Getting Started with CJRC is Easy and Fun!


You can get started with rowing today. No previous experience is necessary. There are no try-outs.  CJRC is open to all high school age students in the greater Cincinnati area. The first day of practice for new rowers is September 11th.

CJRC has a "rolling admissions" policy and new rowers may start at any time. Practice takes place at the Newport Boathouse, from 4:00-6:15pm.  The Boathouse is open from 3:00-7:00 on Weekdays, and you can be drop off or pick-up during those hours. 

To get started your child will need: old athletic shoes (it's muddy), weather-appropriate athletic clothing. and a water bottle labelled with their name. 

We welcome new rowers to practice with the team for a week or two before joining the club and paying dues.

For more information please contact boy’s coach Alex Spaulding (alex@cjrc.us) or girl’s coach Kevin McCarthy (kevin@cjrc.us).


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Why Rowing?

  • Rowing offers one of the best full-body workouts of any sport, building both strength and endurance, furthermore, it is a low-impact sport, which makes it ideal for long-term enjoyment and injury prevention.
  • Rowing is often referred to as the “ultimate team sport,” because it requires multiple athletes to move in unison and contribute equally--there are few sports that allow you to connect with your peers to the same extent you will with your boatmates.
  • Races are hosted at beautiful venues all over the country and the world, and there is no better place to spend your time than out on the water.
  • Rowing offers the opportunity to learn valuable life skills such as: teamwork, time management, responsibility, accountability, long-term goal attainment, and perseverance, all in an environment that is fun and collaborative.
  • Rowing provides one of the best opportunities to continue one’s athletic aspirations into college--many elite universities offer scholarships and recruiting opportunities for successful rowers.
  • Rowing has many avid enthusiasts and alumni in desirable employment sectors such as medicine, law, finance, tech, engineering, etc., and provides rowers a common ground with those people as well as their peers interested in those fields.

Why Cincinnati Junior Rowing Club?

  • CJRC has an outstanding competitive reputation at both the regional and national level. Our club hosts the Midwest Regional Championship regatta and has a long history of success at the race. Furthermore, our club qualifies boats for the National Championships every year and has won numerous medals over the last two decades. There are very few sports or clubs in the Cincinnati area that can offer the opportunity to compete at the national stage, and CJRC offers this to dozens of athletes every year.
  • CJRC employs elite coaches with impressive backgrounds both as rowers and coaches. The club also has excellent up-to-date equipment and infrastructure and is constantly improving in these areas.
  • CJRC welcomes and supports athletes of all levels of talent and experience. The team has no try-outs or cuts and provides meaningful racing and practice experience to every athlete at the club--whether those athlete’s goals include winning championships, getting recruited to college, and representing America in international rowing, or making friends and being active with a group of great people. As long as you are committed to being a responsible teammate and a good person, this club is a place for you to meet any of those goals.
  • CJRC offers high school students opportunities to travel all over the country for races, which can be meaningful and formative experiences, allowing teammates to mature and bond as they step away from home together in pursuit of a common goal.
  • CJRC rowers tend to do very well socially and academically, as the team fosters collaboration and academic achievement among its members.
  • Over the years, our athletes have been recruited to and rowed at elite rowing and academic universities such as Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Pennsylvania, Cornell, Stanford, Duke, MIT, Virginia, Texas, Washington and more.

Why Now?

  • In recent years, youth rowing has become more popular than ever, allowing more opportunities to engage with people from different schools and share a common experience.
  • Unlike other sports, most athletes in the United States do not begin their rowing careers until high school, which allows rowers the opportunity to start fresh, at the same level as their peers and fellow competitors.
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