New rowers guide
If you've come to this page, you may be actively thinking about joining the Oakton High School Crew Team. We know that you probably have lots of questions. Is the program physically demanding? It is and then some. Maybe you've heard crew training requires a certain amount of dedication and time. We can certainly tell you it requires both. Not everyone is cut out for this great sport, but for those who are, being a part of our team is one of the greatest things you will do during your time at Oakton. We regularly create top rowers, top boats, and championships galore. Maybe even more important, our rowers graduate from our program as stronger individuals who regularly make lifelong friends rowing for the Cougars.
Q: Why Row for Oakton?
A: There are a lot of great reasons to join Oakton Crew
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No Previous Rowing Experience Needed
We are a co-ed program where almost all our new athletes arrive with little or no rowing experience. Our Novice-program coaches will teach you the art of rowing while also introducing you to training programs that will help you to build endurance and strength. Coxswains will learn how to steer our racing shells and how to manage a race.
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We Are a Top-Ranked High School Rowing Program
Oakton has a decorated history of winning state championships and sending rowers to Nationals. We have a proven program that turns novice rowers into capable, experienced rowers able to perform at the highest levels.
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Earn Your Varsity Letter
While Oakton Crew is a club sport, you can still earn your Oakton High School Varsity Letter.
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Great Trips to Great Regattas
Each year, Oakton Crew travels to one of the largest and most prestigious high school rowing events in the world—the historic Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia. We also travel to the Scholastic Rowing Association of America Nationals regatta, which is held at world-class rowing venues throughout the United States.
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Oakton Regularly Places Athletes into Top Collegiate Rowing Programs
Rowers are four times as likely to row for a Division 1 rowing program and receive athletic scholarships than athletes in any other sport. Collegiate rowing programs are constantly on the hunt for great student-athletes, and Oakton rowers have been recruited to the best colleges in the United States.
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Real Teams, Real Friends
Crew is the ultimate team sport, where coordination and synchronization are vital. We pride ourselves on creating strong, capable teams, and many of our rowers develop friendships here that last a lifetime.
Q: What does a typical year look like?
A: Fall: Green Days, a six-week program at the Occoquan where new rowers learn basic techniques and get them on the water to see what rowing is all about. Experienced rowers row both alongside the novices and in their own lineups for more rigorous training.
Winter: Winter conditioning begins in late-November and concludes in late February.
Spring: Water training begins in late February. Regattas are held between March and the end of May.
Summer: Oakton has its own summer camp for new and experienced rowers. Many of our rowers also join nearby rowing clubs or rowing programs to participate in a competitive summer racing season.
Q: When is the Crew Season?
A: Crew is a spring sport, but practices begin in the late fall. Winter conditioning normally begins in late-November and involves strength and endurance conditioning, including rowing on the rowing machines, called “ergometers" or "ergs.” Winter conditioning is held at Oakton High School, every afternoon after school and on Saturday mornings. Water practice will begin in late February. Weather permitting, students will go to the Occoquan every afternoon and on Saturday mornings to row on the water. In bad weather, students will practice at the high school.
Q: What happens at practice?
A: For winter conditioning, you’ll spend most of your time on the ergs, but you’ll also do some endurance and strength training. For water training, you’ll spend time on the water, rowing with your boatmates to perfect your timing and technique. You may also do some erging or other training at the Occoquan.
Q: How do I balance crew and school?
A: The crew team learns how to be really good at time management. You take a bus from Oakton to the Occoquan for water training, and many students do homework on the bus, and there’s always someone to help with the homework if you need it. The crew team has generally had the highest GPA of all Oakton teams, with 50-70% of the crew team having GPAs over 3.5.
Q: When does the rowing season begin and how long is it?
A: Crew is a Spring sport. The rowing season begins in late February and concludes in late May. Practices take place on the Occoquan River after school Monday through Friday, and on Saturday mornings. Rowers are strongly encouraged to take part in winter conditioning, which begins in late- November.
Q: How many regattas are there in a season?
A: There generally are five or six local regattas. The Oakton Crew team generally goes to two out-of-town regattas—the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in mid-May on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia and the Scholastic Rowing Association (SRAA) Nationals regatta. The SRAA is held Memorial Day weekend, and only qualifying boats will be invited to attend this event.
Q: How do we get to the Occoquan for practice?
A: The Oakton Cougar Crew Boosters Club provides transportation for athletes from Oakton High School to the Occoquan and back on weekdays through a private bus carrier. Although some upperclassmen opt to drive themselves, using the bus transportation is promoted for safety reasons. Rowers and their families must provide their own transportation to practices during Saturday practices and regattas.
Q: Who can answer other questions about the crew program?
Please email us at president@oaktoncrew.com with any additional questions.
Q: Where we row?
Oakton Crew rows from the Sandy Run Regional Park boathouse, where we share space with several other local high schools as well as George Mason University Crew.
Located at 10450 Van Thompson Road, Fairfax Station, VA, 22039, Sandy Run is on the banks of the Occoquan River,