In the summer we meet in the mornings Monday through Friday. 

The boathouse is at Wayland Town Beach, 25 Parkland Drive, Wayland

In the fall and spring we target about fifty minutes of quality rowing time per session. To make that happen, there is quite a bit of moving equipment around at each practice. That’s just a reality of the rowing life. To accomplish that, be sure to be on time. The game is to become efficient on land so that we get more time actually rowing.

We will have a lot to do at each session, so please plan to arrive a few minutes early.  

Rowing is an outdoor sport. Here are some clothing guidelines.

For the summer and early fall, dress for the hot days, and think about sun protection. Regular tennis shoes and socks, shorts, t shirt, a hat, perhaps sunglasses, sun screen. It gets really hot out there on the pond. Bring a filled water bottle, which will be left at the boathouse. 

For the late fall and early spring, we will row when it is cold, and it may also be raining. 

On the legs - Clothing needs to be close-fitting to the body. These can be long pants, leggings or actual tights. Snug shorts with short inseams are fine. Baggy shorts (such as basketball shorts with long inseams) are NOT okay, as they catch in the tracks and can cause surprise and actual injury. Form-fitting lycra shorts are standard in the rowing community. Really baggy cotton sweatpants are especially bad, because they’re cotton, and because they’re too loose. Full-length running/trail pants are a good choice. DO NOT WEAR COTTON.

On the torso - A top that is snug or close-fitting is important. NO COTTON, please, particularly as days in early spring are often cold, windy and wet. Include a wind- and rain-resistant layer. No open pockets, please, as the extra material can snag the fingers and cause surprise and again, actual injury. Zipped pockets are okay. 

On the feet - Regular tennis shoes with socks are fine. Many days we’ll run a few minutes and do some calisthenics. Shoes are left on shore while in the boat. 

On the head - A hat is fine if you want sun protection. A knit hat can be helpful in early spring. Please do NOT wear a hood, as it interferes with rowing awareness for the athlete.

For the eyes - Sunglasses can be helpful to protect the eyes from the water glare. (But it’s also just one more thing to lose.)

On the hands - Blisters and callouses are a part of rowing life. If hands get too tender it is perfectly respectable to row for a few sessions with very thin gloves while the hands heal and harden. You may want to purchase a pair of thin golfing gloves now so that they’re ready when needed. They also help keep the hands warm on cold windy days. Thick gloves are NOT okay, as the grip tends to slip, and they limit tactile feedback.

Extra clothes - Athletes will get warm moving around, but when we stop, they will get cold. Note that it is useless to put dry layers on over already wet cotton. 

Hydration - There is no guaranteed water supply at the boathouse, so bring a filled water bottle for hydration.

Safety is top of mind at all times. 

On land - On land, we remain vigilant to the risk of concussion, which is ever present with riggers, big boats and oars.

Wind - We do not go on the water in unsafe conditions, primarily high wind, but also lightning.

Flipping - Some of the sculling that your child will do will be in a fairly stable environment, involving pontoon “training wheels”. But to make progress in rowing, the athlete must experience the actual instability of the boat. Flipping happens. When a child goes in the water, one of two things will occur. If we have previously taught your child to get themselves quickly back into the boat, we will give them a minute or so to get themselves back in. (This is a specific skill that we train in the warm water of the summer season.) If they do not yet know how to get back into a sculling boat, we will quickly haul them into the safety launch. After assessing the situation, we will likely put the child right back into the boat for more rowing. If the situation indicates that that is not appropriate, then we will bring the child back to the boathouse and give you a call so that you can pick them up. 

Ratio - In the fall and spring we create a healthy ratio of middle school athletes to student coaches, who are driven by parent volunteer launch drivers. A safety launch with a coach trails one octuple, or one quad, or a couple of doubles, or several singles. In addition, an additional safety launch monitors the area as a whole.

In the summer we maintain a safe ratio of safety launches and coaches to middle school athletes. Athletes have a fair amount of leeway to explore their rowing on our beautiful pond. 

Safe sport - The Wayland Weston middle school program operates in accordance with US Rowing safe-sport guidelines.

At a typical session, we will

- learn dynamic warmups on land to prepare our bodies for the workout.

- spend time on the erg to learn and reinforce essential movement patterns.

- spend time on the water. Our program teaches sculling, where each athlete handles two oars, providing a symmetrical load on growing backs, developmentally appropriate for middle school athletes. Depending on experience and skills, we’ll spend time in the coxed octuple, the coxed quad, the double and the single. We teach safe, efficient, powerful movements.

- learn post-workout stretches to keep ourselves limber.

- learn to move together as a team - while in the boat, and while spending the considerable time that it takes to set up the equipment for each practice.

In the fall and spring we create an assertive ratio of high school athlete coaches to middle school students. The bulk of the in-person coaching is done by a staff of highly capable varsity athletes, overseen by a fully certified, professional adult coach. 

The coaching staff this fall and spring includes experienced varsity athletes Jillian, Clara, Penelope, Addi, Maddie, and Emily, overseen by Coach Paul. 

In the summer we maintain a safe ratio of students to coaches. There is plenty of time and space to explore rowing and the pond in a safe environment.