Rowing Programs

Junior Rowing Program in the Vancouver Area

The Burnaby Lake Rowing Club Junior rowing program is open to all youth between the ages of 12-19. Each rowing session is run by two certified coaches. Athletes will train in a variety of rowing boat classes (sculling and sweeping) and have the opportunity to compete at regattas. 

Prerequisites: There is no experience required to join our junior rowing team and all teenagers aged 12-19 are welcome. For students who’d like to gain experience before they join our rowing program, we do have summer learn to row programs and rowing lessons that are optional to get your child ready to row. Keep scrolling down to find the information about our summer learn to row programs.

Why Should Your Teenager Try Rowing? Are you looking for the perfect sport for your middle school or high school student to participate in the Vancouver area? Rowing is a unique sport and is a wonderful way to keep your teenager active and in a positive environment when outside of school. Rowing can be done alone or it can be done as part of a team. When your child joins the Burnaby Lake Rowing Club, they will have the option of rowing in a single sculling boat or in a larger team boat that seats anywhere from two to eight other athletes. Rowing can help your child become more confident and independent because of the time that they spend navigating on the water. It can also help your child get more time outside and in nature as it’s a sport that is mostly done outdoors and on the water. Learning how to row while in high school also has its advantages when it comes to college and university. There are a number of colleges and universities throughout the world and specifically in North America that have rowing programs.

Youth Learn to Row Camps in the Vancouver Area

Youth Learn to Row Camps for Secondary Students in the Lower Main Land

Are you looking for a sports camp that is in the Lower Mainland for your child to attend during the summer of 2023? Sign them up to learn how to row on the calm waters of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, British Columbia! BLRC is offering Learn to Row camps for youth (age 12-18) this summer in July and August. Whether you are looking for a new sport for your child to try or a great cross training opportunity, your teenager will learn the basics of rowing with one of our qualified coaches. 

 

Summer rowing camps are a great way for your kid to meet other kids who live in their area. It’s also a great way to introduce your child to this fun and unique sport.

 

During the sessions your child will learn how to row with other teens. These are just some of the skills that will be covered during our rowing summer camps:

 

  • Learn how to carry a rowing boat

  • Learn how to set up a rowing boat

  • Learn how to balance in a rowing boat

  • Learn how to navigate a boat on the water

  • Learn how to row 

  • Learn how to synchronize with other rowers 

  • Learn how to communicate with your coach and other athletes 

 

Learn to Row Group Rowing Lessons on Burnaby Lake

Learn to Row Group Lessons- an Introduction to Rowing on Burnaby Lake in the Greater Vancouver, BC Area

Do you live in the greater Vancouver, B.C. area and you love being on the water? Are you looking for your next water sport to do on one of the many bodies of water around Burnaby, Surrey, or Coquitlam? You should try rowing! 

Burnaby Lake Rowing Club offers Learn to Row Classes on a monthly basis to ensure that people can try rowing and have access to sculling and sweep rowing in the Lower Mainland. During our group rowing lessons you will learn how to scull, a type of rowing that is done in smaller boats, with one oar in each hand. You will learn how to row team boats so that you can meet other people or get an idea of what racing in regattas would be like. You will also learn how to row single rowing shells so that you can row independently.

You’ll take the rowing class with up to 8 other people who are also new to rowing and you’ll learn all of the fundamentals so that you can start to row on your own or with other members. Once you complete your initial set of lessons you have the option of continuing with private lessons or taking our Learn to Row II Course when it is offered. Once you are proficient in rowing and can row by yourself you will be invited to join our Junior or Adult Masters rowing program.

Rowing is a sport that can be done year round in Vancouver. It is a unique sport and will give you the opportunity to spend more time outside and on the water. We do ask participants if they can swim, but you don’t need to be an expert swimmer to participate in rowing. You simply need to have the ability to swim at least 50 meters and you’ll need to be able to tread water for at least 5 minutes. All rowers always have the option of wearing a Personal Flotation Device, also known as a life jacket, and those who are not strong swimmers might be asked to wear a PDF for their own safety. 

Cost Per Person:: $446.25 (This includes the $25 RCA and $21.25 RBC fee that you pay annually. Once you complete lessons the RCA and RBC fees will be applied to your membership dues or additional lessons.)

Our Learn to Row class runs over the course of 3 consecutive weeks, with two 2-hour sessions per week. If a class is postponed due to inclement weather, the make-up class will be scheduled on the next available class day.

August Schedule
Tuesday/ Thursday 9:30-11:30 AM     Dates are: August 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24
Saturday/ Sunday 10:30-12:30 PM     Dates are: August 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20
 

If you’re ready to sign up now, please click on one of the following links to view the schedule for each month and sign up.

Click here if you’d like more information before you sign up.

Masters Rowing Program in the Burnaby, B.C. Area

Our adult rowing program is for beginner to advanced rowers who are over the age of 19 in the Vancouver Metro Area. Rowers who are members of the Burnaby Lake Rowing Club are able to go out on the water during our morning sessions seven days a week, year round. When you’re a member you can participate in scheduled workouts or simply go for a leisure row at your own pace. Most athletes train in singles (1x); however, there is the option to organize rows in larger crew boats such as doubles, quads, pairs and eights. 

Practice Schedule October-April

Monday- Friday mornings from 7-9 AM

Saturday from 7:30-9:30 AM

Sunday from 8:00-10:00 AM

In the Summer months, we provide an additional session for Master and Junior rowers on Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7:30 PM.

Rowers with a high level of experience have the option of rowing on the lake outside of these times on a case by case basis. Feel free to ask about this option when inquiring about a membership. 

Prerequisites: All people who join our program without first taking lessons must have a solid background in rowing. Once you fill out our membership forms, we will set you up with a coach so that you can schedule a 1-hour session that is intended to introduce you to our clubhouse and give us the opportunity to ensure you have the adequate experience in a sculling shell. During this session you must be able to demonstrate solid proficiency in a single sculling shell and be able to navigate safely on the water. Once you have met with one of our coaches we will either request that you take lessons before you join one of our programs or we will invite you to sign up for our Masters or Juniors team. Sculling is very different from rowing in a traditional row boat or in a larger sweep boat. If you have not spent time in a sculling shell, don’t worry, you can take lessons to get caught up to speed on the skills necessary to row safely on your own during practice. We offer the option to take the requested lessons privately or with others in our Learn to Row sessions.

Swimming Requirements: Rowing is a water sport! Rowing Canada strongly recommends that rowers be able to swim 50m in light clothing and be sufficiently at ease in the water not to panic and be able to keep afloat. In addition to this, it is ideal if you can tread water for at least 5 minutes. If a person cannot meet this requirement for physical or other reasons, an approved, inflatable Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is mandatory and must be worn while you row. All participants have the option of wearing a PDF regardless of their swimming ability. 

Costs: $886.25 for 12 months (this cost includes the $25 RCA and $15 RBC fee) from April 1st, 2023 – March 31st, 2024. Please note that this rate will be prorated if you join after April 1.

How to sign up: Please click here to fill out the initial form that will acquaint us with your rowing background. Once your eligibility has been confirmed, we will send the payment info and tell you what comes next. If you’re not ready to join the program and have a few questions, click here to send them to us. If you are totally new to our boathouse, meaning you learned how to row elsewhere, we may ask you to take a 1-hour lesson with one of our coaches to introduce you to our boathouse and confirm that you are safe to row solo. The lesson is $50. If we believe that you need more lesson to row safely during our masters sessions we will let you know.

Private Rowing Lessons on Burnaby Lake in the Vancouver, BC Area

Do you live in the Vancouver, BC area and you love spending time on the water? Have you always wanted to learn how to row? Burnaby Lake Rowing Club offers private rowing instruction for people to learn all about rowing regardless of if they want to row recreationally, row solo, row so that they can meet new people, or row so that they can race. 

Our private rowing lessons will introduce you to the basics of sculling. During your initial set of lessons you will learn all of the fundamentals of rowing so that you feel comfortable rowing by yourself. Once you complete your initial set of rowing lessons, your coach will tell you if you’re ready to join our juniors or masters program or you’ll need to take additional rowing lessons. 

Cost: $646.25 (This includes the $25 RCA and $21.25 RBC fee that you pay annually. Once you complete lessons the RCA and RBC fees will be applied to your membership dues or additional lessons.)

Your initial set of private sculling lessons will span over the course of 8 hours or 480 minutes. The coach and student decide the length of each lesson and the number of times you meet, as long as you get in 480 minutes. Participants can always purchase additional lessons once their initial set are completed.  4 1-hour lesson packages are available for $300 and 8 1-hour lesson packages are available for $600.

Click here if you’d like more information before you sign up. 

If you know that you want to start private lessons as soon as possible and you’re ready to pay now, click here to fill out our enrollment form. You can follow the instructions on the form to register and pay. We’ll contact you within 2 business days to schedule your lessons.

Semi-Private Rowing Lessons on Burnaby Lake in the Vancouver, B.C. Area

Have you and your partner or friend always thought it would be fun to learn how to row? Great news, Burnaby Lake Rowing Club in the Lower Mainland offers rowing lessons for total beginners and rowers with previous rowing experience. You have the option of learning how to row in a group setting with up to 8 other rowers, or in a smaller setting through semi-private lessons. The benefit to taking semi-private rowing lessons on Burnaby Lake is that you can set your own schedule based on your availability and the coach’s availability. Scroll down to get more info about our Learn to Row Program. Keep reading if you know you’d like to learn how to row in a private setting.

During your semi-private lessons you will learn the basics of sculling, which is a type of rowing in which you’re holding on two two oars.  You also have the option of learning how to do sweep rowing, which is the type of rowing in which you only hold one oar. Both types of rowing are great and fun to learn, they’re just a little different. If you’re not sure which type to start with, we usually suggest sculling. You also have the option of learning how to row in a double with your partner, or you can stick to singles and have your own boat. Once you complete your initial set of rowing lessons, your coach will tell you if you’re ready to join our Juniors or Masters program or if you’ll need to take additional rowing lessons before you can become members and join our coached sessions.

Cost Per Person: $646.25 (This includes the $25 RCA and $21.25 RBC fee that you pay annually. Once you complete lessons the RCA and RBC fees will be applied to your membership dues or additional lessons.)

Your initial set of semi-private sculling lessons span over the course of 12 hours or 720 minutes. The coach and students can decide the length of each lesson and the number of times you meet, as long as you get in 720 minutes. Participants can always purchase additional lessons once their initial set are completed.  4 1.5-hour lesson packages are available for $300 per person and 8 1.5-hour lesson packages are available for $600.

Click here if you’d like more information before you sign up. 

If you know that you want to start private lessons as soon as possible and you’re ready to pay now, click here to fill out our enrollment form. You can follow the instructions on the form to register and pay. We’ll contact you within 2 business days to schedule your lessons.