Our thriving Junior Section has been an integral part of Ardingly Rowing Club for the past 10 years and currently enjoys an active 70 strong membership.

With a Community Sports Coach and 3 volunteer coaches, who between them have over 70 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.

We meet at the reservoir every Saturday morning, the Competition squad at 9.45am and the Training squad at 11am. These sessions take place year-round on the water with additional sessions during the summer evenings and during 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. So far this year, we have entered squads in Maidstone Head of the River and the Ball Cup and Thames Ditton Regattas.

We are part of the Amateur Rowing Association's Project Oarsome initiative which aims to introduce rowing to secondary schools and are currently working with St. Paul's Catholic College in Burgess Hill. Although we are also involved with Burgess Hill School for Girls and one or two other local schools. Individuals are always welcome - please contact us to tell us you're interested so that we can advise you when the next introductory morning for new people will be (usually on the first Sunday of the month).

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