Camp Life
rowing/coxing experience
A minimum of one season of on-the-water rowing or coxing experience with a school or club by the start of camp is required (campers with no experience at the time of application who plan to join a school or club team for the spring are eligible for this camp; if plans fall through, however, please reach out to us asap to see if we have room to move you to Learn-to-Row). Campers with only past camp or clinic experience will need to apply to our Learn-to-Row Camp and will follow a more accelerated curriculum to continue advancing their skills.
Campers will be boated in 4+s or 8+s. We do not offer sculling, but very much welcome scullers to row with us as sweep rowers for the week! (Note: a season of sculling experience with a club/school satisfies our minimum experience requirement.)
If you have rowing experience that does not quite fit our described requirements above, please reach out to us via email with more information (your age and grade, where you row, who your coach is, how often you row, any racing experience, etc.) and we can help determine if our development or learn-to-row camp would be the best fit for you.
age
Campers must be between the ages of 13 and 18. Campers turning 13 later in the summer but prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year are allowed to attend as long as they will be at least be entering 8th grade. Campers who have graduated from high school are welcome to attend as long as they have not yet matriculated to college.
proof of physical
All campers must provide proof of a physical completed within one year of the start of camp. Full details can be found here.
2025 dates
To be announced soon!
DESCRIPTION
Our developmental overnight camps are open to campers with prior school or club rowing/coxing experience. Our excellent team of camp coaches will focus their attention on individual stroke development and making sure rowers are using their bodies effectively to contribute to overall boat speed.
Coxswains are viewed as integral members of the boat and are treated as such in our camps. Focus for our coxswains will be on aiding rowers in technical changes, alongside leadership development on both land and water.
Campers are boated with other campers of similar ability, and our coaches are prepared to work with campers of all abilities -- from our newest members to the sport fresh off their novice season up through our sub 7:15 2k campers who are being actively recruited by DI programs. Camper ability will be determined by a combination of reported personal & athletic information (age, seasons rowed, 2k, boat placement in the spring, etc.) as well as observed skill at Sunday camp orientation (rowing in the tanks and some short erg work).
Our goal for all campers is to have them return to their home programs in a place to be more successful individually as well as to be able to contribute at a higher and more significant level to their boats and team.
THE NAVY CAMP EXPERIENCE
In addition to developing each camper's individual rowing/coxing ability, our Navy Rowing Camps introduce campers to the Midshipman concepts of honor, integrity and discipline. Campers experience life for the week in a Midshipman rower's shoes by rowing out of the USNA's Hubbard Hall (the boathouse), living in Bancroft Hall (the world's largest single dormitory), and eating family style meals just like the Midshipmen in King Hall (the Academy's primary dining hall). It is truly a unique experience that extends beyond the work done on the river all week!
cost
2025 cost TBA soon! | includes all coaching, seminars, housing, meals (Sunday dinner through breakfast on check-out day), Navy Rowing Camp t-shirt, supervision, camp shuttle service to/from BWI Airport and Amtrak station (pre-registration required), and a one-of-a-kind experience at the Naval Academy. Our camps check in Sunday afternoons and check out Wednesday (4-day camp) or Thursday (5-day camps) just prior to lunch.
room & board
Campers are housed in the Midshipmen’s dormitory, Bancroft Hall. Rooms are doubles, triples and quads complete with sink, shower, and lockable closets for valuables. All meals from Sunday dinner to Thursday breakfast are provided family style in King Hall, the Midshipmen’s dining facility (please make sure to review our dining section if you have any food allergy or special diet needs).
During the day, campers are under the guidance of experienced coaches and college-aged counselors. At night, counselors and coaches stay in the campers' dormitory, providing 24-hour supervision.
Note: our Developmental & Learn-to-Row Camps will operate separately for rowing activities, but will be together for housing, meals, and many land seminars. Roommate requests between these two girls' rowing camps *can* be accommodated.
typical daily schedule
0730 Breakfast
0830 Rowing Session I
1130 Lunch
1300 Seminar(s)/Campus Tour
1500 Rowing Session II
1800 Dinner
1900 Sunset Row/Seminar/Group Activity
2200 Lights Out
The above is the typical full-day schedule. Check-in and check-out days are shortened due to arrival and departure (please refer to our check-in/out page for arrival/departure timing). A more detailed camp schedule will be provided close to the start of camp. Example seminars include strength training in our varsity weight room, an NCAA recruiting information session, erg instruction, mobility work, Q&A session, etc. Additionally, there are coxswain-specific seminars covering race and practice management.
Development Camp
Requirements