UVRF 2024 Sweep Programs

The Upper Valley Rowing Foundation offers a variety of sweep programs to its members. Adult sweep rowing is open to all adult rowers who are members of UVRF who have prior rowing experience at the club or collegiate level. Three sessions of adult sweep are offered: May 6 through May 31, June 10-August 24 and September 4 through October 26.

Evening Sweep is open to UVRF members of all ages who have completed a sweep program at UVRF or have rowed for at least a year with another program. Two sessions of evening sweep are offered – June 11- August 22 and September 3 through October 10.

A 4 week novice sweep program  (June 10 through July 5) is available for those who want to learn how to row. Anyone wishing to learn to be a coxswain is welcome and will be a valuable addition to the group. 

Click the green buttons below to get more information on these programs and to sign up them.

All participants including coxswains must be fully vaccinated in order to participate in this program per UVRF policy.

 

General information about the sweep program

Rowing an 8 person shell requires 8 rowers. While an unanticipated absence may occasionally warrant an 8 launching with 7 rowers, we do our best to make sure that the class has sufficient rowers signed up to allow some flexibility due to normal summer scheduling issues. Each rower is  responsible for informing his coach about any absences, whether anticipated or last minute. In order to assure 16 rowers, we enroll 18-20 students per class. On occasion, your coach may ask you to ride in the launch for part of a practice. This is a common practice in every rowing club, and an excellent learning opportunity as well. Your coach will keep track of who rides in the launch so that the opportunity is shared amongst the class.

We do row in the rain (honestly, you don’t notice it after a few minutes!), but we do NOT launch in lightning, and we may delay or scrub a launch due to high winds, heavy fog, or other adverse weather conditions. Unfortunately, we do not refund for bad weather or pro-rate for vacations, since we still pay our instructors and coxswains on those occasions.

All students must be members of UVRF, which includes a yearly membership fee, liability waiver, and swim test. We recommend that all students watch the US Rowing safety video before rowing each season. While rowing can be a sport suited for all ages and abilities, on rare occasion it may become evident to an instructor that a student is unable to participate without compromising the safety of either himself or others. Should this situation occur, the student will receive a complete refund. For additional information on safety guidelines for the sport of rowing, please refer to  USRowing Safety Guidelines.

Email with any questions to uppervalleyrc@gmail.com.