It's a bit strange to be talking about this in the middle of
our championship season, but summer is approaching fast and some of you have
had questions about summer options. In general ANY rowing over the summer is
good, but here are some thoughts (it's long so save it for future reference!)
First: best place to find a big listing is www.row2k.com/camps. This is big with
week-long camps around the country.
Second, for those coming off their novice year, again: any
rowing is good! Week-long camps are held at many good rowing colleges in fun
locations. Some of our kids in the past have had good experiences at Princeton,
Navy, and Harvard (Charles River Sculling camps). These camps
usually have limited spots and sometimes limited access to actual college
coaches and, but can often be fun regardless. Penn also runs camps through most
of the summer that do occasionally have their actual coaches but there are
better options in the area. Sparks runs coxswain specific camps in a few
locations.
There are also more sculling-specific camps (particularly
good for boys since we almost exclusively scull) like Craftsbury and Black
Bear. Either of those are great ways to spend a lot of time sculling and
get some experience in singles.
If you are going to be around the summer and looking to
race, I recommend Fairmount and Crescent on Boathouse Row -
just depends on the time of day you are free. Both run good all-summer racing
programs that race both here in Philadelphia and take some kids to Canada in
August for the Canadian Henley. Crescent is all sculling and mostly boys,
Fairmount mixes it up a bit more. Both have top-level boats that are very
competitive but also lower-level and younger boats that learn a lot.
Conveniently Fairmount is in the afternoons and Crescent is in the
mornings.
If you are going to be around but don't want to race or are
not around consistently, check out Upper River Boat Club (yes, that's me). We
have a recreational rowing option http://upperriverboatclub.com/recreational-rowing/
that lets you get out on the water, spend some time in singles and small boats,
and is more relaxed than a racing program. It's also out in the burbs and
runs 5-7 weekdays - Upper Merion Boathouse in Norristown near KOP. You can
sign up for one week or as many as seven - sign up and payment are all online
as well.
There are other options (Whitemarsh in the afternoons and
Conshohocken Boathouse in the mornings, both in the burbs for those with
transportation issues) but those are the ones I'd recommend - Tom may
have more ideas for the girls but in general check with me or him for info on
anything you're considering to get you ready for next year! You may have
constraints by time, location, etc - just ask if you have questions!
Also be on the lookout for Learn-to-Row options coming soon
to share with your neighbors and classmates! We are doing a Shipley LTR camp
this summer in June.
Have fun at Prom and/or see you at Stotesbury!
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