculling (an oar in each hand) over approximately 4 × 3-hour sessions.
We plan to run the Learn to Row programme on a group basis for adults over the next year. Attending a taster session is an opportunity to find out about rowing and the course. You don’t have to make a commitment to the course until after the taster session when you can apply for a place on one of the upcoming courses. Subject to availability you will be allocated a start date along with a number of other participants at a similar level. Juniors (under 18) will be separately invited to programmed courses.
The programme costs £140.00 and for its duration, you’ll be a club member. The programme fee includes your first month’s adult membership to the club after which you will be given the option to continue your membership at the adult rate of £32 per month.
How it works
- Apply
Contact our Learn to Row coordinator to request an application form, or apply online.
- Attend a 90 minute taster session
We’ll explain the basics and show you our boats, boathouse and other facilities. You’ll be introduced to the rowing stroke. After the taster session you can decide to apply for a place on the course.
- Complete the Learn to Row programme
The programme’s a mix of theory and coached practical on the water. We aim to organise the programme so you start with others at your standard, so you can develop your skills together.
- Attend a capsize drill
Before you join the club as a regular member, you’ll need to attend a capsize drill (it takes place at a local pool and lasts a couple of hours).
- Move into our Development Squad
You’ll attend regular coached sessions and develop your skills with other new members.
- Move into a rowing squad
Move into one of our rowing squads and enjoy your new sport.
What can you do at Sudbury Rowing Club?
- JuniorsThere’s a different route for under-18s.
- RacingThe thrill of rowing.
- Recreational rowingYou don’t have to race to row.
- Coxing
- Social Membership and Volunteers
- Commitment
Juniors
The main aim of the Junior Squad is to introduce young people to the sport of rowing with a view to future participation in top domestic events including: the main Head races; National Schools; Junior Inter regional; and National Championship regattas.
The Junior Squad also acts as a feeder to the senior sections of the club. In this manner the more senior juniors gradually integrate with senior athletes and act as role models for the younger members.
The competition junior squad trains three times a week (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday) and the high performance juniors aim to train six days a week.
The novice Junior squad trains on Sunday mornings.
Racing
Competition in rowing falls into two seasons. The regatta season runs throughout the summer (generally from around May to August). Regattas are sprint races that allow for side by side racing, or at bigger events, multi-lane racing. Distances vary but cover anything from 500m to 2000m.
The head season runs throughout the winter. Head races are generally over longer distances and are organised as time trials; boats start racing one after the other.
In the last twelve months we’ve attended over 40 events, ranging from our locals at Norwich, Bedford, St Neots and Peterborough, to further afield events at Wallingford, Oxford and the Olympic venue at Eton Dorney.
In recent years we entered nearly all of the National Events including the Head of the River races, National Championships, Ladies and Henley Royal Regatta and the World Championships. There’s something for everyone, from Novice to Elite.
We aim to group people with similar rowing aspirations into crews. As a member of a crew you will train on the water and build your fitness on land. The level at which you can compete will depend on you and your fellow crew members but you will be able to take part in your first races within a few months of taking up the sport.
Our own Regatta, always held on the first Saturday of August, is highly regarded as a gem of a traditional regatta and is always a highlight in our own rowing year.
Recreational rowing
Non competitive recreational rowing is a fun way of getting fit and enjoying the outdoors. Membership of the club and British Rowing gives you access to contact other clubs and arrange to row in different venues.
We also have a group who travel to Portugal each summer for four days of varied rowing on an organised event. There are lots of opportunities to row at Sudbury outside of the normal club sessions during the week or evenings in the summer.
Coxing
We warmly welcome anyone with an interest in coxing: whether new to boats or an old hand. Generally, coxes are put with crews that match their abilities and objectives, but we also operate a coxing rotation policy, so novice coxes can learn from experienced crews and vice versa.
Similarly, coxes are welcome to take out men’s and women’s crews depending on their preference.
Social Membership and Volunteers
SRC is very much an active sociable club. We provide opportunities to be with other people, perhaps to provide help and support and to work with others as part of a team.
We are always in need of people to help mend boats, provide refreshments, keep the boathouse tidy and shipshape, help crews get on or off the water and even help with coaching.
Commitment
Like any sport, rowing takes time to master and you will gain reward proportional to the time and effort you are prepared to put in.
Welcome to Sudbury and good luck!