Junior Squad
Excellence without pressure
Excellence without pressure
GRC Junior Squad
Welcome to our junior squad!
We are >100 young rowers aged 11 to 18 across three friendly and dynamic junior squads: Novice (school years 7 &8); Junior Development & Performance (school years 9 & 10); and Junior 16+ (year 11+).
We also run a thriving Adaptive Junior Squad across all ages and abilities.
HOW TO JOIN
For 2025-6 our team is full, please complete the form linked below to join the waiting list. At this time we are not taking new novice rowers until September 2026.
Join the Wait List here
If you are an experienced rower (1+ year of rowing) we may be able to add you to our team sooner if we have a vacancy in the coming months.
If you are a new rower (never rowed before, or completed a summer Learn To Row program elsewhere) we welcome you to the program at the start of September 2026.
Outside September’s entry point we operate a waiting list in preparation for the next year. Due to the nature of the sport, we do not offer “trial sessions”, all new rowers join together in September.
WHO CAN ROW AT GUIDFORD?
We accept rowers from Year 7 up, and our usual points of entry for new-to-rowing athletes is Year 7 & Year 8. Occasionally we will also offer places to new rowers at Year 9 up. Please click join the waiting list.
WHAT IS YOUR ETHOS?
The emphasis is firmly on fun and fitness – and building excellent rowing technique.
Our aim is:
“Excellence Without Pressure”
We get outstanding instruction from our large, highly experienced and dedicated coaching team, all of whom are volunteers.
WHEN DO YOU TRAIN?
In addition to weekend training sessions on the River Wey, there’s a weekday fitness building programme off the water for all ages.
J12-J15 groups all train on Sunday mornings. J16+ train on Saturday afternoons. All squads train across weekday evenings as well, in a rotation.
If you’re interested in racing, we punch well above our weight…
Crews regularly bring home medals and silverware from national competitions (including the prestigious National Schools Regatta) as well as a wide range of local events.
In 2025 we qualified three crews for the Junior Inter Regional Regatta; our U14 boys 4x+ placed 5th at the Junior Sculling Regatta; our U14 girls 4x+ placed 6th. We also won medals at Maidenhead, Walton, Molesey, Kingston and Staines regattas across all ages!
If you’ve rowed before (c. 1 year at another club or school) we may be able to incorporate you into the program year round. Please fill in the form linked below and above and be sure to add your correct year at school and birth date, and your rowing experience to the form.
It’s our mission to help young people discover and enjoy this exhilarating and rewarding sport, so we strive to make membership as accessible and affordable as possible.
