Fall & Spring Competitive Teams
Los Gatos Rowing Club Junior Rowing Program offers rowing and racing experience to approximately 150 students from more than 25 Bay Area high schools. The fall season begins in September and runs to mid-December. The spring season begins in January and runs through May. Weekday practices take place after school and weekend practices are in the early morning.
Practice days vary during the seasons to fit the racing schedule. Each spring, LGRC travels to approximately five to eight ‘away’ competitions, and, water level permitting, the Club may host a home regatta. There are fewer fall regattas.
The Novice team consists of first year rowers, ages 14-18, regardless of their year in high school. Some potential Novices start early with the Introduction to Rowing summer camps.
The Varsity team consists of rowers who have already participated as Novice rowers or new rowers whom the coaches feel can contribute at a more advanced level.
The Southwest Region that LGRC competes in is one of the top two areas in the nation for junior rowing. Competition here is at the highest level and includes recent national and international champions. The design and structure of the practice sessions will be planned to reflect the intensive demands of rowing at this high level and to prepare rowers for success in both highly competitive and skills-building programs. Rowers will be pushed to expand their physical, emotional and mental limits in an environment that demands excellent collaboration with others, and that neither identifies nor rewards any “stars”.
The primary objective of the LGRC Junior Rowing Program is to advance the moral, mental and physical well being of young people in Los Gatos and the surrounding area by teaching and promoting amateur oarsmanship through the Club’s facilities and programs. In the pursuit of this objective, the Club maintains facilities, equipment and a nucleus of coaches and adult volunteers to provide training, mentoring and administrative and financial support. It also seeks to foster an environment conducive to the development of mature, well-rounded young adults. In particular, the Junior Rowing Program places great emphasis on:
- Maintenance of balance – encouraging junior athletes to maintain an appropriate balance between family, school and athletic priorities. The LGRC junior athlete is expected to develop and demonstrate exceptional time-management skills and be able to balance the demands of a rigorous academic curriculum with challenging rowing team commitments
-
Personal responsibility – as manifested by demonstration of the highest standards of integrity, behavior and sportsmanship. The LGRC junior athlete is courteous and respectful of teammates, opponents and officials, plays within the rules and is generous in victory and gracious in defeat
-
Commitment to excellence – encouraging junior athletes to honor team commitments by striving for perfect attendance at practices, working hard to improve physical fitness and conditioning, and seeking to continuously improve personal proficiency and team skills
-
Mutual support and teamwork – between athletes on a team, between athletes and their coaches, and between the coaches and their support group, including parent volunteers, Master rowers and the Club’s Board of Directors
-
Development of a positive mental attitude – the satisfaction and self-esteem that results from performing well in practice, and beyond expectations in regattas
-
Rowing to have fun
Ciick Here to Become A Junior Member