Club Temporarily Closed & Scheduling!

Please Note: The water levels at the club have risen to a point where it is unsafe. Unfortunately, the club is closed for the remainder of this week and beyond. Please stay tuned on our Discord server or social media for updates on when we are reopening.

Although the Club is temporarily closed, be sure to familiarize yourself with the Gym schedules so you don't miss any sessions once we are back and running! You can view the Gym Schedule here: https://ottawarowingclub.com/schedules/ 

Haven’t registered for a program yet? There’s still time! Click here to register: https://ottawarowingclub.com/programs/ 

Club Program Rowers

Pre-Season workouts will start May 1st. Indoor sessions will be held on May 1st (6PM), May 3rd (6:00PM), May 7th (8:00AM). 

The season kick off meeting will also be held on Sunday May 7th after the 8:00AM workout. All rowers from the club program are welcome to attend. Further details will be shared via email to the address used for registration. 

You can learn more, and download Discord on their website: https://discord.com/



Join our Discord Server by clicking the button below to be a part of our growing ORC community and stay up to date!

*NEW* Athlete Fundraising Program

We understand that rowing can be an expensive sport. As with our various programs such as Everybody Rows Ottawa, the Ottawa Rowing Club has strived to bring rowing to more people! We are excited to announce our Financial Assistance Program, committed to supporting our members! Continue reading to find out more.

Rowers who require financial assistance to participate in ORC rowing activities are encouraged to apply to the ORC's athlete fund. Submissions must include a brief description (500 words) of what type of assistance they require and what the circumstances are around their financial need. 

Eligibility requirements for financial aid are as follows:

• for Junior athletes, enrolment in Jumpstart
• for university aged athletes, enrolment in OSAP
• for Senior athletes, enrolment in Ontario Works. 

Please include proof of eligibility with your application.

Anyone interested in applying for financial support can do so by emailing Andrew Harfield, vp.recreation@ottawarowingclub.com, with their essay attached. There will be two rounds of assistance intake. The first will be May 15th and the second will be September 1st for the 2023 season!

Welcoming Meghan Jolley as the new ORC Assistant Coach!

We are excited to welcome Meghan Jolley as the New Assistant Coach at the ORC! Meghan was previously the Athlete Representative, so we are thrilled to have her back!

The Assistant Coach works alongside volunteer coaches and summer staff to support the recreational rowing programs as well as Learn to Row, summer camps, Everybody Rows Ottawa and Adult Rowing League.

Meghan started rowing as a novice in 2017 at Carleton University where she studied Geography. Most Recently, she earned two gold medals at the 2022 Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. She rowed for 6 years prior to her role as Assistant Coach at ORC and has recently been more involved with coaching. Her first time coaching was with ARL in 2019 and coached for ORC, Carleton and Elmwood School in 2022. She enjoys coaching all levels of the sport from Learn to Row to Competitive and everything in between. 

Cold Water Rules in Effect!

IMPORTANT! The Cold Water Rules are in effect. These rules must be followed for the time being for your safety on the water!

Cold Water Status: Very Cold (4 degrees) 

• During this time all athletes in all boats are limited to 2k loops between the Alexandra Bridge and turning BEFORE the mouth of the Gatineau River. 
• In the initial few weeks of the season we will be restricted to big boats (4xs, 4s, and 8s) exclusively. 
• All athletes under the age of 19 must bring a PDF in the boat with them for all rows. 
• All rowers must wear visible lights on their person and on the bow of their boat. 
• Crews must be include a minimum of 50% experienced* rowers in the boat. 

*one rowing season

Summer Job & Volunteer Opportunities at the ORC

With the upcoming rowing season just on the horizon, the Ottawa Rowing Club is looking to expand its team of volunteers, in addition to paid opportunities! Head over to our website for volunteer or job opportunities!

Lead Fundraiser

The ORC provides coaching to rowers in competitive or recreational programs, as well as introductions to the sport through Learn-to-Row, summer camps, Everybody Rows Ottawa, and the Adult Rowing League. Local high schools and universities train and race out of the ORC.  

The Assistant Coach will work alongside our team of dedicated volunteer coaches. In this role you will help realize our mission to bring a diverse offering of rowing programming to different stakeholders in the community. Working under the leadership of the head coach you will help to support ORC strategic objectives and make the ORC a powerhouse in Canadian rowing. For more info, click the button below. This position closes soon! If you are interested in this position please get your application in as soon as possible!

ARL Looking for Volunteers!

The Adult Rowing League, one of the ORC's best attended and most highly reviewed programs, is looking for new and experienced hands to join their ranks. The program is looking for volunteer coaches, race night coordinators, co-organizers and as always sponsors!

If you'd like to be part of one of the most exciting programs at the Ottawa Rowing Club please contact the incredible Jenn Shortall, jennshortall@hotmail.com to learn more!

Junior Rowers Looking for Host Families at the ORC!

We have two International Students rowing in our Junior Competitive program who are looking for Host Families to support their training! We would love to match them in our rowing community to ensure that their training schedules, nutritional requirements and more are accommodated the best it can be! 

For more information, please contact Kim Krahn, at rowing@ottawarowingclub.com.

Join a Committee at the ORC!

Head of the Rideau Committee

Come and be part of the 2023 Head of the Rideau Organizing Committee! Although the season hasn't started, the organization of the Head of the Rideau can start now so that we can ensure this year's Head of the Rideau is a success. The more hands helping, makes less work for all those involved. A lot of the structure is already set in place.

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee

ORC is forming an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee as part of our mission to be more inclusive and promote rowing to all. The committee will report to the ORC board on their plans, submit proposals on how to improve EDI at the club, and help plan events.

If you are interested in joining the committee, send Meghan an email at meghan.jolley@gmail.com.

First Aid Training for 2023

The ORC is hosting first aid training on Saturday, May 13th! It is a one day Emergency First Aid Course designed for cold-water environments. Course includes CPR-C and AED certifications, as well as covering patient assessment, basic life support, management of life-threatening injuries, emergency decision-making, and an introduction to cold-water rescue and patient management.

The course will include a classroom and a variety of hands on components. Once again, the course takes place on Saturday May 13th, from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The cost is $95 plus taxes. Those who volunteer as a coach at the ORC will be reimbursed. Click below for details on how to register.

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