| Junior Rowing |
| DTARC is one of the leading clubs in the region in terms of junior participation and development. The club has built up a thriving junior section over the last few years, and prides itself on providing a safe and child friendly environment in which juniors can learn. |
| Child Friendly and Safe |
|
The club is an accredited centre of the Amateur Rowing
Association’s (ARA) National Junior Rowing programme, and is one of 50
clubs in the country to be part of the ARA’s flagship junior programme ‘Project
Oarsome’. This programme links the clubs with local schools in the
community (see separate section for more details).
DTARC has recently achieved Sport England’s ‘Clubmark’ status, which is a certification awarded to clubs which meet Sport England’s and the ARA’s national requirements for areas such as safety, welfare, child protection, sports equity, coaching, and club management. The club has child protection, safety and welfare guidelines in place, overseen by the club’s safety and child protection officers. All club members working with young people are put through a Criminal Records Bureau check, and all coaches hold nationally recognised qualifications. |
| Facilites |
| The recent club extension, including new changing rooms and a state of the art indoor training room, provides the club’s juniors with some of the best facilities in the region. The club has a fantastic 9km stretch of well sheltered river, which provides a safe environment for beginners to learn the basics, as well as more than meeting the needs of experienced junior crews. Club juniors have priority access to a fleet of lightweight boats specifically designed for junior use. |
| Coaching |
|
The club has a number of qualified and experienced coaches
working specifically with juniors. Every junior squad has at least one
dedicated coach. Older juniors themselves are encouraged to help with the
coaching of younger juniors via nationally recognised qualifications such
as the Junior Sports Leaders Award and the Duke of Edinburgh
Awards.
The club is also fortunate enough to have the input of professional coaching. Currently working with juniors is Guy Troup, a part time coach sponsored by the Henley Stewards Charitable Trust. |
| Successes |
|
For those juniors who want to progress to racing, the club
has a very successful competitive programme. DTARC juniors have had
success both locally, picking up West of England Championships regularly
in recent years, and nationally, with representation at the
National Championships, and GB junior trials. Club Junior Bill Lucas
raced for Great Britain at the World Junior Championships in 2005. The club is also a satellite base for athletes on the ARA’s World Class Start programme, a scheme which identifies and fast tracks potential future Olympians. At present 4 athletes are on the programme; 1 senior and 3 juniors. |
| Squads |
|
There are a number of junior squads rowing in various
sessions throughout the week, covering juniors ranging from 11 to 18. All
new juniors will first join the Beginners Squad where they will be taught
basic boat handling skills and safety. Once they reach the required level
they will be moved on to the appropriate squad for their particular age
group.
Anyone interested in joining the beginners squad should contact Andy Sloper on (01803) 865787. |