2010 UVRF Sweep Programs

• About Sweep Rowing
• Registration, Payment and Refund Policy
• Program Descriptions

NOTE: A payment plan is available for people paying by credit card or bank card.  Under this plan, the program fee is paid in two installments and an additional cost of $10 is charged to the credit/bank card.

About Sweep Rowing

UVRF offers a complete progression of sweep rowing classes. Many of our competitive team began rowing in UVRF learn-to-row classes! We also have members who choose not to compete but who sweep row every year in our club rowing program. Rowing is a team sport from the first day of class. An 8+ is both a very heavy and a very fragile boat. Without all 8 boat members listening and responding to the coxswain or coach, the boat cannot move safely from the rack, to the dock, to the water, and back up again at the end of practice. Those students who are new to the sport may notice a distinct difference from the straightforward 'fee-for-service' which you might find when you engage a personal trainer, or sign up for tennis lessons. Even at a beginner's level, the sport of sweep rowing functions as a team, rather than as a class.

Rowing an 8 person shell requires 8 rowers! While an unanticipated absence may occasionally warrant an 8 launching with 7 rowers, we do our best to make sure that the class has sufficient rowers signed up to allow some flexibility due to normal summer scheduling issues. Each rower is responsible for informing his coach about any absences, whether anticipated or last minute. In order to assure 16 rowers, we enroll 18-20 students per class. On occasion, your coach may ask you to ride in the launch for part of a practice. This is a common practice in every rowing club, and an excellent learning opportunity as well. Your coach will keep track of who rides in the launch so that the opportunity is shared amongst the class.

We do row in the rain (honestly, you don't notice it after a few minutes!), but we do NOT launch in lightning, and we may delay or scrub a launch due to high winds, heavy fog, or other adverse weather conditions. Unfortunately, we do not refund for bad weather or pro-rate for vacations, since we still pay our instructors and coxswains on those occasions.

All students must be members of UVRF, which includes a yearly membership fee, liability waiver, and swim test. We recommend that all students watch the US Rowing safety video before rowing each season. While rowing can be a sport suited for all ages and abilities, on rare occasion it may become evident to an instructor that a student is unable to participate without compromising the safety of either himself or others. Should this situation occur, the student will receive a complete refund. For additional information on safety guidelines for the sport of rowing, please refer to USRowing Safety Guidelines.

We use the Dartmouth rowing facilities, which are at the far end of the parking lot just on the Hanover side of the Ledyard Bridge. There are no shower or changing facilities. Porta-potties are available.

UVRF is grateful to Dartmouth College for their support of our community program and for allowing us to use their facilities. We ask all coaches and participants to respect Dartmouth’s rules regarding use of their facilities. Reserved parking spaces and no-parking zones are clearly marked. The club does not have access to the Friends of Dartmouth Rowing Boathouse, and we are asked not to store personal belongings under the overhang in front of the boathouse.

Registration and Payment
All participants in our rowing programs must be members of UVRF: become a member. Membership and program registration takes place through Ronin Racing.

Payment: Full payment of program fees is required at the time of registration. Our online registration service accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. You may also elect to have the payment deducted directly from your bank account. For programs lasting more than 5 weeks, you may make the payment in two installments. There will be an additional $10 processing charge for this service, due to the additional fees charged to the club for providing this service. This fee will be added to your invoice when you register. We will still accept payments by check, however there will be an additional $10 processing charge. This fee will be added to your invoice when you register.

Refund Policy: In order to plan and manage our programs, Upper Valley Rowing must limit the circumstances under which refunds can be offered.

Cancellations received 7 days or more prior to the program start date will be refunded the full registration fee minus a $30 administrative charge. Cancellations made less than 7 days prior to the start of the program will receive a credit of their registration fee towards another program minus a 10% cancellation charge (or $30, whichever is greater); credits will remain valid up until the conclusion of the next calendar year’s rowing season.  Cancellations made on or after the start date of the program and no-shows will forfeit the entire program fee.

Participants withdrawing from a program due to a medical condition must submit a signed letter from their health care provider. Participants with valid medical excuses will receive a prorated refund for the remaining portion of the program, starting from when their medical excuse is received by UVRF, less an administrative fee of $30.

UVRF reserves the right to cancel any program due to underenrollment, coach staffing issues, or other circumstances. In the event that a program is cancelled prior to the first session, participants enrolled in the program will receive a full refund of their program fee. In the unusual event that a program is cancelled mid-session, either a comparable alternative will be provided or program participants will be offered a pro-rated refund based on the number of weeks of the program completed at the time of cancellation.

Missed Classes: The nature of sweep rowing requires reliable participation to allow everyone to row. Unfortunately, we cannot issue refunds for missed classes. Program fees will not be prorated to accommodate anticipated absences or vacations. Please inform your coach ahead of time if you have to miss a practice, so that he or she can plan lineups accordingly.

Novice/Intermediate (Co-ed)
Coach: Carin Reynolds & Barrett Womack

In sweep rowing each rower holds one oar; this demands great concentration and teamwork to achieve the timing, synchronization and grace that characterizes this sport. Early on in this program, students will learn boat-handling skills, water safety, and will be introduced to the basics of rowing technique in a small group setting. The latter part of the session will focus on building and improving fundamental aspects of the rowing stroke as well as increasing fitness and strength. Drills will be aimed at improving concentration, timing, balance, and teamwork, allowing for better power application to the rowing stroke.

There is no pre-requisite for this program. This year, the class will also include intermediate rowers (those who have completed one session of Novice and/or one to two sessions of Intermediate/Club I rowing, or who have rowed in Dartmouth’s FLIP beginner program, or at the discretion of the coach). The intermediate rowers will join the group starting at week two of the program. The first two weeks will be spent indoors in the Dartmouth rowing tanks at Alumni Gym, which allows for accelerated learning of the rowing stroke, and more intensive coaching and teaching of drills and fundamentals that will be used on the water.

Group size is limited to 20 rowers.

Novice Rowers: June 21 – July 30 (6 weeks) $295.00
Intermediate Rowers: June 28 – July 30 (5 weeks) $250.00
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday
6:00-7:15 am
Become a member
Register for this program

Intermediate Session II (Co-ed)
Coach: Liz Harrison

Pre-requisite: Completion of UVRF Novice/Intermediate level rowing or at the discretion of the coach.

This two-week session in August follows the end of the Novice/Intermediate session, and is an opportunity for those interested in extending the experience another two weeks. Other intermediate level rowers are also encouraged to join.

August 2 – August 13 (2 weeks)
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday
6:00-7:15 am
$100.00
Become a member
Register for this program

Advanced (Co-ed)
Coach: Jason Cottingham

Pre-requisite: Completion of at least 2 Intermediate/Club I level UVRF programs, in conjunction with instructor recommendation and acceptance by the coach.

This program is designed for the advanced level rower who has a full command of the sport. Advanced rowers will have a solid grasp of rowing fundamentals and desire a more structured training regimen. Rowing technique will be fine tuned through technical drills and coaching feedback. As training will aim to increase strength and endurance, rowers in this class should be capable of rowing at a stroke rate of at least 30 spm (strokes per minute) and completing workouts of 6-8 miles in a typical practice.

Advanced rowers may elect to compete at select races that the club attends. Because race fees are not included in the Club Rowing program fee, rowers will be responsible for paying their share of the race costs if they choose to compete. Entry fees are usually nominal when divided amongst all rowers in a boat.

Group size is limited to 20 rowers.

June 28 – August 20 (8 weeks)
Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday
6:00-7:15 am
$395.00
Become a member
Register for this program

Competitive Sweep Rowing
(Masters Women)
(Masters Men)

Pre-requisite: Completion of one full year of Advanced/Level II Club Rowing or previous competitive rowing experience, in conjunction with instructor recommendation and acceptance by the coach.

This program is designed for experienced rowers and will focus on competitive training and racing. Rowers will train to compete at sprint distances in the summer (2000 meters in open categories, 1000 meters in masters) and head race distances in the fall (approximately 5000 meters). Competitive rowers should have a good base of aerobic fitness and are expected to be available to race at a majority of the regattas that the club attends. The club typically competes in at least 3 regattas during the summer session and 4 regattas in the fall. Competitive coaches may require seat racing or erg tests.

One of the goals of the competitive program is to foster a team environment of success during each session. Rowers participating in the competitive program are expected to commit to the full session and to train as a group. Race line-ups will be drawn from session participants, with the goal of making the fastest possible line-up for those available to race. During pre-race weeks, rowers who are not able to attend an upcoming regatta may be asked to row as subs to allow racing boats time to practice with their race line-ups.

Line-ups and entries to each race will be determined by the coach with the intent of making each race experience positive and competitive.

The competitive team enjoys good-natured competition both among its members and with other teams.

Masters Women Summer
June 14 – August 13 (9 weeks)
Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday
5:45-7:15 am
$495.00
Coaches: Jason Cottingham and Brian Conley
Become a member
Register for this program

Masters Men Summer
June 15 – August 13 (9 weeks)
Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday/Saturday
5:45-7:15 am
$495.00
Coaches: Jason Cottingham and Rowan Carroll
Become a member
Register for this program

Masters Women Fall
August 23 – October 22 (9 weeks)
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
5:45-7:15 am
$595.00
Coach: Jason Cottingham
Become a member
Register for this program

Masters Men Fall
August 23 – October 22 (9 weeks)
Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
5:45-7:15 am
$595.00
Coach: Jason Cottingham
Become a member
Register for this program