"Excellence Through Participation"

This is the website for Charlotte's first and largest youth rowing team. We are sponsored by the Charlotte Mecklenburg YMCA system and hosted by the Catawba Yacht Club on Lake Wylie.  Our rowers come from over 20 different schools in several counties and 2 states. We have about 50 active rowers.  About half are young men and half are young women.

We emphasize regular and active participation, without which sports teams are unrewarding.  We strive to develop mature interpersonal skills and the acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions.

NC/SC Indoor Rowing Championships Feb 4, 2012

You are invited to participate in the annual "Scrambled Ergs" NC/SC Indoor Rowing Championships.  Proceeds support outreach for our youth program.

The race distance is 2000 meters (1000 meters for rowers under 14, and 500 meters for rowers under 12).

Congratulations to our 2010-11 Men's and Women's Quads, which qualified and raced at USRowing Youth Nationals!  The crew for the Men's Quad was Andrew Taylor, Hamilton Smith, Evan Long and Wilson Sink.  Our Women's Quad crew was Rebecca Stojancic, Sarah Cavins, Monique Tuzon, and Sarah Fewell. This is Sarah Fewell's second time at USRowing Youth Nationals.  Rebecca Stojancic and Sarah Cavins are sisters of former Nationals qualfying rowers who graduated our program in 2011 (Paul Stojancic) and 2010 (Katie Cavins).

BRAG ALERT:

These accomplishments mark our fifth year of qualifying crews for Nationals, and the third time we have qualified two crews.  This is a record unmatched in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia.  These 2 crews are now nationally ranked 15th and 16th.

CONGRATULATIONS:

To our Southeast Development Camp qualifiers.  We are happy to congratulate Ray Lancaster, whose 8+ won a silver medal in its category at USRowing Club Nationals 2011.

ACADEMICS?

USRowing - the sport's national and OIympic organization - recognizes fewer than 40 youth rowers annually for its national scholastic honor roll.  We are delighted that rowers from our team have been selected in 2006-7 (Paige Wolf - rowing for UNC) and 2007-8 (Bekah Mynatt - rowing for Wake Forest University). Our scholar athlete for 2008-9 was Joe Metz, who attends Duke U. And Eric Melvin was selected for academic year 2009-10, as well as former teammate Emily Caldwell (who transferred to Groton School).

Parents: collegiate rowers typically have the highest GPA's of any collegiate athletes.  High school students who take up a sport do NOT see a drop in grades - but they do get more organized and spend less "screen time".  Vigorous physical activity has been demonstrated to make brain changes which improve focus, ADD, depression and anxiety.

Boys and girls, tall and short, heavy and lightweight are all welcome.  Previous sports participation is helpful, but not at all necessary. If you are small and have leadership skills, we would love to talk to you about being a coxswain - the one who steers the boat, assists the coaches with practice, and strategizes about our races.  If you are bored or "burned out" with your current sport, if you find your sport unrewarding, or you haven't found a sport you love - check us out!  

LIMITATIONS: We are not accepting high school seniors as new novice rowers at this time.  It is not practical to participate fully in rowing and another sport in the same season.  Although it is not required, most of our rowers race in both fall and spring. Spring rowers are expected to participate in a winter sport or attend our land (erg) practice regularly.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ABOUT OUR CREW:
There is a great article about our participation in 2009 USRowing Youth Nationals in the South Charlotte News:

http://tinyurl.com/kq75e6

There was a nice article about our crew in the 11/12/06 Charlotte Observer. A copy can be found under "Handouts" in the left margin.  Or you may go to:
http://www.charlotte.observer.com/mld/observer/news
and search for "Gaining speed with each stroke"

The South Charlotte Sports Report featured coxswain April Torres in an article June 2007.  Check the "Handouts" section of our website, or go to... http://southcharlottesportsreport.com/news/2007/june/062607.html

Another South Charlotte Sports Report article is on page four of the May 26, 2011 edition, which can be found at... http://southcharlottesportsreport.com/issues/issue119.pdf or read the copy under "Handouts".

If you are interested in rowing with us and want to know more about the crew, check the Handbook under "Handouts".  This is updated annually in August and February.  Our sport seasons run from late August to early November in the Fall (doesn't interfere with winter sports), and late February to mid-May in the Spring.

Winter practices (on land) are also available and inexpensive.  Watch this site each November for more information. You do not have to be a rower to participate in these practices.

If you want to row, contact Head Coach Byron "Doc" Walthall at jwalth1590(at)aol.com with your contact information (as below under "Learn to Row").  Be aware that it is not reasonable to participate in rowing and another after-school sport in the same season.

LEARN-TO-ROW FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS 

Our main Learn-to-Row camp is in August each year.  This is an overnight stay at Camp Thunderbird. Contact Byron Walthall ("Doc") by email - jwalth1590(at)aol.com - to be put on the camp list. Please include the names and contact information (email, phones, addresses) of potential campers and/or parents. Also include camper's high school, birthdate and grade if possible.

We also hold a brief Learn-to-Row camp in late February or early March for new spring rowers.

ABOUT CREW PRACTICE

Rowing practices at the Catawba Yacht Club site are Monday through Friday after school for 1.5 hours (4:35-6:20); and Saturday mornings (9-11).   .  NOTE: novice rowers practice 5 days per week (Mon-Thu and Sat), our most competitive rowers practice 6 days, and experienced but less competitive rowers must attend at least 4 days per week.

The Catawba Yacht Club is on Lake Wylie's eastern (Charlotte) shore, about halfway between Tega Cay and the Buster Boyd (HWY 49) bridge. Typical travel times to practice range from 20-30 minutes.

For DIRECTIONS to the Catawba Yacht Club click on LOCATIONS on the left menu.
 

WINTER 2011-2012 SCHEDULE (begins Monday 11/28, just after Thanksgiving)

Rowing Machine (erg ) practices Mon-Thurs 4:30-6:00 at the Hemby Center, through mid February

2/4 NC/SC Indoor Rowing Championships (Scrambled Ergs)

2/9 - 2/12 One Million Meter Ergathon fundraiser at the Boat Show in Charlotte

SPRING 2012 SCHEDULE

Sat 2/18       First water practice 9:00-11:00 (2k erg time required)

Mon 2/20      First weekday practice, 4:30-6:15

Sat 2/27       New novices start, practice 9:00 - 12:30

3/17             Augusta Invitational, Augusta, GA (tentative participation)

3/24            John Hunter Regatta (sweeps only), Gainesville, GA

3/25            Lanier Sprints (sculling only), Gainesville, GA

4/14            Broad River Sculls, Columbia, SC (sculling only) (day trip)

4/28            Oak Ridge Dogwood Regatta, Oak Ridge, TN

5/12-13       Southeast Regional Youth Regatta, Sarasota, FL

6/8              USRowing Youth Nationals, Oak Ridge, TN (For varsity qualifiers from Regionals only)

WATCH OUR MESSAGEBOARDS, HANDOUTS, AND LOCATIONS for more info about our special events:

***ANNUAL NC/SC CLUB INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIP "SCRAMLED ERGS*** (February)

***ANNUAL ERGATHON FUNDRAISER

Our crew has rowers from about 20 high schools in 4 counties and 2 states in the Charlotte area.  Experienced rowers are always welcome. We will be accepting new rowers for the spring season in late February, and for the fall season in late August each year.  Many new rowers join us from other sports which they find less rewarding or less fun.  Note that crew does not conflict with winter school sports.

New (novice) rowers should be high school freshman or sophomores, although we accept selected juniors. Experienced rowers are welcome at any high school grade.  At the present time we do not expect to hold tryouts or cuts.

Each participant must be able to document the ability to swim 100 meters/yards without stopping, and to tread water 15 minutes.  Any pool lifeguard or swim coach unrelated to the rower may sign off on this using the Swim Certication form, downloadable under "Handouts".  This should be done before the season begins for new spring rowers.  (We do this as a group in the fall at our Camp Thunderbird Learn-to-Row weekend)

WHERE WE PRACTICE: Practices are at the Catawba Yacht Club, on Lake Wylie's Mecklenburg County shore.  This is about halfway between Tega Cay and the (Hwy 49) Buster Boyd bridge.  In bad weather the team practices at the Hemby Center, near the Arboretum in SE Charlotte.

NOTE: We will row on EVERY PRACTICE DAY unless the air temperature is below freezing, there is thunder/lightning, or the wind is causing whitecaps in our little bay. We will have practice on land if the weather is bad.


OUR PROGRAM COSTS: The cost for participation has been lower than comparable crew programs, and much less than local "travel team" sports.  The fee schedule is updated each semester.  The YMCA can provide financial assistance in some circumstances (contact the Siskey YMCA for more information on joining, fees, and financial support).