Do not be intimidated if you have never even seen a rowing boat before – we recruit many novice rowers & coxswains every year, and expect to have two men’s and women’s Eights in our novice training programme in Michaelmas. Many people who start as complete novices end up competing in the top boats. We really are open to everyone – it is simply not true that you need to be tall and muscular to row, or tiny to cox; many good college athletes are far from the stereotypical image you would expect.
In Michaelmas term, you will receive high quality coaching and learn the basics in no time, then end the term by competing against novices from other colleges in the two novice regattas – Lion & Chough and Tamesis. After this, you will be more than ready for the novice & senior squads to merge together to prepare for Torpids & Summer Eights, as well as having opportunities to enter other Oxford based competitions like City Bumps, IWL and Oriel Regatta and events outside of Oxford like Bedford regatta, Fours head (in London), Wallingford and others. We run a deep squad, entering competitive boats across the divisions – every individual athlete is equally important to us, and it is a top priority that every single boat has a good chance of winning blades!
If you have previous rowing experience, you are likely to be able to go straight into the senior squad – our coaches will decide what is appropriate.
If you have any questions check out our FAQS page!
There is also an annual beer boat for Summer Eights, which brings together a bunch of people who are unable to train regularly but would like to join in with the fun. It serves as a fitting reminder to rugby players that there is more to rowing than just pulling hard on an erg!
