Our thriving Junior Section has been an integral part of Ardingly Rowing Club for the past 15 years and currently enjoys an active 60 strong membership.

With 4 volunteer coaches, who between them have over 90 years of coaching experience, we are able to cater for a broad spectrum of both ability and ambition. Our youngsters range from those simply looking to try a new sport - but with the emphasis firmly on leisure - right through to those eager to test themselves at a competitive level.

Broadly speaking, our Juniors are of senior school age, from 11+ right up to Upper Sixth at 18+. No previous experience is necessary, the only requirement being the ability to swim 100 metres. However, as safety is of paramount importance, all Club members -whether junior or senior- will take part in a practical water safety drill in due course.

Training takes place in various squads which are structured on the ability/needs of the participant. Currently we have a Competition Squad on Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Saturday or Sunday mornings and a Training Squad on a Tuesday evening and Saturday afternoon. These sessions take place year-round on the water including the school holidays.

Junior boats are in plentiful supply and with singles, doubles and a quad available to us coaching can be focussed on the individual or can be team-based. For those Juniors wishing to compete, there is both the opportunity and the encouragement to participate year-round in Head of the River races and Regattas. In the past twelve months, we have entered squads in Maidstone Head of the River and the Ball Cup, Burway and Kingston upon Thames Regattas.

We are affiliated to British Rowing and were originally part of their Project Oarsome initiative which aims to introduce rowing to secondary schools. We are also involved with Burgess Hill School for Girls and one or two other local schools.

New for 2010

We hope to recruit a new Junior Group probably for school years 8 and 9 (maybe 7). This will operate after school on a convenient evening during the week (not Fridays) until the school holidays when it will transfer to the daytime sessions we run twice a week. We plan to have a 4 week trial period to see if you like it and want to row, for which a deposit will be payable. After that we ask you to make your mind up either to continue or not. If you continue, termly fees will be due which includes the water fees of Ardingly Activity Centre.

For further information, contact: David Clark 01273 842535 (Junior Team Leader) or Derek Riches 01444 400645 (Project Oarsome Co-ordinator and Club Chairman)