Question 1

Do I need to know how to row?

Accepted Answer

No. We will teach you how to row. All we need you to understand is the level of commitment required.

Question 2

I hear rowers spend a lot of time training. I'm worried about the commitment?

Accepted Answer

The BUBC programme for beginners requires you to commit 15 hours a week to training. Four hours land training during the week and 10 hours every weekend on the water (one hour travel time). We stress that in the first term you will be expected to attend 90% of the weekend sessions. This amounts to one weekend away from Bournemouth. After the first term Sport BU requires you to commit to 80% of the whole training programme. We also don't expect you to take holiday's with your family during term times, we prefer you not to go home when you have reading weeks and our season finishes in July not when exams finish. But statistically you are more likely to come out with a first class degree and a job if you row.

Question 3

Do you need to be fit?

Accepted Answer

No. We will get you fit. However, the fitter you are the quicker you will progress. If you want to do something to prepare yourself before coming to university find a pilates class and work on your core strength.

Question 4

I hear rowing is expensive, is that true?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is an expensive sport but we try and keep the costs down. Membership is around £250 to £350 a year. This can be paid in instalments.

The membership fee covers professionally coached rowing, land and strength and conditioning training. Sport BU gym membership on Talbot Campus. Travel to events. Access to a fleet of 50 high quality boats. Paid entry fees to your first event as a beginner, as well as prestige events like the British University Championships, Women's Henley, and Henley Royal Regatta.

In addition our week long camp in Chester costs around £350 (including accommodation but not food). You will also need to become a member of British Rowing which costs £39. And during the year you will have to pay for some race fees which cost between £7 to £25 an event.

Question 5

Does Sport BU offer rowing scholarships?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Sport BU offers scholarships to high performance athletes? Please look at this link: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/fees-funding/scholarships/international-student-scholarships/bu-sport-scholarship

Question 6

What is the culture of the Boat Club?

Accepted Answer

This is a tough sport practiced in all weathers. The last thing you need is your crew mates taking their anxieties, fears and frustrations out on you. When you join you agree to be:
•Caring – for each other, the equipment, the club and yourself  
•Kind - to each other
•Professional - in the pursuit of our goals
•Ambitious - in the setting of goals
•Resilient - in overcoming challenges

Question 7

How much time will I have to decide if I want to join?

Accepted Answer

This is the process we like to go through:

Fresher's Fair - Come to the BUBC stand and sign up for taster sessions
Fresher's Talk - On the Tuesday after Fresher's Fair we hold a get to know us talk in the evening
Assessments - On the Wednesday and Thursday after freshers fair you will be asked to attend a physical assessment. This is not a selection. The data collected is used to shape the training programme.
First Taster Session - The first taster session will be in Sport BU on the Saturday - a week after freshers fair -  where we will teach you how to stretch and use a rowing machine
Second Taster Session - The second taster session will be held on the Sunday - a week after freshers fair - when we will take you to Canford School Boat House and put you in a boat with experienced rowers. Transportation will be arranged
Land Training Taster Sessions - Then after this weekend you will be asked to attend land training sessions at 7.15am on Tuesday and Wednesday morning at Sport BU 
Third Taster Session - On the second Saturday after Freshers Fair you will be invited to row again at  Canford School. Transportation will be arranged
Fourth Taster Session - On the second Sunday after Freshers Fair you will be invited to row again at Canford School. 
Decision Day - On the second Monday after Fresher Fair you will be asked to pay your membership fee for the first term.

We encourage beginners to come to all the sessions so they understand the level of commitment required.

Question 8

Does BUBC have a selection criteria?

Accepted Answer

No. Our only criteria is "commitment". If you are committed we can teach you. If you are not we can't. Commitment in rowing equates to turning up to the sessions and sacrificing the things that give you immediate gratification. This mean you need to be prepared to get up early at least four mornings a week if you are a beginner.

Question 9

How good will I be by the end of my first year?

Accepted Answer

If you follow the training schedule and engage with the coaching you will amongst the top 12 university beginners crews in the country. That is out of 72 universities with rowing clubs. We expect our beginners to achieve A/B finals at the British University Championships and be able to compete against good club crews by the summer.

Question 10

I hear BUBC only teaches athletes how to scull (row with two blades) is this correct?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if you are wishing to row like Oxford and Cambridge you might be disappointed. In 2022 we converted to a sculling only programme. This has been a successful change and we intend to stick with it. The beauty of learning how to scull is that it is better for you body and it is very easy to learn to sweep row (one blade) from a sculling base.

Question 11

Will I get a better degree or job  if I row?

Accepted Answer

The skills you learn are highly transferable in academia and the world of work. If you want to row and get a good degree you need to be disciplined and organised and willing to work hard. Employers know what being part of a crew means. They also understand securing a good degree and rowing honours requires someone who is conscientious, diligent and determined. None of these qualities guarantee a good degree or job but they certain don't harm your chances.

Question 12

Once I've joined can I be thrown out of the club?

Accepted Answer

If you break the rules you can be thrown out. We have a strict no drugs policy. We also have a zero tolerance policy to any form of bullying, racist, mysoginistic, religious or socially intolerant behaviour.

You can also de-select yourself if you fail to turn up to training and fall behind your crew technically and physically. If this happens a coach will ask you to take a look at your commitment levels and attempt to understand you personal circumstances.

Once we understand your personal circumstance we will suggest a plan to help you get back on track. If this fails your coach will ask you to make a change or make a choice.

Poor commitment levels are corrosive. Ultimately, it is your choice whether you adhere to the programme. But if you don't then you can't expect others to trust you in a boat or want to row with you.

Question 13

Is rowing a performance sport at BUBC?

Accepted Answer

Yes and no, rowing is part of Sport BU's performance programme but it is a special case. As experienced rowers don't yet choose Bournemouth we start with beginners. This means that we have to tailor the programme to take account of the mental and physical trajectory required to go from starting a sport to being able to compete at an international level (e.g. Women's Henley and Henley Royal Regatta).

Question 14

What's more important in rowing mental or physical resilience?

Accepted Answer

Both.

But we know how to train in physical resilience. Mental resilience is more personal and although it is helped by physical development and stressing athletes it is harder to programmatically nurture.

Coaches talk about the "penny dropping". That moment when you decide you aren't going clubbing because you want a better performance on the rowing machine. The moment when you realise you perversely enjoy getting up in the dark to punish your mind and body again. Or the moment when you have been clubbing but you still turn up to training because you can't let your crew down.

Question 15

I have lots of placements will this making rowing difficult?

Accepted Answer

There are some courses at Bournemouth University that certainly making rowing challenging. For instance if you are on a nursing course which requires you to work shifts you will not always be able to train with your crew. In these circumstances we ask members to train in what free time they have and post their training to a What's App Group so your crew mates can see you're committed. The only real barrier is you. If you want to row you will find a way.

Question 16

Can I be a social rower?

Accepted Answer

For safety and practical reasons just dipping into rowing isn't really possible. What you can do is get fit with us but not do the water based rowing immediately. But once you commit to learning how to row on the water you need to commit to getting to a safe standard and working with a crew of at least three other people. This means training at the same time every weekend.

Question 17

Do I have to choose between Beach Sprints and River Rowing

Accepted Answer

No. It is up to you what you want to focus on but due to weather people who want to focus on beach sprints will spend a lot of time on the river leaning basic skills.

Question 18

If I've rowed before will I be put in the with novice rowers.

Accepted Answer

No. If you are an experienced school or club rower you will join our senior squad. However, if the coaches feel your rowing is still at a novice level you will be placed with beginners to help them progress quicker.

Frequently asked questions