Atlanta Rowing Club

Atlanta Rowing Club is a 501(c)(3) organisation formed to promote the sport of rowing. It was started in 1974 by a small group of athletes who simply needed somewhere to row.

The club's main route in for newcomers is a four-week Learn to Row course, run as twelve sessions meeting three days a week. Classes are taken by experienced club coaches and volunteers, with a mandatory orientation call before the course starts.

The teaching is deliberately structured rather than punishing: the club is explicit that the course focuses on technique and safety and does not consist of hard workouts. Beginners start in an eight-person rowing barge, a far more stable platform than a racing shell, so they can learn the mechanics of the stroke before balance is added to the problem. Land training on the erg runs alongside water training in quads, doubles and eights.

Both sweep rowing and sculling are taught, and by the end of the course participants should be comfortable in either. Students are assessed on mobility, coordination, technique and coachability, with coaches flagging areas to work on as the course goes.