Overview
The Marina Aquatic Center Junior Rowing team is a competitive club program for high school students in the Los Angeles area. Rowing out of the UCLA Marina Aquatic Center in Marina del Rey, the club has between 75-80 annual participants from upwards of 20 public and private high schools, primarily on the west side of L.A. Practices are held Monday-Friday from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. beginning in September and culminating with the Southwest Regional Championship Regatta in Sacramento in mid May.
The club is co-ed in the sense that we've got boys and girls on the team, but they train and compete separately. The main competitive season is in the spring, when the team travels to such places as San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach and Sacramento to compete against the 30+ clubs and schools that comprise the highly competitive Southwest Region.
No Experience Necessary!
No experience is required to get started and one of the unique things about rowing is that first year rowers compete in a separate division (called "novice") that allows them time to develop and doesn't require them to jump into a situation where they're being asked to compete against kids who've been rowing for two, three or more years. In some rare instances, particularly talented novices are brought up to the varsity team during their first year.
Costs
Cost for the year is $2,500. This sum covers pretty much everything we do, from uniforms, to travel and hotel costs, to coaching, to race entry fees and some food on trips. The only "hidden costs" that we anticipate are spending money for meals on our "away" trips. We have a need-based scholarship program for people who might not be able to afford the tuition. We never turn anyone away because of money. We have several payment options available, including quarterly and monthly schedules.
Free Trial Period
Your first two weeks on the team are absolutely free, a chance for you to meet the coaches and team members, get in a boat and find out if it’s something you want to pursue further. If not, all it costs you is a few afternoons!