Teaching Rowing in the Eugene/Springfield area since 1986
Mission, Vision & History
Vision
To be the premier junior rowing program in the Pacific Northwest, where every athlete, from novice to national competitor, can thrive and pursue their highest potential.
Mission Statement
Eugene Rowing Club develops athletes who excel on the water and in life. We make rowing accessible while cultivating a high-performance culture built on discipline, technical mastery, and uncompromising teamwork. From first strokes to championship finishes, our rowers train to push limits, elevate each other, and compete at the highest levels in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
The Team
ERC is open to high school students throughout the greater Eugene/Springfield area without regard to past athletic experience or school affiliation. No prior rowing experience is required to join the team. Rowers must be able to pass a swim test in order to join. All teens within the greater Eugene/Springfield area, entering 6th – 12th grades, are eligible to join the rowing team. Regardless of age, most rowers joining the rowing team for the first time spend their first year on the Development Team. While on the Development Team, athletes learn how to pick-up and carry a boat (shell), how to put a shell in the water, how to get into the boat, steer it straight, and row on the water. Development Team rowers will have the opportunity to race and move up to the Competitive Team.
Rowing is a sport for all shapes and sizes and athletic levels. Whether you are tall or small, there is a seat for you on the rowing team. There are boats for all weights and heights and even coxswain positions for those smaller youth who are interested in commanding the boats.
Rowing in College
Affiliation with the rowing club has been integral in the lives of many Lane County high schoolers. Some athletes continue to row in college, and some are accepted to universities and colleges they would not have otherwise been accepted to, had they not participated in the sport of rowing. Former ERC members have attended Stanford, Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Virginia, Michigan, University of Washington, University of San Diego and Oregon State University. It is exciting to watch opportunities open up for our rowers as they are recruited by universities and colleges from around the country.
History of ERC
Support ERC
Eugene Rowing Club is a self-funded non-profit organization providing Eugene/Springfield 6-12th grade students with the opportunity to learn and grow as part of a crew team. All donations are used solely for operating expenses or, if designated as such, as a part of our financial aid fund. Eugene Rowing Club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For additional information or to donate stock certificates, please visit our Donate to ERC page.
Junior rowing in Eugene began in 1986 when South Eugene High School student Elijah Marentette, along with Carl and Fran Richart, and Charles Spencer (a former Harvard rower), and school officials formed a rowing team for teenagers. Initially boats were leased from the University of Oregon. In the 1985 Fall season the team entered its first race using borrowed equipment from the UO. By 1988 the SEHS Yearbook included rowing as an official club sport. Roger Bailey was the first coach for South Eugene Rowing Club. His support and devotion to the team accounted for much of its early success. He wanted a youth rowing club for all high school students in Eugene. Over the years, the organization continued to grow and prosper.
In 1995 the team was able to purchase their first boat. In 2000, SERC joined with Oregon Association of Rowers (OAR), a masters program, and became OAR Junior Crew. The OAR Junior Crew team expanded and started accepting athletes from area high schools. OAR Jr. Crew has included high school students from South Eugene High, Churchill, Sheldon, Oak Hill, Marist, Pleasant Hill and a number of home schooled athletes. The team also has had members who are students at Roosevelt and Spencer Butte middle schools.
Due to changes in Eugene 4J District policy that affected the OAR JR Crew program, beginning Fall season 2012, OAR Jr Crew became its own non-profit organization and changed its name to South Eugene Rowing Club.
In 2023, the club changed its name to Eugene Rowing Club to better represent the fact that the club serves youth from all area schools. The club is open to all teens within the greater Eugene/Springfield area.