Welcome To The Barrie Rowing Club

Join us to see the City of Barrie from the waters of beautiful Kempenfelt Bay. Develop your rowing skills on the water or on land with front row seats of the summer sunrise. Join our crews of fun, fitness focused athletes of all ages and levels of rowing experience and we’ll provide the boats, equipment and training. Check out our programs and opportunities to get out on the water in the spring, summer and fall!
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"On my first day of rowing, I was so excited. Rowing is great exercise and so much fun!"

~ Crosby

About The Club

The Barrie Rowing Club is a non-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate, advocate and develop the sport of rowing in the Barrie area and Simcoe County. To achieve a vibrant, strong and dynamic rowing community, we provide training programs targeted at individuals of all ages and abilities.

The Barrie Rowing Club is located in Simcoe County, at the gateway to Ontario’s tourism country, in one of the region’s most dynamic growth communities. Our club is nestled on beautiful Kempenfelt Bay, in the heart of downtown Barrie. We have 20 kilometres of rowable water and a large complement of club and privately owned touring and racing shells.

  • Southshore Community Centre 205 Lakeshore Drive Barrie, ON L4N 7Y9

  • [email protected]
    Preferred method of communication

  • (705) 739-0874
    Only when the boat house is open.

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Contact Details

Feel free to get in touch with us. We’ll try to answer as quickly as possible.

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Address

Southshore Community Centre, 205 Lakeshore Drive Barrie, ON L4N 7Y9

Email Us

[email protected]

Preferred method of communication

Call Us

(705) 739-0874

Only when the boat house is open.

Before heading down to the Barrie Rowing Club to row check the following:

We are exited to get back on the water! Join us to try out rowing this summer!

BRC Covid-19 Updates

Our Programs

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Dry Land Erging

BRC offers dry land rowing sessions from September-May for community members...

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Learn to Row

This program is designed to take newcomers from dock side to rowing in one weekend.

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Junior Scullers

This summer rowing camp provides an introduction to rowing for youth 12-15 years old.

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Competitive High School

Join grade 7 -12 students in preparing to compete in local and regional indoor and on water competitions.

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Competitive

The Masters program trains throughout the year. From May to October, training is...

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Recreational Rowing

Club rowing is available for all members from May to October that wish to row on their own.

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Job Opportunities

Interested in joining our crew? Look no further, check out the job opportunities the Barrie Rowing Club has to offer.

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A Shared Dock

Sunrise over Kempenfelt Bay on June 18, 2020 – Thank you to the funds from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) and in partnership with the Barrie Canoe and Kayak Club for this first season with the new dock. We look forward to many more seasons of fitness and friendship while launching boats from this dock.

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Organizations That Support Rowing

Contact Info

(705) 739-0874
[email protected]
Southshore Community Centre
205 Lakeshore Drive Barrie, ON L4N 7Y9
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 29001 Barrie, ON L4N 7W7
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New To Rowing? Start Here!

What skills will you learn while rowing?

Check out this video for a quick overview of the skills we develop and fun we have on the waters of Kempenfelt Bay.

New to erging/dryland rowing? Learn more here:

The above information was sourced from: www.rowingcanada.org

Rowers tend to be passionate about their sport. The sensation of being able to propel a boat at speed through the water under one’s own power is exhilarating. It requires teamwork and concentration so that one is almost oblivious to the physical exertion employed. Rowing is a sport that can be enjoyed by all. You can start at any age, learn the technique quickly and improve on it for the rest of your life. To many it is more than a sport, teaching lessons for life:

The need to work together with others from all backgrounds;
the values of fair play and consideration for others in the form of good sportsmanship; and
the benefits to be obtained from hard work and self-discipline.
RCA has attempted to capture this vision of the sport in its vision statement: “Fostering excellence and teamwork for life through rowing.”

Rowing also brings significant health benefits. It exercises all the major muscle groups through the full range of motion, involves no body contact or jarring of the joints, and improves both strength and cardiovascular performance. It attracts those looking for an enjoyable recreational activity as well as those looking for exciting competitive opportunities.
Learn to Row
Junior Scullers
Dryland Erging

The Regatta

Championship races are rowed over 2,000 metres (one mile, 427 yards) in six lanes which are straight and buoyed. There are up to four rounds – heats, repechages, semi-finals and finals. The repechage round is for losing crews in the heats, meaning that every crew that loses in a heat has a second chance before being eliminated. The draw is conducted round by round according to alternative and previously undisclosed systems. The first three crews in each semi-final compete in the A final, and the last three in each semi-final compete in the B final for places 7 to 12. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded for the first three crews to cross the line in the A final.

Sprint Races – a full-speed sprint from start to finish. Often shorter distances.
Head races – The distances vary, but are usually about 3.5 to 5 miles.

Rowing Boats

SingleBoat Stats

  • Length – 8.280 m
  • Width – 0.280 m
  • Depth – 0.170 m
  • Weight – 14.5 kg

Pair/DoubleBoat Stats

  • Length – 10.000 m
  • Width – 0.383 m
  • Depth – 0.195 m
  • Weight – 28 kg

Coxed fourBoat Stats

  • Length – 12.900 m
  • Width – 0.490 m
  • Depth – 0.250 m
  • Weight – 59 kg

Four/QuadBoat Stats

  • Length – 12.900 m
  • Width – 0.484 m
  • Depth – 0.225 m
  • Weight – 61 kg

EightBoat Stats

  • Length – 17.600 m
  • Width – 0.590 m
  • Depth – 0.285 m
  • Weight – 110 kg

The boats for competition were traditionally made from wood, but are mostly fabricated from carbon fibre and plastic (ie. Kevlar).

Rowing shells are 0.280 metres to 0.590 metres wide and 8.280 metres to 17.600 metres long. A small fin is fitted at the bottom for stability. A rudder is attached to the fin or the stern (except for sculling boats). A white ball is attached to the bow (called a bow ball for safety measure, photofinish). A washboard prevents waves splashing aboard. Seats are fitted with wheels which slide on runners, or tracks.

Oars are hollow to reduce weight, attached to the boat by adjustable out riggers. Size and shape of the oars is unrestricted, the average length of a sweep oar being 3.81 metres and of a scull being 2.98 metres.

There are six Olympic types of boats, of which three are for sweep-oared rowing in which the rower uses one oar with both hands, and three are for sculling in which two oars are used, one in each hand.

The sculling boats are single scull, double scull, and quadruple scull, the sweep oared events are straight pair, straight four and eight. In the eight there is a coxswain who sits in the stern or lies in the bow of the boat.

Viewer’s Guide

The crew that is making it look easy is most likely the one doing the best job. While you’re watching, look for:

Continuous, fluid motion of the rowers. The rowing motion shouldn’t have a discernible end or beginning.
Synchronization. Rowers strive for perfect synchronization in the boat.

Clean catches of the oarblade. If you see a lot of splash, the oarblades aren’t entering the water correctly. The catch should happen at the end of the recovery, when the hands are as far ahead of the rower as possible. Rowers who uncoil before they drop the oarblades are sacrificing speed and not getting a complete drive.

Even oarblade feathering. When the blades are brought out of the water, they should all move horizontally close to the water and at the same height. It’s not easy, especially if the water is rough.

The most consistent speed. Shells don’t move like a car — they’re slowest at the catch, quickest at the release. The good crews time the catch at just the right moment to maintain the speed of the shell.
Rowing looks graceful, elegant and sometimes effortless when it’s done well. Don’t be fooled. Rowers haven’t been called the world’s most physically fit athletes for nothing. A 2,000-metre rowing race demands virtually everything a human being can physically bring to an athletic competition — aerobic ability, technical talent, exceptional mental discipline, ability to utilize oxygen efficiently and in huge amounts, balance, pain tolerance, and the ability to continue to work when the body is demanding that you stop.

More race-watching tips:

Race times can vary considerably depending upon the course and weather conditions. Tailwinds will improve times, while headwinds and crosswinds will hamper them.

If a crew “catches a crab,” it means that the oar blade has entered the water at an angle instead of perpendicularly. The oar blade gets caught under the surface and will slow or even stop a shell.
A “Power 10” is a call by the coxswain for 10 of the crew’s best, most powerful strokes. Good coxswains read the course to know how many strokes remain for their crew to count down to the finish.
Crews are identified by their oar-blade design.

It doesn’t matter whether you win an Olympic medal or don’t make the finals – each crew will carry their boat back to the rack.

Coxswains from first-place boats worldwide are thrown into the water by their crews.

Coxswains don’t now and probably never did yell “stroke! stroke!” Similar to a jockey, their job is to implement the coach’s strategy during the race, in addition to steering and letting the rowers know where they stand in the race and what they need to do to win.