Last week, Tay Rowing Club hosted our 2025 Junior Summer Camp — four days of rowing, learning, and fun on the River Tay.
Across the week, we welcomed eight juniors in total, with five in the morning group and three in the afternoon. Two of the participants returned from last year’s camp, and it was fantastic to see just how much they remembered — picking up where they left off and building on their skills with real confidence.
The juniors all made excellent progress over the course of the camp. From learning how to handle equipment safely and getting to grips with the basics, to refining their technique on the water, their confidence and ability grew with each session. It was great to see them working together, supporting each other, and enjoying the rhythm of the sport — and by the final day, they were putting it all into practice.
Of course, no camp would be complete without a bit of friendly competition, and we ended the week with a short race — which brought out plenty of enthusiasm and a healthy dose of competitive spirit!
The week brought a mix of Scottish summer weather — from flat calm conditions to the inevitable downpour — but spirits stayed high throughout. It was a brilliant opportunity for the juniors to get out on the water, build teamwork skills, and have fun in a safe and supportive environment.
We’re very grateful to Scottish Rowing for their funding support, which helped make the camp possible, and to the coaches Eilidh and William, who joined us from other clubs to deliver such high-quality sessions.
We’d also like to thank our own club members who helped make the camp run smoothly. A big thank you to Fiona, Dot, Peter, Clemmie, and Monica for giving up your time to support the juniors throughout the week. Thanks also to Dot for lending us the gazebo — it came in very handy! And behind the scenes, a special thanks to Lucy, our Club Captain, for coordinating the logistics, and to Tara, who managed bookings and communications to fill the camp.
Although we don’t currently have an ongoing junior section, we’re working towards being able to offer more opportunities in the future. If you have a teenager who might be interested in trying rowing, please get in touch or keep an eye on our social media for future updates.
Thank you again to everyone who made this year’s camp such a success — we hope it’s the start of more junior activity to come!
