Racing Team | JROW

For the first time ever Butler County has a competitive high school rowing team for all high school students. The Great Miami Rowing Center is designed so that it is not affiliated with any one school (much like club basketball or volleyball) so any high school aged student may join.

Experience
There is no experience necessary to join and you may join at any time of the year! We have two programs, one for the competitive athlete (9th-12th grade) and one for younger rowers and those who do not wish to compete (7th-12th grade). Many rowers begin their rowing career during high school. On the racing team, the first year you row, you will be classified as "novice" and race other teams of novice. After that first year you will be classified as "varsity" and race other varsity teams. GMRC has a second team called JROW, which only practices 2-3 days per week and will not race. This is for individuals who want to try rowing out but don't necessarily want to row competitively.

GMRC offers young athletes an opportunity to learn the basics of rowing and meet kids from around the Butler County area. We are located at 110 N. B Street near the High/Main Bridge in historic downtown Hamilton.

Training
Our training consists of rowing on the Great Miami River in the fall and spring. During the winter months, when it is too cold to practice outdoors, we train indoors on rowing machines. Although crew is a year round sport, we don't ask that you give up your other sports! Crew is a physically demanding sport that can make an athlete much stronger for traditional sports and many high school athletes use rowing as cross training.

Registration
Ready to give it a shot? We give every student a weeks worth of practice to try out the sport before we ask you to commit to the season. In order to start you must have a parent fill out 2 online registrations.

1. Online waiver of liability
No student is able to participate in rowing without a current waiver on file. Students who are under the age of 13 may submit a paper waiver on the first day of practice, which can be downloaded here. All other students must submit online, instructions are found here.

2. GMRC Registration
Please register with the Great Miami Rowing Center. Payment is not due until 7 days after the season has begun, however, we need this registration on file in order to start the season. This form contains vital medical information that the coaches need in order to run a safe practice.

Please choose from the following options for the current season.

• What season does rowing compete?
  
• Do I have to participate in both seasons?
  
• What is rowing?
  
• Who Rows?
  
• What is the Great Miami Rowing Center?
• How much does it cost to row?
  
• How safe is it?
  
• How do I get started?

What season does rowing compete?
Rowing occurs all year round. The school year is comprised of Fall, Winter, and Spring seasons with racing opportunities during all seasons. Additionally, we offer opportunities for students to row during the summer.

During the fall season we train over longer distances and the races are generally between 4,000 and 6,000 meters. The spring season is our sprint season and we race 2,000 meters, which can take anywhere from 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the crew. The winter months are too cold to practice outdoors, so we train indoors on rowing machines. Additionally, there are indoor rowing contests in Cincinnati and around the US that are performed by connecting several rowing machines together.

Do I have to participate in all seasons?
We would love it if you competed all year, but we know that is not always possible for those students who compete in other sports. We do not want you to have to give up the other sports and activities you are already involved in.

The Spring is our biggest season as it is the time for the regional and national championships.

What is rowing?
Rowing is the oldest sport in the modern Olympics, and the founder was actually a rower. This is a physically demanding sport involving strength, endurance, and coordination. This sport engages all muscle groups, not just the upper body – a common misconception.

We row our boats with a style of rowing called sweep rowing, which requires us to row in pairs in 2, 4, or 8 person boats. In sweep rowing the rowers have both their hands on one oar (sculling is with one smaller oar in each hand). Rowing has both long distance events, which take about 20 minutes, and sprint distances, which take about 7-8 minutes. The events are rowed on lakes such as Lake Harsha just east of Cincinnati, and rivers, such as our own Great Miami River.

Who rows?
Our rowers come from Badin, Fairfield, Hamilton, Lakota, Mason, Middletown, to name a few. All of our rowers come together from different backgrounds to perform on one team.

Schools such as Moeller, Indian Hill, Turpin, Notre Dame Academy, and many others row for the Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club. This team caters to the schools within the 275 loop and they practice near downtown Cincinnati. Similarly, the Greater Dayton Rowing Club and the Dayton Boatclub attracts students from Beavercreek, Carroll, Stebbens, Chamanade-Julienne, and many more. Individual schools also have rowing programs such as Cincinnati Country Day and Dublin High School.

Almost every high school rower comes to the sport with no experience. Rowers are generally taller, but people with smaller statures and lots of drive may also be competitive. Crew has an important position called the coxswain (pronounced cox’n). This is a naturally small, light person who motivates the rowers, executes racing strategy, and steers the racing shells.

Please visit this USRowing website for a list of all Ohio boat clubs.

What is the Great Miami Rowing Center?
The Great Miami Rowing Center strives to provide river access to all citizens in Butler County. We are committed to taking an under-used asset, the river, and creating a recreational centerpiece for the county. We are a not for-profit rowing community and the youth team is our cornerstone program and focus. In the future, we hope the youth provide inspiration for collegiate, post collegiate, and masters rowing programs.

How much does it cost to row?
There are two fees associated with rowing with GMRC. First is the Program Fees. These are paid once per season and cover the cost of daily operations, paying the coaches, equipment maintenance, insurance on the equipment, land rental, etc. Every rower, varsity, novice, and JROW, pay these fees. The JROW team is a bit more inexpensive as they do not race and practice only 2-3 days per week.

The second fee is the Regatta Fee and is only paid by those individuals going to away regattas. The total cost of attending a regatta, entry fees, trailer fees, truck rental, food, lodging, etc. is calculated and split among everyone going on the trip. The regatta fees are usually distributed 1 week after the last day to join the team for the season. We cannot estimate the fees earlier than that, as we don't know the exact number of students from year to year.

To find current information on Program Fees, please visit our registration page.

How safe is it?
We are serious about safety, and we follow an extensive plan in accordance with the United States Rowing Association (the national governing body for rowing) to assure that we continue to conduct our rowing safely. The coach follows a much more elaborate set of rules, as well as applying the use if their own judgment and experience.

How do I get started?
The best way to get started is to come out to a practice! Email our Head Coach Emilie Graham at coach@greatmiamirowing.com to set up your first day of practice!