British Rowing clubs: ready to row!

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The GB rowers’ fabulous performances at Eton Dorney this week are shining a global spotlight on the sport.

Rowing is catching the attention of the nation – within ten minutes of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning’s triumph in the women’s pairs, the sport was the number one worldwide trend on Twitter.

Located on the picturesque River Wye, Ross Rowing Club is just one of the 550 rowing clubs in the country – with a wide catchment area, members come from Bristol, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Everything is usually quiet in August, but this week enquiries have been flooding in.

Junior head coach Ian Howell said, “it’s been extraordinary. I was chatting to our junior coordinator last night and every time she comes home from work she has voicemails and emails with two or three kids a night saying they want to come and row.

“The enquiries started at the beginning of the regatta and we’ve been getting more since the medals started coming in. The message is out there about inspiring the next generation – it’s working.

“Clubs are gearing up. We’re ready for the influx! This is a once in the lifetime opportunity so we want to capture those kids and get them into sport.”

With 95 juniors already at Ross, the club runs learn to row courses throughout the year so is well placed to meet the surge in demand for places.

If you would like to give rowing a go, visit www.britishrowing.org/olympics#have-a-go.