This month we were invited to try out the Cambridge Rowing Experience, something we wouldn’t have considered to be available to mere muggles like us. We always assumed the rowing teams you see on the River Cam were all very private, college teams and not that accessible – and how wrong we were.
Whilst yes there are college teams along the River Cam, there are also plenty of town teams who invite new members and now – offer to teach you how to row! Omar from the Cambridge Rowing Experience wanted to show us how everyone has the possibility to learn how to row, and how special it can be to do it in a city where rowing is so iconic.
We were invited to one of the Taster Days, you arrive at 10.00am outside the club house where you meet Omar and the other people who have signed up. We chatted for a bit on the balcony about the upcoming experience, soaking up the sun and watching teams race up and down the river.
Then it was time to get into it, we headed straight to the gym to learn the proper techniques for rowing. We’d all blindly used the rowing machines in the gym, but within minutes we went from an uncoordinated team not generating enough power, to a much smoother – almost respectable looking beginner team learning how to drive power correctly through our legs. If you hadn’t guessed, there’s a lot more to rowing than just moving your arms back and forth in time.
Once Omar was happy with our technique we headed down to get familiar with the boat. The boat in question was an impressive 8 man thing of beauty! And he trusted us to lift it and place it in the river… without knocking anyone on the way or falling in ourselves.
We were taught how to do this correctly, safely, and as a team. Then it was onto oar work, how to carry them, secure them into the boats (along with ourselves) and how to correctly use them.
Omar assigned us all roles and numbers, and went through each of our responsibilities and overall techniques. We all stepped in, confident with what we were doing – as confident as you can be in your first lesson anyway – and ready to get rowing!
Calling out our numbers with instructions, Omar taught us how to set off, row in time, how to turn the boat around and gave us a glimpse into rowing life on the water. We were all hooked. We had about an hour on the river and at times, we just seamlessly glided, in what felt like – perfectly synchronised formation. I really can’t explain that feeling.
The sun was shining, kids were waving, the birds were singing and passing teams were giving us encouragement along the way. Whilst I can’t explain it, all I can do is urge you to try it for yourself. Many of us, myself included are going to be signing up for more lessons. After the Taster Day you can then continue on to Level 1 classes and Level 2 and so on. Once you’re a confident rower you can approach town clubs to become a member, some example prices mentioned were around £30-£35 a month, I just couldn’t believe it was as accessible as it was.
We’ve all done the typical Cambridge activities, punting, college tours, afternoon tea, but this was different. It felt special. So if you’ve lived in Cambridge your whole life, or maybe you’ve only been here a short while, or you want to impress your visitors – take them for an experience you can’t get just anywhere. Take them rowing in Cambridge.