ROWING AT LBC

OVERVIEW

At Loughborough Boat Club (LBC) we row in what are known as ‘fine boats’ which are designed to go fast on rivers and lakes and unlike traditional rowing boats have sliding seats, which means you get to move the boat by using your legs. Some people row in singles, while others prefer to row in crew boats with two, four or eight people and a cox.

We have sculling boats with one oar (or ‘blade’ as we call them) in each hand and sweep boats with a single, longer blade per person. We provide all the equipment you need and can help you learn how to use it.

In the winter we row on a Saturday and Sunday morning and in the summer we also row on a Tuesday and Thursday evening, though the club is open to members at any time.


In addition to training we take part in competitions as a club which include:

  • Regattas – side by side sprint racing on rivers or lakes, these are held in summer and are over shorter distances of around 500 meters to 1 kilometre.
  • Head races – time trial style competitions where we race other clubs on their own river, these are held on winter and are typically over longer distances of between 2 and 5 kilometres.
  • International competition – we occasionally attend international competitions such as the world masters where we get to race clubs from other countries on an Olympic style rowing lake.

LEARN TO ROW

If you want to try rowing, just get in contact and we will be happy to have a chat with you and get you down to the club where our friendly team will introduce you to the basics of rowing. Before you know it you will be in a boat and can decide if the wonderful sport of rowing is for you.
We run ‘learn to row’ courses in the Spring, which can be a good way of learning with other new starters, but we are happy to chat and help at any time of year.

RETURN TO ROWING

If you have rowed before and are thinking of taking the sport up again (as a number of our club members are very happy they did) we can usually find you a place in a squad. Just contact us and we can discuss what you are looking for and how we can help, be it recreational rowing, fitness or taking part in competitions.

LAND TRAINING

Getting stronger and fitter can help with your rowing. LBC provide a gym with a range of free weights and access to rowing machines (which we call ergs) where you can practice your rowing technique off the water.
We run circuits in Winter on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and have sessions for our Junior, Senior and Masters squads. Rowing tends to use a mix of cardio fitness, core strength and flexibility, so our circuits session reflect this with a mix of rowing focused exercises helping with overall fitness, strength and balance. It doesn’t matter how fit you are to start with, anybody of any ability is welcome to join in.
You will sometimes find crews ‘erging’ together in the gym, but the facilities are available to club members at any time.