Students boost sporting skills at Rowing Camp

St Mary’s School’s dedicated rowers have taken to the River Cam this August to build their skills at this year’s Rowing Camp. Despite the unexpectedly cool weather, from 2-27 August the girls continued to train, led by Rowing Coordinator Stuart Cain. 

Students from Year 7 to Sixth Form joined for up to four weeks to make the most of the Boathouse during this quieter time on the river and brush up on their skills before term. Those newest to the sport, the Learn to Row squad, were building towards joining the Junior 3 squad for casual and developing rowers, while those in Junior 3 worked hard to move into the Junior 1 and 2 squads – our most committed teams, who represent the school in local and national races. By tailoring the camp to a variety of aims, the programme gave all students the chance to participate, meet new friends and train as part of a friendly and supportive team. 

This year, the camp was even more important than ever, making up for reduced time on the river over the pandemic. Long-distance rowing helped to boost the students’ fitness, while the ‘skills and drills’ part of the programme developed their technical skills and confidence. The students particularly enjoyed carrying out difficult moves to work on balance. In one favourite exercise, ‘the Helicopter’, students stood up in the boat and carefully rotated one blade above their head. In another favourite, ‘the Gondolier’, standing pupils paddled their boat with one blade. Combining balance and movement, these lively exercises brought the teams together and built their confidence to undertake complex manoeuvres on the river. They return to school ready to tackle new challenges next year. 

We look forward to hearing more about our talented rowers over the coming year. 

Find out more about our specialised facilities and rowing at St Mary’s here.