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High School Competitive

Join the OARS High School Program

Our high school Men’s and Women’s teams are the pinnacle of OARS’s competitive rowing efforts. Here, we have young women and men in or near their athletic prime, both physically and technically. (Many came through our Middle School program and received excellent instruction there, although this is not a prerequisite for entering the high school program).

Interested in Joining the High School Team?

If you are interested in joining our high school team, reach out to our Director of Rowing, Coach Kirsten Anderson, at CoachKirsten@oarsrowing.com

OARS High School Men

The focus at the high school level is to introduce youth to the sport of rowing and develop their skills so that they are able to race. The fall season regattas are usually head races.  These endurance races are usually over 5,000 meter (about 3 miles) courses. The spring season is for sprints: quick, hard races of 1,500 or 2,000 meters. OARS youth rowers compete in both sculling (2 oars/blades per rower) and sweep (1 oar/blade per rower) boats.

The youth program is demanding, but the rewards are commensurate. During much of the season, there are practices five to six days per week — every day but Sunday. Significant time on the water is a big part of the regimen, but so are land-based workouts with strength training, running, and ergometers (rowing machines), plus stretching and other flexibility work. Because of this schedule, youth program rowers must be disciplined about all aspects of their lives, on and off the water: punctuality and enthusiasm at practice are crucial, but schoolwork — quantity and quality — are just as important. OARS rowers must keep their grades at a high level to remain in the program.

OARS Womens Team Racing

Rowers are eligible for the High School Program when they enter ninth grade. High schoolers generally spend their first High School Program year as novices. In the following years, they are considered “returners,” or veteran oarsmen.

Many OARS rowers have continued their careers in college, some with athletic scholarships from top universities all over North America. 

Get more information on the 2023-2024 Season.

If you have questions about the High School Program, please email our High School Program Directors, Dave Derda (men's) at HSMensPD@oarsrowing.com or Vanessa Kunkel (women's) at HSGirlsPD@oarsrowing.com.

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