Join Saline Rowing

What is Saline Rowing?

The Saline High School Rowing Club is a club sport for both men and women. The club was founded in 2004 and is managed by a board of directors, comprised of parents, coaches and team captains.

We have two competitive rowing seasons: Fall and Spring. The Fall season consists of longer races (like cross country) and the Spring is Sprint Season (like track). Most new rowers join in the Fall to get experience, learn to row, and prepare for the head to head competition in the Spring.

The team is self-funded in part by the parents, the student-rowers themselves, external support, and fundraisers such as the Great Gatsby Regatta. Although this is a club team, the team rows against varsity teams of other high schools and rowers can earn their Varsity letter. The club does not have cuts, and no prior rowing experience or knowledge is expected.

Interested?

Click here if you are interested in joining the team. You will be glad you did!

Rower’s Top 10 Reasons To Join Saline Rowing

1. Rowing tans are really cooool.
2. It’s one sport that you can do sitting down, going backwards.
3. You’ll have a new love for water…no matter how cold it is.
4. It’s a total body workout that will get you in shape for bikini weather (Speedo for the guys).
5. Its the only sport that started as a punishment.
6. Practice is on a beautiful lake.
7. You learn how to take care of blisters.

8. You get to catch “crabs”.

   
   The rare and exotic ejecting crab maneuver

9. Next time you ride in any kind of boat, you can babble on and on using technical boat terms and people will think you’re an accomplished seaman.
10. Being in a rowing race is the same as having 8 people run a 7 minute 2k – in step!

How to Join Saline Rowing

Follow the instructions below to join the Saline High School Rowing for the season. Please plan ahead, especially when it comes to filling out the required forms, as some forms require testing.

To become a member of the Saline Rowing, you must:

1. Complete the swim test.
2. Complete all the forms on the Downloads and Forms page. Forms must be turned in no later than the first day of practice. 
3. Attend the mandatory Rower/Parent meeting in the Saline High School Commons. Bring your checkbook and your calendar to write down practice and regatta dates and times. This would also be a good time to turn in the forms you filled out in step 2.
4. Pay fees for the season.
5. Order the Rower Unisuit  (required for Regatta’s)
6. Order the Rower Cap  (required for Regatta’s)
7. Attend the first day of practice. Check the calendar and/or schedule online.

Fees

Saline Rowing is a club sport, and, like other club sports, it is supported and run by the families of the participating athletes.

Fees are payable at the beginning of the season. Seasonal dues pay for coaches salaries, insurance, gas, regatta fees, rower regatta food, boat maintenance, end-of-season banquet, and other seasonal expenses. Dues for the Fall 2013 season are $700.00

NOTE:  Program Registration Fees for a rowers FIRST SEASON are $325.

Practice Transportation Fees in Season only. $75.00 if applicable*

*Parents and/or rowers who are providing their own transportation to and from practice do not need to pay the transportation fee.

The coaches will organize the practice transportation car pools. They will assign rowers to specific cars and distribute funds to assigned drivers. Transportation Fee $75.00: Payable to CASH

NOTE: Dues checks should be made payable to Saline Area Schools/Rowing Club

Send payment for registration to:

Brent Dingman - mailto:brentdingman45@gmail.com 

If the cost of joining the team is the only thing holding you back, please contact mailto:btbchristen@comcast.net to discuss possible solutions.

Fundraisers

Team fundraisers help to purchase equipment including boats, boat parts, outboard motors, trailers, and oars. All team members are expected to participate in team fundraisers throughout the season. The team also sponsors fundraisers that rowers can participate in to apply to their seasonal dues. Learn more

Practices

Practices take place immediately after school, as well as several hours after school, and on Saturday’s. Practices are at Ford Lake in Ypsilanti.

Map to Ford Lake

Schedules

Practice Schedule

Transportation to Practices

Parents must participate in the carpool to drive students to practice unless they give permission to their student to be driven by student drivers. Be prepared to sign up to drive at least one day a week when you attend the rower/parent meeting. Parents must sign the Transportation and Authorization form*.

*Parents and/or rowers who are providing transportation to and from practice do not need to contribute to gas.  If you are in the team carpools, there is a additional fee as outlined in the fee schedule.

Safety

All rowers must pass a swim test before they are allowed to practice on the water. The swim test can be taken at the Saline Recreation Center (refer to the swim test form for more information).

Saline Rowing follows all safety guidelines as established by the US Rowing Association http://www.usrowing.org/

Forms Required to be a Saline Rowing Member

View the full list of forms required

Saline Rowing Practice

Map 

Rower Clothing

need link

Contact us if you have questions

If you have additional inquiries, please attend the March meeting or e-mail Bill Christen

A Little History and Some Accomplishments

Saline High Rowing began as the result of a student promoting rowing to other high school students. The transfer student had recently moved from a Grand Rapids high school with an established rowing program and was interested in continuing to participate in this water sport. Saline was fortunate to have 2 teachers that had university coaching and rowing experience that were able to organize and lead a new program.

The team began with a parent board of 5 volunteers, 14 student athletes and the generosity of a Lenawee County family that donated usage of their property, launch & motor, and home on Sand Lake for the team to use. Additionally, the Wyandotte Boat Club hauled 2 boats from their Detroit River facility and lent their equipment during the first season of this new program. 

The Community Education program, under the leadership of Scot Graden, provided guidance in writing bylaws and obtaining the necessary liability and equipment insurance coverage for the fledging program.

The following year, an anonymous donor provided a substantial interest-free loan to enable the program to purchase a trailer to haul the boats and the teams’ first used boats. Annual golf fundraisers have also added appreciably to the teams’ revenues. The team also initiated two “Learn to Row” events at Argo Pond near the Ann Arbor Rowing Club, to introduce Saline families to rowing.

The team has grown to over 50 athletes participating during each spring season and approximately 45 athletes participating during each fall season. The Team sponsored the first high School regatta at Ford Lake during Fall, 2007, introducing Pioneer & Huron’s Crew teams to this local waterway. 

Both the girls and boys team have medaled at several Midwest regional regattas (Columbus, Fort Wayne, and Cincinnati) and the Lightweight boys 4+ boat competed at the American Schoolboy Championship in Tennessee in Spring, 2008, finishing 5th nationally. The team has been fortunate to retain excellent coaches and alumni student coaches to assist with the program.

Saline Rowing Mission

The Saline High School Rowing Team has been created to promote the sport of rowing for all high school student athletes. The team’s members will be held to the highest integrity when it comes to academic achievement and athletic performance, striving to become a model athlete in Saline High School and in the Midwest Scholastic Rowing Association.

Saline Rowing Vision

The Vision of the Saline High School Rowing Team is to provide the opportunity for any interested student to learn to compete in the sport of rowing. The rowing program will promote a healthy life-style, good sportsmanship, teamwork and self-confidence. All members are expected to follow the team rules, obey the safety guidelines and support the necessary logistics in order to create a successful athletic program.