Middle School FAQs
My child rowed all summer in the intermediate program but has a conflict with the MWF experienced team practice schedule. Can he/she sign up for the TTh beginner team instead?
This is a common occurrence, and yes, a middle school rower with at least one prior season experience (fall, spring or minimum of 2 weeks summer intermediate) can join the beginner team. Most likely, your rower will be put in a leadership role in a boat, either stroke or bow seat to help bring their newer teammates up to speed quicker.
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My experienced rower is available to row on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Can we register for the MWF team but practice on these days?
We really discourage this because it affects the number of rowers present on any given day and numbers are really important to setting lineups. Both the beginner and experienced teams are capped to ensure the maximum number of boats during daily practice and this is difficult to manage when we cannot expect the same roster day after day.
Does my child have to attend all practices?
While attendance is not mandatory for our middle school rowers, we strongly encourage it since the more you row, the better you are. It is good practice to prioritize rowing as a middle schooler since attendance is absolutely mandatory in high school. Also, if we have a wait list for either middle school team, you might lose your seat if you cannot commit to either T Th or MWF practices. Of course, illnesses and unforeseen circumstances do not count.
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My 6th grader just completed the 4-day Learn to Row camp and multiple weeks of intermediate training this summer. Can he/she join the beginner or experienced team?
We prioritize our middle school seats for 7th and 8th grade students. If we have any openings left before the first day of practice, your 6th grader may be eligible to join with a referral from a coach.
Please submit a wait list and coach referral request HERE.
Are all practices held on the water at White Rock Lake?
We know rowing on the water is so much fun and make every attempt to hold practice at our boathouse. However, there are times when circumstances or weather prevent this and we conduct land workouts at the lake or move practice to our erg studio, Power Plant.
Can my experienced middle school rower move up to the high school competitive team early?
If your beginner or experienced 8th grader is excelling with the middle school curriculum and meeting pre-set criteria for high school rowing, it is possible to receive a coach recommendation to begin your competitive rowing career early.
Do middle schoolers compete?
While we don’t have any plans to travel to regattas with middle school events (these are primarily in upstate New York and Florida), we continue to pursue competitive opportunities within our region. As one of the few teams with a thriving middle school program, these opportunities are few and far between. We will, however, have inner-squad matches and opportunities for family and friends to come cheer on their rowers on our home lake.
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