Youth Program Details
Getting Started: The Rowing Machine
If you've ever wanted to try rowing–now is the time! Green Mountain Rowing's youth rowing program allows athletes to experience the fun of moving on the water. GMR is a USRowing-affiliated club in the Burlington area available to masters and youth.
To begin, we'll demo the basics of the rowing stroke on a rowing machines; becoming familiar with these motions is essential to being successful in the boat. Next, we'll introduce you to our equipment. We have a variety of beginner shells–which will be your best friend for the first part of this session. These beginner boats are wider and more stable than our standard racing shells, so they allow you to focus on the basics of rowing without worrying about balance. In these boats, you will be rowing with two oars–one in each hand.
Getting on the Water
Rowing is an excellent sport for all due to its low impact on the body. During the stroke, you utilize the three main muscle groups in your body, the legs, the core, and the arms. With proper technique, rowing is an excellent way to maintain your physical health without taking a toll on your joints.
On a typical day, you'll leave with a good workout and maybe even a few blisters to show for your hard work! On the first day, one of the very first things we go over is how to get back into a boat in the event that it tips over, and don’t worry, it is not as scary as it sounds. Since our racing shells are not very wide, falling in can happen–and that's okay! Our boats are very buoyant, and they still float even if they are capsized or filled with water. In this flipping demonstration, we will show you how to get back into the boat, so you should bring dry clothes to change into after you try it!
For the first few practices, you should expect a light workout. Wearing tight-fitting, athletic bottoms is recommended so that your clothes do not get caught in the moving parts of our boats. As for tops, t-shirts, or tank tops, whatever you are most comfortable in is perfect! A hat or a visor is also recommended since it can get pretty bright on the water. A water bottle is also necessary to bring with you.
Progression
After you master the basics of rowing, and get a feel for the balance. You will progress into faster and less stable racing shells (1x/2x). More moderate rowing effort will be added to the practice at times. It is important to bring a water bottle so that you can stay hydrated!
Once you arrive at practice, everyone helps with preparing equipment: launch, oars, and each others' boats. Even though we're in our own small boats, we work together as a team so that we can make the most of our practice time.
By the end of the program, you can expect to be comfortable rowing at low rates in the racing shells. We hope you'll also have a new appreciation and love for the sport!
At Green Mountain Rowing, we are so excited and privileged to share our love of rowing with you, and we hope that you get as much out of these learn-to-row sessions as we do!
