Learn to Row

The Vernon Rowing and Paddling Centre, located on Swan Lake in Vernon, British Columbia, has a very large and active adaptive rowing program. We have two boats dedicated to the program, a Wintech Explorer single and double and so can accommodate three rowers on the water at one time. These boats have fixed seats and pontoons. One of our rowers, Joan Reid, qualified for the National Team and competed at the World Championships in Munich in August, 2007. Three of our rowers train on ergs through the winter. We can accommodate any disability, arms only, trunk/arms and legs/trunk/arms. Our participants include paraplegics, persons with brain injuries, cerebral palsy and vision impairment.

In keeping with its proud tradition of community involvement, Capital Rowing Club started the Capital Adaptive Rowing Program in 2009. The Program's focus is introducing adaptive athletes to recreational and competitive rowing, both in sweep and sculling boats, both on-water and in the boathouse for winter training.

Capital Adaptive has been working closely with its partners—the U.S. Military Paralympic Program, the National Naval Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Rehabilitation Hospital—to build a program to serve the Washington area's population of disabled military veterans and civilians. In a very short amount of time, we are able to get our athletes on the water to enjoy the rehabilitation benefits of rowing.

Providing year-round adaptive rowing
Located on the Charles River

Consistent with our mission of "rowing for all," Community Rowing Inc. provides year-round specific programs and events for adaptive athletes who have physical or intellectual challenges. With the newly opened Harry Parker Boathouse, we are excited to announce that the launch of the adaptive program has been a great success, drawing a large number of volunteers, coaches and committee members eager to support and grow the program. The recent first annual Adaptive CRASH-B Sprints (featured on National Public Radio) drew a large crowd and was very exciting for all involved.

Our vision for adaptive rowing is to establish training programs and competitions that accommodate two fundamental participant groups: rowers with physical disabilities (including arms, arms and trunk and rowers with a visual impairment) and rowers who are intellectually challenged. None of our programs require any previous rowing experience.

On the water, our programs utilize rowing "barges" and rowing shells—singles, doubles and fours—that are specially configured to accommodate adaptive athletes. Indoors we use specialized equipment such as adapted Concept2 Indoor Rowers and the full weight room for strength, technique and stamina training.

There are three main goals of the Argonaut Adaptive Rowing Program:

1. Learn To Row: Through our Adaptive Learn to Row program, we introduce the sport of rowing to individuals with a disability throughout the community.
2. Recreational/Fitness Rowing: We provide opportunity for recreational adaptive rowers to have access to a crew situation, upon completion of their learn to row.
3. Competitive Rowing: We foster and train competitive adaptive rowers towards the provincial, national and international competition levels.

The Barrie Rowing Club offers on-water adaptive rowing. The program is geared for all physical classifications. An adaptive friendly dock system has recently been installed. We are not able to accommodate special needs classifications. The program has two adaptive boats, one single and one double.

The Island Lake Rowing Club has on-water adaptive rowing; however, their emphasis is with students in developmentally delayed classrooms and adults with special needs who have intellectual challenges. These athletes row recreationally and have not competed. Students in this program do erg workouts at their school's physical education class; there is no erg training through the rowing club. The program currently has a T7 and a T11 boat. There is currently no other special equipment.

The Ottawa Rowing club adaptive program has two basic streams, a competitive program which supports A and TA athletes and will support LTA when there is enough interest. The on-water program runs from May–August and indoor ergometer training is done the remainder of the year. The program is currently not able to accommodate non-ambulatory rowers, as the docks are not yet wheelchair accessible. The second stream is a recreational LTA boat that is put together in the summer as part of the club's Adult Rowing League. This program accommodates 8–12 rowers and runs one night per week through June and July, and is geared toward learning to row in a fun environment.

Texas Rowing For All is a 501 C3 Non Profit organization that provides adaptive rowing and paddling programs to people with disabilities in Central Texas. The facility offers adaptive indoor and on-water rowing and is designated as a "U.S. Olympic-Paralympics Sport Club." TRFA provides adaptive camps, private and group lessons to people of all abilities.

For adaptive equipment, we have many Win-Tech fixed seats for shells for adaptive rowers in our program. We also have many different adaptive rowing shells as well as an adaptive rowing barge for group rowing lessons.

We are situated directly on beautiful Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas, and row year-round. The facility offers a dozen Concept2 Indoor Rowers on the dock to cross-train with, two boathouses, many recreational singles, a few recreational doubles, a vast fleet of racing shells, dock trainers that new rowers can train on the get the "feel" of water with the stability of being on the dock, and kayaks, canoes and paddles for people to have other fun on-water experiences.

The main objective of the USRowing National Team Testing Program is to help identify athletes who may have a future with the United States National Team. Athletes who submit competitive times may be approached by U.S. National Team coaches. National Team coaches will seriously consider athletes who submit both a 6k and a 2k (4k for junior women) time.