Two teams, one tidal wave
Two years ago, middle school rowing at the NAC was only one team of 35 kids. Today we’re three teams and more than 90 rowers strong. The secret isn’t a magic drill. It’s who these kids become when they walk through the boathouse doors.
The ultimate team sport
You’ve heard it around the boathouse a hundred times: rowing is the ultimate team sport. Let’s put that to the test.
In soccer, a superstar can dribble past five defenders and score. In basketball, one hot shooter can carry a game. In rowing? There is no superstar. There’s no ball hog, no bench warmer hiding in the corner, no one “carrying” the boat. If one rower is a split second late, every single person in that boat feels it. If everyone catches together, the boat flies.
Think about what that asks of a 12-year-old:
- Match someone else’s rhythm, not just your own.
- Trust the person behind you to pull just as hard as you are.
- Listen to your coxswain when every muscle is telling you to stop.
- Win together and lose together. Nobody gets the credit alone, and nobody takes the blame alone.
That’s not just a sport. That’s a crash course in being a good human, taught at 24 strokes per minute.
Warning: kids may experience extreme fun
If you picture middle school rowing as silent kids grinding away on rowing machines, come down to the dock on a practice day. You’ll hear it before you see it.
Here’s a peek at what our rowers get up to:
- Sculling on the water. Our middle schoolers mostly scull, with an oar in each hand, building balanced strength on both sides while their bodies are still growing. (Wait until you meet our new boats below.)
- Erg relays. Rowing machine races where the whole team is screaming for whoever is pulling. Nothing builds hype like a relay that comes down to the last ten strokes.
- Beach workouts. Sand, sun, and circuits that feel a lot more like a game than a workout.
The secret ingredient? Every workout has a purpose. They’re building self-discipline and grit without even realizing it. By the time they figure out how hard they’ve been working, they’ve already proven they can do hard things.
New toys in the boat bay
A program this big needs a fleet to match, and ours is getting ridiculously bigger.
- The barge. Every rower has to start somewhere, and a skinny, tippy racing shell can be a scary place to start. The barge is wide, stable and practically unflippable, so kids can learn sweep rowing (one oar, two hands) with zero fear of taking a swim. Confidence first, then speed.
- The octuplet. Our brand-new boat, built just for middle schoolers. Think of an eight, except every rower has two oars. Sculling is the developmentally right choice for growing bodies because it builds muscles evenly on both sides. And let’s be honest: eight kids and sixteen oars moving together is a sight to see.
- Two stern-coxed quads (on the way!). Four scullers plus a coxswain in the stern, steering and calling the shots. More seats on the water, more chances for our coxswains to lead, and more boats for a growing team.
Every boat in our fleet has a job: build confidence, build balanced strength, and get more kids on the water, together.
More than a perfect stroke
Here’s something that might surprise you: rowing technique is not our number one priority.
Don’t get us wrong. We love a clean catch and a beautiful finish as much as anyone. But our coaching staff believes the best thing we can give a middle schooler isn’t a fast erg score. It’s a set of skills they’ll carry long after they’ve hung up their oars.
When we look at our rowers, here’s what we’re really watching for:
- Respect. For teammates, for coaches, for the equipment, and for the water. A boat only moves when everyone in it respects each other.
- Social skills. Making new friends. Speaking up. Encouraging the kid who’s nervous on their first day. Some of our rowers walked in not knowing a single person, and now they have a boathouse full of friends.
- Coachability. Hearing feedback, trying it, and trying again. That’s a superpower in school, in sports and in life.
- Showing up. Commitment and consistency matter. When you miss practice, your boat misses you.
- Healthy habits. Fueling your body, getting enough sleep, staying active, and learning that being strong is about how you feel, not how you look.
- Locking in. Bad day at school? Tough test? We teach our rowers to leave it on the dock, get in the boat, and give it everything they’ve got anyway.
- Leadership. Our older and more experienced rowers become role models, helping newer teammates find their way.
We keep it simple for the kids, but nothing we do is random. Every drill, every game and every conversation connects back to one goal: developing great athletes who are even better teammates.
And here’s the best part. When you build kids up this way, the speed comes too. Happy, confident, respectful teammates row better boats. Every time.
What’s next for these young athletes?
Our season now has two chapters.
Fall is for falling in love with rowing. All teams are on the water and in the boathouse building fitness, friendships and fundamentals. It’s the season to try everything, from the barge to the octuplet, and find out what this sport feels like.
Winter is for leveling up. In January, rowers move into our two spring teams. The Competitive Team refines technique and travels to races. The Club Team keeps building skills, and gets race-day events right here at home. Both teams are building toward the same thing: years of rowing ahead.
And that brings us to our biggest belief about middle school rowing: it’s not about results. It’s about retention.
A medal at 12 is fun. A rower who is still in the boat at 18 and beyond is the real win. Our job is to show these kids what this sport could do for them if they stick with it: the friendships, the strength, the confidence, and the feeling of a boat that’s finally, perfectly together. If they leave middle school loving rowing and wanting more, we did our job.
To our rowers: we are so proud of you. You show up, you work hard, you cheer each other on, and you make the boathouse the best place to be.
To our parents: thank you for the carpools, the snacks and the trust. This doesn’t happen without you.
To everyone else: come cheer at a race. Tell a middle schooler you know about rowing. Two seasons ago we were 35. Who knows where we’ll be two seasons from now?
One team. Every stroke. Together.
Coach Haley MacKay and the NAC Middle School Coaching Staff