Explore Rowing

Hi - my name is Rich Stock and I've recently started as Explore Rowing Programme Manager.  I have to say I'm really excited to be working on this programme.

Over the past few weeks myself and Anne Richardson (Explore Rowing Development Officer) have been putting together some information on the programme to go out to all the clubs interested in getting involved.  We've sent this to all the clubs we have an email address for and are hunting down addresses for the other clubs we know are interested.  Anyone can access the information now at this link so let us know if you'd like to find out more.

Over the next few months we'll be meeting with all the interested clubs to talk through how they plan to implement 'Explore Rowing' within their club.  We've deliberately made the programme as flexible as possible as we recognise every club is different and has its own needs and things that work - you're the local experts, you tell us how to make it work in your area and we'll help you do it.

Flexibility is a word that features throughout the programme.  The main aim is to provide a more flexible way of rowing for participants - more flexible in timing; more flexible in the type of rowing and more flexible in intensity.  This will help us not only grow the number of participants but also help us retain people within rowing.  As a lapsed rower myself, I know all too well how easy it is to drop out of rowing because of a change of situation.  By providing new activities, rowing at other times of the day and less frequent rowing we can find a way for people to stay in rowing but fit it around their lifestyle.

At the end of the four years we'll be judged by Sport England's Active People Survey.  This survey approximates the total number of people taking part in each sport around the country.  Through all of the ARA's work over the next four years we need more people to say "I'm a rower" - who knows maybe I'll be one of them!

If you've got any questions at all about our new plans please get in touch with me (richard.stock@ara-rowing.org).  Keep coming back to the ARA site for more news about how things are developing - we'll keep you updated through the blogs here.