| History of Rowing in Maidstone
|
Rowing has taken place on the Medway since Roman
times. We are told that some of the Roman walls of London were quarried at Allington
and it is likely that the Romans had rowing galleys to ferry the stone out of the
Medway and up to the Thames. Modern Rowing started in the 1870's and the present
Club was started in 1984.
|
| About The Club
|
Since 1984 MIRC has been able to function thanks
to the generosity of the Royal Engineers Rowing Club and the MOD who allowed the
Club to run from what was originally the Royal Engineers Rowing Club's boathouse
at the old Barracks Maidstone.
The old army barracks ceased to operate in 1990 and in 2000 the Club gained
a 199 year lease on a one acre site consisting of three old World War II Army huts.
Two of the huts are used as boathouses and one we have turned into a training hut.
Although the Army still has a few boats on the site, under the lease we are now
the lease holders and they are allowed to use our facilities.
Our water access is excellent with a 50 metre landing area that give us access to
the river Medway between East Farleigh Lock upriver and Allington Lock downriver.
Although the upriver end of the river does narrow it can still be rowed for its
whole length and there is room to turn eights and other boats over the whole 4.5
miles.
|
| Training and Rowing at the Club
|
During the summer, the Club holds training sessions
on most Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm, as well as Saturday and
Sunday mornings from 9am.
During the winter, rowing is mostly restricted to weekends with land training taking
place for Seniors/Veterans at the Club on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings from 18:15
until 20:30. Juniors train on Wednesdays from 18:00 until 19:00. For more up-to-date
details please contact the Club Captain.
Training is free for all active members; other members and guests will be charged
a training fee.
|
| Getting a Row
|
During adult squad training, availability will
be sought by the Squad Co-Ordinators who will put together crews and make necessary
arrangements for coaches. If you are available and want to row, you should ensure
that your co-ordinator(s) is aware of this.
Once you have been placed in a racing crew, the crew captain will be responsible
for organizing your outings, coaches, boats, coxswains etc.
If in doubt, come down to the Club at the start of the session anyway - there may
be a seat going or you could knock a couple of seconds off your best ergo time!
|
| Junior Rowing at the Club
|
Since we started in 1984, the club has had a
Junior section which has gained medals of all colours at the National Championship
and National Schools Regatta. We have also had a member in the world Junior championship
and 3 members have represented GB Juniors. A specific Club Junior Development Plan
exists and in 1999 the Club joined the ARA's "Go Row" Scheme which is part of their
National Junior Rowing Programme.
During 2004, the club became an ARA Project Oarsome Club linking with two local
schools (Oakwood Park Grammar and Swadeland's School) and gained the use of seven
boats and a safety launch specifically for juniors 11-15. We also gained Sports
England's Club Mark accreditation.
The Club's Junior Squads trains on Saturdays between 10:00 and 12:00 and then on
Wednesday Evenings between 18:00 and 19:00. We have members from year 7 (age 11)
upwards.
Members must have parental permission before attending the club and should first
speak to a junior coach to arrange a first attendance. This is so that we can ensure
we have sufficient adult's members available to look after juniors on their first
outings.
|
| Our Site
|
Our site is surrounded by a high army security
fence and we are able to safely rack many boats outside. The site has great potential,
however, the army wrote off our three old wooden army huts in the late 1960s so they
have not been properly maintained since then and are in need of major refurbishment
or replacement.
The Club has slowly improving the situation since 2000 and now has reconnected Electricity
and Water to the site. In the last 3 years we have also cleared a car parking area,
erected outside boat racks and re-clad and insulated the training hut.
During 2005 we plan too add inside toilets and showers, up to which time we will
continue to use a hired portaloo facility. Currently in emergencies we have access
to the near-by Maidstone Canoe Club's showers for which we are very grateful.
The Club is in the process of developing a Long term Site Development Plan for our
buildings to ensure we have a continuous and consistent approach to the sites so
as to develop it as a major centre for the Sport of Rowing in Kent and the South
East Region.
|
| Developing the Club and Bringing Beginners into the Sport
|
MIRC places emphasis on trying to bring as many
local people into the sport as possible. To this end we run our "Town Regatta" each
year. It is aimed at bringing beginners to the sport from the local area and we
invite local businesses and schools to enter crews.
We now have a large fleet of 46 boats almost half of which are for training, beginners
and leisure rowing. Our racing fleet has improving rapidly over the last two years
and we now have only 2 wooden racing boats remaining.
In 2001 we developed the Club's 2nd five year plan which succeeded in getting us
onto Project Oarsome, and dramatically increase the Club's junior membership. We
now plan hope to build and develop our premises and to attract more adult members.
A copy of that plan is available at the club and also to members on the Club members
web pages. The Club continues to progress and grow year on year by its member's
efforts and we are well on the way to achieving most of the last plan. with a sustained
membership growth. The Clubs membership is now 150 and we hope will be approaching
200 within the next four years.
|
| We Are an Open Members Club
|
This means that all the members are the owners
of the Club and the equipment.
Ownership brings responsibilities and each year the Club has to try to ensure that
the equipment is improved so that future members have good equipment to use. It
also means that no one will tidy up after you or repair equipment that may get broken.
We recognise that most members do not know how to repair boats and so we have a
Boatmaster, and other officers, who will get those that have the skills to help
or undertake the repairs.
Every member is expected to do their bit. Whether this be helping to tidy the boathouse
and grounds, sweep the steps, cut down the weeds or painting some oars, we must
all chip in. Every job, however mundane, is important in the smooth running of the
club. Regular "Work Days" are organised, for which all members are encouraged to
come along and help out. In a Club like ours everyone needs to pull their weight,
whether in a boat or out so that we don't have to pay out for all the necessary
work that members could undertake themselves.
This is how we keep the fees down.
|