Rowing

The Rowing Club is one of the AU’s most active, inclusive and rewarding clubs. We cater for all genders and for all abilities! For more information, visit our website at www.lserowingclub.com

Please see our website for more inormation about the club and join our groups and follow our social medias here!

ABOUT US

LSE Rowing Club prides itself on being one of LSE's most active, inclusive and sociable clubs. From its foundation in 1923, LSERC has gone on to cultivate an ambitious Senior Squad, a thriving social scene and a nurturing environment for novice rowers. We place a strong emphasis on diversity, inclusion and camaraderie across both undergraduates and postgraduates. If you're looking for a rewarding university sport where you can push yourself, learn new skills and make lifelong friendships, rowing is for you!

COMMITTEE

• President - Francesca Campbell 

CORE ACTIVITY

The training side of the club is split into three squads; Mens and Womens Senior Squads, and a Development Squad (mixed). 

Typical weekly schedule for senior/intermediate squad:

• 2-3x water outings
• 2x erg sessions 
• 1x club circuits 
• 1-2x strength & conditioning sessions 

Typical weekly schedule for development squad:

• 1x water outing
• 1x erg session
• 1x club circuits 
• 1x strength and conditioning

These sessions are by no means compulsory and this is just an idea of what we have on offer. We are very flexible with what training you’d like to do and at what times you’d like to do it so you can work it around your goals and your timetable.

We are also always looking for more coxes and have a strong cox training programme, catering from complete novices to experienced coxswains. 

Socially, weeks revolve around Wednesday evenings with a weekly social before heading to Sway. We also often do pub trips, pasta nights, and club-wide dress up for LSE Athletics Union events, such as Carol. Last year we even went on a spring tour to Porto and have a few more club trips in mind for 2022-23, kicking off with a training camp in Michaelmas Term! 

WHY JOIN?

Flexibility

• Our squad system caters to all commitment levels, whether you want to be training 6 days a week, just come to circuits or even purely be a social member.
• This also enables our members to fit their training in around studying.

Rewarding Team Environment

• Rowing is a great mixture of team and individual sport; while erg sessions and crew selections can be individually competitive, outings and races epitomise teamwork and camaraderie. 
• The squad system means training in crews with a number of different people, and getting a feel for the boat when everyone moves as one is really gratifying, not to mention the satisfaction of seeing all that hard work pay off in a race!

Mates! Socials! Fun!

• Many alumni look back on their time with LSERC as one when lifelong friendships were formed.
• We’re proud of a social scene that is inclusive, diverse - across undergrad and postgrad communities, and from more than 20 different countries - and, most importantly, fun! In LSERC you will find a group of like-minded, dedicated and friendly people who are always down for a good time.

New Skills

• Joining the club involves learning the ins and outs of rowing, the Thames, and more generally, the balance of studies and sport.
• A number of members learn to cox boats whilst at LSERC, and all of our members are educated on the rules of the Tideway - the stretch of water we row on in West London.
• You also have the opportunity to learn other skills including how to use weights in our Strength & Conditioning sessions in the Marshall Building Gym.

Row on the Thames!

• This speaks for itself but rowing on the Thames can be a truly special experience. One sunny day on the water and you will understand why we love it so much.

You don’t have to get up at 4am like everyone presumes about rowers…

MEMBERSHIP

Standard membership

Our standard membership is £90 and gives you access to all that LSERC has to offer - from races, to socials, to weekly training (outings, ergs, circuits, S&C in the Marshall Building gym). You’re free to join either of our squads - Senior, Intermediate or Development Squad to learn to cox, to train as much (or as little!) as you like and to make the most of the LSERC experience. Your fee enables our continued use of the University of London boathouse in Chiswick, contributes to race fees, and allows us to employ our professional coach, Beth. With most UK university boat clubs costing anywhere from £100-£200+, our fee is subsidised and designed to be inclusive. It is also arguably much cheaper than a gym membership!!

Cox membership

Cox membership is offered at a slightly reduced price of £75 but you will still have access to all the training benefits as rowers aside from actual rowing during the water outings! Coxes are integral to the club and get to train with many different crews whilst at LSERC as well as developing a deep knowledge of the Tideway Rules. 

Social membership

Not into the sports side? That’s cool, too! For the absolute steal of £45, social membership gives you discounted access to all that LSE Rowing socials have to offer. Our social members are integral to the club; often dedicated attendees of our weekly Wednesday pre-drinks (before Sway), as well as our infamous club dinners on Brick Lane, and club-wide costume socials for AU events such as Carol. You will also gain access to all our trips!

You’ll also have to buy Athletics Union (AU) membership, about £7.50, on top of either of these membership options - this makes you part of the wider sporting community at LSE.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Following the Give It A Go period, we settle into a busy but social and rewarding schedule. The layout of the week tends to look different, dependent on Squads - it’s flexible and totally up to your commitment level.

Example weekly schedules:

Senior/Intermediate Squad:

• Monday: Ergs, Strength & Conditioning (S&C)
• Tuesday: Club Circuits
• Wednesday: Outing
• Thursday: Ergs
• Friday: S&C
• Saturday: Outing
• Sunday: Rest day

Development Squad:

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: Club Circuits
• Wednesday: Ergs
• Thursday: S&C
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Outing

In addition to our training camp in Michaelmas Term Reading Week, we also compete in a number of competitions each term - either in London or elsewhere in the UK - such as BUCS and Head of the River. These are usually on the weekend and are always followed by a well-earned post-race pint!

Other highlights of the year include AU Ball, AU Carol, and our overseas trip - previous destinations have included Budapest, Amsterdam, Toulouse and Porto

CONTACT US

We’re really excited to welcome our new and prospective members to the club for the 2022-2023 season! Prospective members are encouraged to join our Facebook and Whatsapp groups which can be found here , where you can ask any questions you may have and stay up to date with what activities we have planned. Alternatively, you can reach out to us on our email rowing@lsesu.org.  

We'll be holding a welcome presentation at 4:30pm on campus on Thursday 22nd September, and have many sessions planned for the GIAG period. Again, please join our groups and follow our social medias to stay up to date here .