Atomic Rowing is the name of our Junior and Adult Coached Programs at Oak Ridge Rowing Association. Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) is the club and venue which oversees all regatta, spring training, and boathouse operations. ORRA is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 1978 whose mission is to promote the sport of rowing in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee.
All middle school and high school athletes are considered ‘Junior’ or ‘Youth’ athletes. The Development group is for new rowers in grades 6-12 (ages 13 – 19). In some instances, the Competitive coach will invite high performing first-year rowers to join the Competitive group for some practices and races or permanently. The Atomic Competitive squad is our high performance racing team and is generally open to rowers who have satisfied qualifying criteria established by the coaching staff.
No previous experience is necessary! This is truly a unique and fair opportunity to learn a new sport. We will teach you everything you need to know.
There are 2 competitive seasons during the academic year: Fall and Spring. Additionally, Atomic runs summer Learn-to-Row camps and Open Boathouse experienced sessions. Fall is August-December and includes 5k time trial regattas. Spring is January-June and includes 2k head-to-head sprint races. Spring is the “championship season” for rowing and racing typically begins in March with local and regional competition, progresses to May with Regional Championships, and culminates in June with the USRowing Youth National Championship. Masters (Adult) rowers have a similar fall season as listed above; their spring season features Dogwood Masters at the end of May, Regionals in June and Nationals in late July.
Competitive squad: Monday-Friday 4:15-6:16pm & Saturday 8:30-10:30am.
Development squad, FALL: Monday-Wednesday-Friday 4:15-6:15pm & Saturday 8:30-10:30am. SPRING: Monday-Wednesday, and Friday 4:15-6:15pm & Saturday 8:30-10:30am.
While attendance is expected at all practices, absences for other sports, school activities, appointments, etc. are excused if coaches are provided notice 1 week in advance.
Rowing athletes wear spandex or other close-fitting athletic layers, socks and running shoes. It’s also important to bring a full reusable water bottle, extra dry shirt and extra dry socks. Athletes are encouraged to bring healthy nutrition for a snack, especially when coming from school to practice.
For the most part, yes. Depending on amount of rain, we may still be able to get on the water but in severe weather, we can still train on land in the boathouse. When roads are unsafe, practice is cancelled and this is communicated via the team’s GroupMe.
We use email, GroupMe and a team only app called CrewLab for communication. Both the Juniors and Masters coached programs have their own specific GroupMe message groups and CrewLab accounts for coach-athlete communication. The parents also have a GroupMe message group.
The expectation is that Competitive squad members race in all scheduled fall and spring races. Development rowers, whose race readiness is determined by the coach, race in up to 2 fall races and most spring races. Competing Development athletes are notified 10 days-2 weeks prior to the race.
Programming costs vary by season. Visit our Juniors Programs pages on this website for information. These costs are for coaching, and venue and equipment use. There are additional costs associated with competition and race uniforms.
Rowers in their second season – an beyond – of participation become members of ORRA (Oak Ridge Rowing Association, Atomic Rowing’s host venue).
Most members choose to keep costs low by volunteering at several ORRA-hosted events. You may elect to forego the volunteer experience for a higher fee.
For more information on ORRA memberships, visit the ORRA website!
Races are not included in regular program costs, since 100% of our athletes may not be participating at certain events. Travel costs including entry fees, hotel and transportation fees are divided evenly amongst those traveling and billed after races.
At races, athletes must be in “like” attire, so we have uniforms for purchase by our second season – and beyond – athletes. Athletes in their first season of participation wear t-shirts of the same color. Communication about uniforms will come from coaches and the Athletics Director.
Most races require that parents transport or carpool their athletes to and from the race venue. Per USRowing rules, junior athletes under the age of 18 are not allowed to drive themselves to away races. Group/team travel is planned for one Fall and two Spring regattas. When the team travels as a group, parent/booster Chaperones and team leaders are present to monitor the safety and progress of the group.
Yes! We do not want program or travel costs to prohibit the participation of any athlete. To set up a payment plan, register your athlete on RegattaCentral, select ‘Pay by Check’ and contact our bookkeeper Jon Neveu at accounts@orra.org. To inquire about scholarships, please contact the Oak Ridge Rowing Association Scholarship Committee at scholarship@orra.org.
Registration is completed through RegattaCentral. Beginners select the Junior Development program, and experienced athletes select the Junior Competitive/Varsity program. If you want more information before registering, email our Athletics Director to schedule time for your athlete to come to practice. We offer a 2-day trial period for new rowers and this does not cost anything, but parents are required to complete the ORRA Release of Liability for their athletes. After the trial period, parents must complete registration through RegattaCentral.
Go Regatta Central. Click on “programs and classes”. Select the appropriate program for you or your athlete. Read through the description and follow directions to register.
We welcome new team members throughout the year! Programs typically begin in Mid-January, Late June, and Late August. If you are unable to join during one season, you are welcome to join for the other season. Learn-to-Row Days are occasionally offered and Learn to Row Camps are offered in June and August for those looking to try the sport of rowing. For more information please visit our website, our instagram page, and/or email our Athletics Director.
Send them our way! We welcome new rowers, adults aged 21-80 and youth aged 13-19! Please encourage them to visit our website and email our Athletics Director to ask about private lessons or our coached programs.