THE HISTORIC Jersey Rowing Club hosted this week’s edition of Tryout Tuesday, as I partook in one of their Have A Go Row sessions.

With their roots dating back to the 1960s before officially being founded in 1971, the Jersey Rowing Club certainly has a long and celebrated history to establish themselves as staples of the Island’s watersports community.

As the local club continue to trend upwards, where would be better to discover more about rowing and make my first forays into the sport.

Let’s find out more about rowing

Rowing, quite simply, is the sport of racing boats using oars. However, it differs from paddling sports – such as kayaking and canoeing – as the rowing oars are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles aren’t connected to the boat at all.

The sport is divided into two disciplines: sculling and sweeping. Sculling consists of each rower holding two oars, one in each hand, while competitors hold only one oar with both hands in sweeping – and both disciplines are contested in the Olympic Games.

This is a sport steeped in history, with modern competitive rowing being traced all the way back to the early 17th century, when professional watermen held races (regattas) on London’s River Thames.

Amateur competition then began towards the end of the 18th century, with the arrival of boat clubs and British public schools ushering in a new era.

It’s fair to say rowing has come on leaps and bounds since then, as there are 14 boat classes that currently race at the Olympics. That’s not all, as the World Rowing Federation’s annual World Rowing Championships sees 22 boat classes contest on the waters.

The Island’s rowing club has certainly kept up with progress, holding a huge list of accolades over the years while also earning a strong reputation among the rowing community.

Throughout their time in competition, Jersey has more than punched above its weight to put the Island’s athletes firmly on the map, with many of their competitive outings earning several medal-winning performances in competitions from the Scottish Championships to the Commonwealth Rowing Association Championships.

Natacha Searson and Chris Thompson are perfect examples of Jersey’s rise through the ranks, as both earned call-ups to represent Team GB in the World Beach Sprint Championships late last year.

Although local rowers are performing on some of the world’s biggest stages, Jersey Rowing Club have maintained their commitment to ensuring people of all ages and abilities can gain access to the sport, through their successful Have A Go Row programme.

“Have A Go Row is a programme that we run once a year, so that we can dedicate more coaching time to the novices that come through as before, they weren’t building up enough confidence to go out by themselves. Now, we’re trying to dedicate them to go straight through to race season from Have A Go Row,” said Emma Syvret, the programme’s organiser.

“The idea is to begin by coming down and trying it out with Have A Go Row, and if they like it, they’ll proceed to be put on Learn to Row. This usually lasts for about four-to six weeks, and they’ll go into more depth, learning about boat set-up, weather, the buoys, safety and much more, allowing them to go onwards and upwards from there.

“I think that rowing is harder to access for many people – which is what we’re trying to battle with this – as you can’t just go out in a rowing boat. It’s really hard to learn and you need someone to help you along the way, so we’ve got a little team together to coach newcomers and make it a better, more welcoming experience.”

Although you may see the athletic specimens in televised rowing competitions and question your ability to compete, fear not, as Syvret went on to explain how rowing is a sport for “everybody”.

“We’ve had people of all backgrounds come through here, literally everybody. Every age range, every ability, people have have come to give rowing a go,” Syvret continued.

“Whether it be to get fitter and lose weight, meet new people or just simply try out a new sport, everyone has their own reason. The good thing about rowing is it’s low impact, but it’s all about the muscles, so you’re losing weight and toning up without realising it – and the fact it’s low impact means people of all ages can do it.

“Rowing is open to everybody. If you want to race and compete, we have a full season of racing headlined by our Sark-to-Jersey race, but if you just want to row casually, the club holds community nights where people just go out for fun.

“If you have a love for the water, you’re unafraid of going out in all weathers and love a challenge, then rowing is for you. Once you get the technique down, there’s nothing better than being out on the water during a beautiful morning with all your friends.”

A huge asset to the local club developing quality talent and a strong base of members has been their social and supportive community, as Syvret added: “We have a very big community aspect down at the club, everybody knows everybody and we all help each other out.

“People will see new members and they’ll always be happy to give tips and advice – I always encourage the novices to get tips from everybody, as I might say one thing and they won’t know what I’m talking about, whereas another may explain it in a way that just clicks.

“Everybody’s always there to help, and we do loads of socials. We meet up and socialise after pretty much every race – there’s a great social aspect and everyone gets on. We’re always looking for new members so if you’re interested in facing a new challenge, trying out a new sport and being out in the fresh air while making new friends, then rowing is definitely for you.”

Now let’s give it a go

Until this point, I had the opportunity to get out on the RIB many a time and cover several rowing races, so I was well amped up to finally be giving it a go. Although conditions were cold and stormy, nothing could dampen my excitement.

Arriving early on a Sunday morning at the club, which is located down at the Old Lifeboat Station at the bottom of Mount Bingham, we first started with breaking down the rowing technique, and there really was a lot to it – working on the rowing machines was a real eye opener.

Looking at the machine at first, it seems easy enough – you just pull it, right? But, I soon stood corrected, as the instructors were quick to make adjustments. However slight they were, massive differences were made, and the coaches were fantastic at making quick observations and breaking things down for you.

After that, it was time to get in the water. Getting the boat into the water was a team task in itself, but we overcame that slight obstacle and slowly adjusted to the new surroundings.

We took it slowly and gradually increased the pace. We began by going through the motions with the oars above water, and that seemed easy – so it was time to get a move on and row.

However, once the oars hit the water and we were in motion, everything was completely different. Everything suddenly got very muddled and oars were colliding – it was chaos.

Fortunately, the experienced Emma Syvret at the helm was a calming presence on the boat. We came to a stop and went straight back to basics, focusing on the rhythm. Before you knew it, suddenly we shifted into a rhythm and were moving at pace across the harbour – it felt amazing.

I have a huge love for the sea – I always have, and rowing was so calming. There may have been the odd tumble and oar collision, but we were doing pretty well on the water. We began to do cornering, which we achieved once again under Emma’s calming and watchful presence.

After a while of getting to grips with the oars, spirits were running high as everyone on our vessel seemed to be getting the hang of it. In our bullish spirits we shouted to the other boat: “Race?”

In hindsight, this wasn’t the best decision, as speeding things up came as a detriment to the crew. Once again, chaos ensued and oars clattered, and it wasn’t long before we were left in the dust.

Even though the session didn’t have the dream ending I was hoping for, it was a great experience. It’s great exercise while also being incredibly calming, and I would recommend this to anyone on the hunt for a new sport.

If you’re interested, then please contact Jersey Rowing Club through their email: thejerseyrowingclub@outlook.com