Anyone can row!

Rowing at Shaker Heights High School is a school-sponsored and supported varsity spring sport, open to boys and girls in grades 9-12. No experience is necessary to join the team.

The team also offers a fall competitive season and winter training at the high school and the boathouse.
Summer opportunities for rowing can be found through our boathouse, The Foundry.

I’m brand-new: how do I get started?

You can start in middle school - see our MS program information here - but it is not necessary. Many athletes who join during high school have taken a Learn-to-Row course through the Foundry, but it is not required. While some rowers start high school with experience, most come to the sport having never touched an oar.

We encourage new athletes to start in the fall because the nicer weather makes for an easier learning experience, but we also accept brand-new rowers in the spring. Because of certain rules in our championship regattas in the spring, it is tough for athletes in their junior year or higher to learn the sport quickly enough to have a good experience. If you are a rising junior or senior looking for a new sport, contact the head coach to discuss your options.

We offer open practices and open houses at the boathouse - check our social media feeds and this website for that information each season. You can always email us with questions too!

If you’re ready to join the team, register on FinalForms as you would for any other varsity sport offered at SHHS.

When and where are practices? When and where are the competitions?

Practices are after school and on Saturday mornings at the Foundry. There are 4-5 competitions each season on weekends around the region. Check out our Schedules page for more details on this year.

I’ve never done a sport - is rowing hard or easy?

Rowing is one motion, done over and over - easy to learn, tricky to master! Aside from learning the technique, rowing is most comparable to middle-distance running or swimming: it requires both endurance and strength. If you’ve never done a sport before, don’t be afraid to give it a try! Every year, we have athletes join who discover they had a great rower inside them all along, and never knew.

Is it like a club, where I can participate in other sports or a lot of other activities in the same season?

No. Rowing at SHHS is a varsity sport that does require a significant investment of time, so you cannot participate in other sports. We absolutely DO have athletes in band and other co-curricular activities, but if you are new to high school sports and clubs, we suggest you think carefully about your commitments - make sure you can attend all practices and all regattas, as it is not possible to miss regularly for other activities.

Can I do other sports in other seasons?

Absolutely! We love to have multi-sport athletes. It should be noted that spring is our championship season, and while you can row in the spring and do another sport in the fall, you cannot row in the fall but do another sport in the spring. Rowing can become your year-round activity, or something that you only do in spring. We offer year-round training for those who don’t participate in other sports.

Does the team travel? Will I get to go fun places?

The team travels for regattas 4-5 times per season, and depending on your definition of fun, absolutely! We go to regional hot-spots like Columbus, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Marietta, Buffalo, and Ann Arbor! All kidding aside, there are also opportunities for longer trips, often to major rowing competitions in cities like Philadelphia, where we compete with thousands of athletes from around the country. The national championships change location every year, from places like Princeton, New Jersey, to Tennessee to Florida.

Is the team any good? What do you expect from athletes?

The team is competitive in the region and often on a national level. In 2024 and 2025, a Shaker varsity boat qualified for the Scholastic National Championships! In rowing, it’s often said that you get out of it what you put into it. With most high school rowers never having rowed before high school, you can enter as a freshman with no experience and end up a champion in just a few years. Work hard and you will succeed.

We expect hard work and commitment from our teammates. We demand the highest levels of teamwork, sportsmanship, and good behavior as you represent Shaker Heights High School as ambassadors of the sport on the local, regional, and national level. In return, our athletes experience a supportive and encouraging environment where everyone is encouraged to learn and grow in the sport. Athletes earn the chance to represent Shaker Heights High School and our community throughout the region and at national competitions.

Do any Shaker rowers go on to row in college? Can I get scholarships for rowing?

We have athletes who are recruited and go on to row in college every year. Recent grads have gone on to row at DI and Ivy League schools like the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Colgate, Texas, Fordham, Loyola Maryland, Smith, Jacksonville, and more (see the Alumni page for details). Because women’s rowing is an NCAA sport, there are significant opportunities for girls to get scholarship money for rowing. There are a lot of opportunities for boys to get recruited, but not as much scholarship money.