My notes on

Post-Collegiate Rowing

A guide for athletes interested in continuing to scull or row after graduation.

Who should do it

 

The short answer: anyone can do it.

The club rowing scene in the USA right now is filled with people from very different backgrounds. Athletes who just began rowing in college or rowed for club programs make up the majority of the US Trials entries.

Not many collegiate superstars are still active outside of the Training Centers. So if you’re unsure about if you can make it to the national team level, just know that plenty of decent-but-not-amazing collegiate rowers have stuck with it and ended up at World Champs.

You need a sense of self-reliance and drive in this world. But beyond that, it’s just rowing. What you get out is what you put in.

Where to Start

 

There are a couple factors you should consider when looking for a place to train after college:

The Club

  1. Is there a high performance program (HPG/HPP) with a paid coach?

  2. What is the culture there?

  3. Are there other rowers there in my category (e.g. lightweight vs. heavyweight, men vs. women)?

  4. Are there other rowers there at my level (e.g. developing vs. elite)?

  5. What time of day does the HPG train?

The Location

  1. Can I find/afford a place to live there?

  2. Are there jobs/grad schools available nearby?

  3. Will I need a car?

US Clubs with HPGs

 

As far as I know, right now (Summer 2024) there exist the following clubs that have HPGs with a paid coach:

  • Craftsbury (Craftsbury, VT)

  • ARION (Saratoga, NY)

  • Penn AC (Philadelphia, PA)

  • OKC (Oklahoma City, OK)

  • Riverside (Boston, MA)

Each has a different vibe, and focus on different groups. For the best representation of the boat classes (lwt/hwt men/women) that these clubs currently focus on (and where the athletes are on the scale of development to elite), check out the most recent US Trials and Speed Order results.

Finding the right club

 

It is important to talk to coaches at these programs to find out what their cultures and expectations are like. You don’t want to move to a new city just to find that there are no other women to train next to in singles or row a double with.

Training with people faster than you is the best way to get faster. You do not want to be a big fish in a small pond. Conversely, If you’re just coming out of college with a mediocre erg score and no sculling experience, that really should not stop you! You’d just fit in better at some clubs over others.

Finally, athletes and coaches are usually very nice people and would love to talk to you or host you for a test week/weekend. If you can afford the time and money to make that trial trip, it will pay off in the long run.