Curlew is a rowing club in East London and is open to all ages and abilities. Although very successful, with crews at Henley for 10 of the last 11 years, we pride ourselves on our friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Calling all those interested in rowing: if you’ve seen the rowing on TV, or been to Henley, or if you’re just interested in trying out a great team sport where you can have fun and maybe compete in a regatta or two, then we want to help you achieve that.
Starting in August, Curlew will be running another of our very successful and enjoyable rowing courses for beginners: in just a few fun sessions you’ll learn to row and you’ll get to take part in one of the best team sports! While we can’t promise that every day will be gloriously sunny, we can guarantee that you’ll love it!
The idea is to start with an initial introduction session where you can decide if the sport is for you, followed by a 10 week program which should get you up to a level where you are able to compete at novice races - we will aim for races in the season from October to March as a goal for the course.
It is worth noting that to get the most out of the course you will need to be able to make as many sessions as possible - rowing is largely a team sport and therefore some level of commitment is required. In particular for the weekend sessions it will help if we know in advance (a couple of days notice) if you’ll be coming or not so we can organise the equipment and crews appropriately.
The details of the course are as follows:
Program:
Saturdays, 10am-12pm, Rowing at the London Regatta Centre, Royal Albert DLR Station
Tuesday evenings, 7pm-8.30pm, Rowing in the indoor tank, London Regatta Centre, Royal Albert DLR Station.
Start date: Taster session on Tuesday, 10th August, then the course starts on Saturday, 14th August 2010 for 10 weeks.
Cost: £150 to be paid at the start of the 10-week programme. The taster session is free.
Coach: Gustavo Salcedo, assisted by members of the current Curlew senior squads. Gus will be coaching at almost all training sessions - he has spent the last few years as a professional coach in London, while competing he represented Peru at the 2004 Olympic Games. The most recent course was the second that Gus had taken charge of and it was the best one yet: we’ve had fantastic feedback from everyone on the course and 60% of them are now full-time members of Curlew.
If you are interested, please let Nick Jupe and Laura Binns (the men’s and women’s captains, respectively) know, and send an email with the following details:
- Age?
- Any rowing experience?
- Height?
- Weight?
- Your Fitness Level (from 1 to 5: 1 for no regular exercise, 5 if you exercise/train 5-6 times a week, perhaps as part of another sport)?
- Can you swim 50m wearing light clothing?
This is just for our info at the moment - should the course be heavily oversubscribed then we may need to limit the number of attendees, which would happen after the initial taster session (but before any money is paid!)
The club is also looking for new coxes. It’s a vital role in the sport, so if you’re reasonably small and you think you would like the challenge of steering a rowing boat while getting 8 rowers to perform at their best, then please let us know. We can train you pretty quickly and membership of the club is a nominal £5/month for coxes (and you’re welcome to join in at gym and circuits sessions as part of that). It’s an exciting job and a great way to get involved in the social side of rowing.
Who is up for the challenge of ascending the three highest peaks of Scotland (Ben Nevis - 1,344m), England (Scafell Pike - 978m) and Wales (Snowdon - 1,085m) in a 24 hour period?
Not only do you need to climb, the group will also need to carry 2 blades for photos to be taken at the top of each peak. The challenge will be tough.
The Curlew 3PC will take place on the weekend 30th July/31st July/1st August 2010. We will depart from Greenwich by minibus no later than 5.30pm on Friday 30th July and return to London late on the Sunday evening. The 24 hour ascent period is planned to start at 4pm on Saturday at the base of Ben Nevis. The next ascent will be Scafell Pike, followed by Snowdon.
There are about 15 places available. Each participant will need to contribute to the fixed costs of the challenge (estimated at £80 per person) and they will be asked to raise a minimum of £150 sponsorship.
So, if you are keen, please e-mail Emma and Elizabeth NOW. Places will be given on a first come, first served basis. To secure your place, you will also need to pay a £50 non-refundable deposit.
We would like to thank Mr Dyson for agreeing to be nominated driver between ascents thereby ensuring that all Curlews are looked after safely.