Help Wanted Recruiting Young Rowers

Ralph Earle · Post by **Ralph Earle** » December 30th, 2006, 2:37 pm

I am writing to ask for help in recruiting young people to join the Honolulu Rowing Club.

Our club has dwindled down to a handful of over-50 rowers, trying despite our ailments to fill an 8+ each Saturday.

A year ago, we were fortunate to have Masayasu (“Max”) Suzuki, of the Yokohama Sports Development Institute, join our club. Max brought us ten lightweight 1x, two heavyweight 1x, two lwt 2x and two hwt 2x.

From December through February, Max brings three or four high school, university or corporate crews from Japan for a week each of training. The shells are available to the club the rest of the year.

About 100 private-school boys and girls paddle six-person canoes where we and Max’ crews row (the Ala Wai Canal). While canoe competition is extensive and prominent in the Islands, if these kids go to college on the mainland, they won’t be able to paddle Hawaiian-style.

I am under the impression that crew scholarships are rare, and probably go to the Jamie Schroders of the world. What advantages in getting into and/or thriving at college can we reasonably proffer these paddlers as an incentive to learn to scull or sweep?

Finally, to anyone visiting O‘ahu, please e-mail me, ralphearle[at]hawaii.rr.com, for an invitation to row with us.

citiusaltiusfortius9 · Post by **citiusaltiusfortius9** » January 2nd, 2007, 12:47 pm

Try to get it as a sport at some of the highschools. Scholarships are fairly widly available in women's rowing and even if an athlete does not recieve a scholarship, rowing helps get into colleges and is often the booster needed to distinctify someone out of the massive applicant pool.
Rowing's also a great sport, our club used to have no highschoolers and we now have a lot. We offer learn to row programs and advertise for the workout and fun of it. We also have Learn to Row days when we offer free demo classes and often get about 20 new people.
Good Luck.

PaulS · Post by **PaulS** » January 2nd, 2007, 2:16 pm

I'd get in touch with the Physical Education Teachers at the local schools, perhaps they would have some ideas on establishing some programs for their students. Of course it will become very important to have proper coaching and safety practices when taking minors onto the water. We ran several programs to introduce young students to rowing each summer, and many of them turned up again as part of the Junior Rowing program in the Fall.

Rockin Roland · Post by **Rockin Roland** » January 3rd, 2007, 5:26 pm

You need to organize a T.I.P (talent identification program) and target your local schools. However most schools prefer to race under their own colours rather than another club's colours. Once the kids leave school they may continue to row with your club when they see that you have a great fleet of boats. Is there an established regatta program set up by your local rowing association just for schools?

If there is no established regatta program for school aged kids then you'll need to go down the path of advertising learn to row days. Unfortunately learn to row days also attract quite a number of short and dumpy middle aged people. They may be cashed up and bring wealth to your club but no rowing talent that could bring success to your club outside of the novice classes.

Whichever way you go, in order to be successful you need boats and good coaches. Looks like you have the boats but do you have the coaches?