Rowing Club Management Blog - Canadian Clubs & Programs

Training August 5, 2026

How to use a rowing machine with proper form

A rowing coach explains the catch, drive, finish and recovery, plus four common faults and what the damper setting really changes.

Row HQ Team 12 min read

Getting Started August 5, 2026

Rowing machine for beginners: your first four weeks

A session-by-session beginner programme with clear durations, effort targets, stroke rates and a useful standard for the end of week four.

Row HQ Team 11 min read

Software April 29, 2026

The best rowing club management software in 2026

An honest look at the club software Canadian clubs and school programs weigh up in 2026. What each one handles well, where they part ways, and the evaluation traps a volunteer board keeps stumbling into before it signs anything.

Row HQ Team 10 min read

Regattas May 17, 2026

Canadian masters rowing: from the Royal Canadian Henley to the world stage

The Canadian masters year from the Royal Canadian Henley to Brentwood and Banook, and where the UK majors fit at the top.

Row HQ Team 7 min read

Starting a Club May 17, 2026

How to start a rowing club in Canada: CRA, RCA and provincial NPO setup

Starting a club in Canada runs through nonprofit setup, RCA and provincial affiliation, water access and boat storage - in that order.

Row HQ Team 14 min read

Training May 17, 2026

Erg workout library for Canadian rowing clubs

Thirty erg sessions organized by training zone, each with a purpose, a target pace off your 2k, and options for a full squad.

Row HQ Team 18 min read

Erg Testing May 17, 2026

2k erg test pacing strategy

Set a split you can hold for the full seven minutes, ride the J-pattern, and stop losing your 2k test at the 1500m mark.

Row HQ Team 9 min read

Coxing & Coaching May 17, 2026

Coxing 101 for Canadian crews: a first-outing playbook

What the cox actually does on a first outing - steering, safety, running the session and race calls - in one playbook.

Row HQ Team 11 min read

Junior Rowing May 17, 2026

A Canadian parent's guide to junior rowing

Training hours by age, realistic costs, the safeguarding questions to ask, and how CSSRA, U Sports and NCAA recruiting connect.

Row HQ Team 12 min read

Getting Started May 17, 2026

Learn to row in Canada: what day one actually looks like

What day one of learn to row at a Canadian club actually looks like, why you need no fitness baseline, and what comes next.

Row HQ Team 9 min read

Inclusion May 17, 2026

Setting up an adaptive rowing program in Canada

PR classifications, the RCA pathway, stable boats and the practical first steps for getting an adaptive program on the water.

Row HQ Team 14 min read

Equipment Management May 17, 2026

Coastal rowing boats in Canada: a plain-English buying guide

The three World Rowing coastal classes, the two race formats, and a plain-language buying guide for Canadian clubs in 2026.

Row HQ Team 14 min read

Sport May 17, 2026

Beach sprint rowing explained: Canada's LA 2028 medal target

The run-row-run knockout format heading to LA 2028, and the coastal pathway building on both Canadian coasts.

Row HQ Team 9 min read

Equipment Management May 6, 2026

Concept2 vs WaterRower vs Hydrow: what Canadian clubs should buy

Why Canadian clubs should buy Concept2 RowErgs, where WaterRower and Hydrow fit, and the CAD pricing behind the verdict.

Row HQ Team 12 min read

Operations April 29, 2026

Rowing club spreadsheet alternatives - what actually works

A shared spreadsheet holds up until your novice intake doubles and the fees, boat sign-out, and erg scores all live in different tabs. A plain-language guide to what to replace first, what to leave alone, and how to move years of club history across without losing any of it.

Row HQ Team 8 min read

Operations April 29, 2026

The WhatsApp rowing club problem and how to fix it

Most Canadian clubs end up running on a tangle of WhatsApp and group chats that outgrew what messaging was ever meant to do. Here is exactly what falls apart, what is worth keeping, and how to pull club communication back into one place that holds together.

Row HQ Team 7 min read

Coaching April 29, 2026

How to organize rowing crews - a practical guide

A repeatable way to pick crews, assign boats, and lock in lineups in under fifteen minutes a session. The same pattern works whether you are boating a single novice eight or juggling masters, juniors, and a university squad off the same dock.

Row HQ Team 9 min read

Committee April 29, 2026

The rowing club committee handover toolkit

A clean handover process for outgoing and incoming club boards. What to write down, what to pass along, which provincial association and Rowing Canada Aviron records to keep current, and how to leave the club steadier than you found it.

Row HQ Team 8 min read

Operations April 29, 2026

Rowing club attendance tracking - the complete guide

A practical guide to tracking who is actually on the water. What to log through the winter erg months and the summer season, how to make confirmations stick, and what the attendance pattern quietly tells you about which members are drifting away.

Row HQ Team 7 min read

Member Experience January 20, 2026

Letting members do it themselves

Row HQ's self-service portal lets members book sessions, set their availability, and check the schedule without waiting on a volunteer to reply. Less admin for the committee, more control for rowers.

Row HQ Team 5 min read

Performance January 5, 2026

Using ergo data to track progress

Through a Canadian winter the erg is where the season is won. 2K times, watts, and splits give coaches and rowers a number they can actually hold each other to. Here is how to log it properly and put it to work when boating decisions come around.

Row HQ Team 6 min read

Equipment Management December 15, 2025

Tracking boat maintenance properly

A racing eight is one of the most expensive things your club owns. Sticky notes and a clipboard by the bay door will not catch a grinding seat track before it strands a crew. Digital logging flags the small faults early and keeps the fleet on the water longer.

Row HQ Team 5 min read

Club Management December 1, 2025

Getting training sessions sorted

Last-minute messages and a shared sheet swallow hours every week, and a wind call on the lake only makes it worse. Here is how clubs are cutting the back-and-forth and getting sessions planned, confirmed, and crewed properly.

Row HQ Team 7 min read

Coaching Tips November 15, 2025

Crew selection tips for rowing coaches

Crew selection eats more time than it should, especially with a big roster split across ability groups. Digital tools help coaches track combinations, remember what clicked last week, and spend the saved time on the water instead of the spreadsheet.

Row HQ Team 6 min read

Announcements October 1, 2025

Row HQ is live

Row HQ is now accepting clubs. Built with Oundle Town Rowing Club over the past year, it handles sessions, boats, members, and events in one place. Here is what it does and how we got here.

Row HQ Team 5 min read