8th Grader Options
Due to recent changes at USRowing competitions, younger athletes now have an opportunity to compete if they are interested. At SDRC, this means that 8th graders can choose to join either the middle school team or the competitive team depending on what they are looking for from their rowing experience.
Previously, rowing events were based on experience level and were open to high schoolers. Most events will now be based on age, with different age categories available in various boat classes. Age categories will be Under 15 (U15), U16, U17, and Youth (high school seniors and below). With the age category system, younger athletes will have new opportunities to compete against athletes of similar age and experience level. Athletes can row up in age category, but can not row down. An athlete’s age is determined by how old they will be on December 31st of that year. For example, an athlete that turns 16 in October 2023 would be considered 16 for all of 2023 for racing purposes.
Choosing which team is right for you comes down to a few different factors. The first factor to consider is what you want from your rowing experience. The environments of the middle school vs. novice teams are much different simply because one group is preparing to compete and one group is not. The MS group focuses more on building skills and fitness and introducing younger athletes to the sport and the team. The MS team may have the opportunity to attend local competitions, but will not practice or compete at the level the novice team does. The novice team focuses on training and preparing for races and is by nature more intense. The MS group will also be mostly 7th and 8th graders (with maybe a few 6th graders if space permits), whereas the novice group can be 8th-12th graders (so long as they are in their first year of competing). Throughout the year on the competitive team, an 8th grader would have the opportunity to race with athletes their age, but would be one of the younger rowers on a more mature, older team. This really comes down to what kind of first year you are looking for, and which age/maturity group you think you'd be more comfortable in.
The next factor to consider is the time and energy commitment. The middle school team practices 2 days per week for 2 hours each, whereas the competitive team practices 6 days per week for 2.5 hours each. 2 days of practice vs. 6 days of practice is a big difference (and not just for the athlete, arranging transportation and schedules is a big deal for the entire family!). I would encourage you to think about whether the 6 days would be doable, and whether or not you feel that you could balance practice with school (and other) demands. We do have athletes that need to miss practice on occasion, and while it's not ideal, we certainly understand and just ask for a heads up before practice begins that day.
The last factor is cost. The competitive team is more expensive since the dues cover additional practice time and fees related to attending competitions. For the 2022-23 season, the MS team is $260 per month and the competitive team is $460 per month.
At SDRC, we want to make sure that each athlete finds the program that is the right fit for them. We don’t want to push anyone one way or the other, but would encourage each family to think about and discuss what would be the best fit for your entire family. Athletes can also start in one group and move to the other if it turns out to be a better fit. We don't want to lock anyone (especially the younger athletes) into anything too early, but we also can't have athletes bouncing between the two teams all year. If you have any questions about which group might be right for you, please feel free to reach out to Patrick Hurley at patrick@sandiegorowing.org to discuss your situation.