Infinity Boat Club

It has been really enjoyable introducing the sport of rowing to over 450 pupils at Macmillan Academy this week. Our 'Row Shows' are a crucial part of what we do at Infinity.

We had a great time at National Schools Regatta, with our Year 9 Girls and Boys Octuple, our girls placing 3rd in their D final and the boys winning the C final. Irrespective of results when racing at national events we are often reminded of the added value of rowing that isn't always apparent. The club had 18 young people racing at the regatta- - Who all worked together towards a common goal in the lead up and on the day of the regatta - Managed their time over the two days, making meal times, leaving the hotel and making races on time - Chose an evening meal and ate together at the restaurant - and for some stayed in a hotel for their first time Infinity Boat Club continues to invest in young people's cultural capital through the sport of rowing and we hope this trip to Dorney Lake is the first of many life changing experiences for the current and future members of the club.

We are delighted to be advertising for apprentice coaches to join us at Infinity Boat Club. In collaboration with Coach Core Foundation and British Rowing we hope to use the apprenticeship as a pathway to create great coaches and great role models for the athletes at the club. Interesting in applying for the role - https://lnkd.in/gqate5JW

Looking back on a successful weekend at Tees Regatta. It was great to see our 19 crews racing on the Tees in their home regatta, and picking up 8 wins in the process! For many this was their first experience of regatta racing,we look forward to them and many more continuing to represent the club as we continue to grow this racing season.

Racing is an important part of what we do at Infinity Boat Club. We were pleased to race at the recent National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships. 28 of our athletes took part in the championships and 10 came home with medals. We look forward to taking these successes on the water in the upcoming regatta season.

It was a great experience to have our athletes interviewed for BBC Look North about our recent private screening in the Boys In The Boat film.

As we come to the end of the year it's a great time to reflect on how far we have come in our first 5 months of the rowing at the Infinity Boat Club. Back in August we ran our summer camps and a small group of children joined us to take their first steps into the sport of rowing. Their first hesitant strokes were taken on the Tees in stable boats with sessions all about having fun and basic water craft. September saw the delivery of our impressive fleet of Wintech/Oarsport boats which our rowers have greatly enjoyed using. We also began our after school sessions with pupils from three local schools, as well as gym sessions on the indoor rowers in the evenings. By October our membership had grown, just in time for the arrival of new coach Harry, adding his experience to our growing team. By the start of November we were ready to race, so made the journey with around 20 children to race at the North Eastern Indoor Rowing Championships, hosted by Durham University Boat Club. With some race experience under our belts, sights were set on the British Rowing Indoor Championships in early December; all the while gaining valuable experience on the water and learning the river Tees. We also welcomed another addition to our staff in the form of S&C coach Mel, who has already added variety to our indoor sessions. BRIC was a huge success for our athletes, with just over 20 travelling down to Birmingham for the event. With some impressive PBs and some top 10 finishes, our highlight of the event was a gold medal in the Year 10 Boys 500m, hopefully the first of many national medals as a club. The month continued with our Christmas meal, kindly hosted by the Little Sprouts charity. We finish the year with over 50 members across three schools, and after a short break over the holidays we're looking forward to hitting the ground running in the New Year!