Rowers Clubs in Georgia

Rowers in Georgia have the benefit of a warm climate with rowing available in the winter and early spring. Clubs throughout the state offer a chance for newcomers to try the sport in an encouraging setting. They also have training for elite rowers who want to compete in regattas. High school students have the opportunity to not only learn rowing, but to get good enough practice to try to earn a college scholarship.

  1. Atlanta Rowing Club

    • The Atlanta Rowing Club (ARC) rows on the Chattahoochee River in Roswell, about half an hour from downtown Atlanta. It's the lone rowing club in the Atlanta area for people past the college age. Consequently, its 200 members range from casual rowers to aspiring national team members. Each year, ARC co-organizes a fall regatta called Head of the Hooch in Chattanooga, Tenn. Newcomers are also welcome. The club offers a "Learn To Row" program three times a year that consists of 12 classes over a four-week period. Each session lasts two hours. The requirements are minimal---you need to be 18, feel comfortable in water and be able to swim or tread water. After successfully completing the course, rowers could apply for membership in the club. Veterans of ARC teach all aspects of rowing from safety and technical training on land to water time in boats of different sizes.

      Atlanta Rowing Club
      1123 Azalea Drive
      Roswell, GA 30075
      (770) 993-1879
      atlantarow.org/index.cfm

    The Augusta Rowing Club

    • The Augusta Rowing Club, which rows on the Savannah River, offers two programs---one for adults 19 and over and one for youth/high school rowers between the ages of 13 to 18. In the adult program, the two main racing seasons are in the summer and fall, with the club regularly traveling to regattas throughout the Southeast. They also take occasional trips to races in cities like Boston and Philadelphia. Adults who want to row as a recreational activity meet three times a week.

      Augusta Rowing also has Learn to Row classes which consists of six teaching sessions offered throughout the year. The youth program, meanwhile, attracts high school students from the area. It is organized on the level of a varsity high school sport with practices four days a week. The season features races from September to November, and the spring season goes from March to May. The club is based at a facility that includes a workout room with machine and free weights, locker rooms and showers.

      The Augusta Rowing Club
      101 Riverfront Drive
      Augusta, GA 30901
      (706) 821-2875
      augustarowingclub.org

    Lake Lanier Rowing Club

    • Lake Lanier Rowing Club operates out of one of the country's best facilities. The club's site on Clarks Bridge Road off of Lake Sidney Lanier acted as the 1996 Olympic venue for rowing, canoeing and kayaking. It has also hosted several major events such as the 1998 NCAA Women's Rowing Championship and the 1999 USRowing Masters Nationals.

      You don't have to be a national-level rower, however, in order to join the club. It offers youth and adult programs for rowers of all abilities, as well as a Learn to Row program. Adults meet in three groups based on their objectives which are broken into training for major competitions, learning the basics of the sport or improving technique, speed and endurance for experienced rowers.

      Lake Lanier Rowing Club
      3105 Clarks Bridge Road
      Gainesville, GA 30506
      (770) 287-0077
      lakelanierrowing.org