Finished your fall sport?
Monday, November 9 through Saturday, November 21.
Try Rowing / See what the sport asks of you
Try it. See why people stay
Two weeks to check it out free for high school students, no experience necessary. Meet the coaches, meet the rest of the team.
Free / Grades 6 to 12
Learn to Row Day
Test your strength on land, then hop in a boat with our athletes and get a real feel for what we do.
Saturdays, 10:30am to 1:00pm, at the Tidewater Boating Center, 4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601. No experience needed.
Want more after that? Middle schoolers start with the Middle School programs. High school students can start a free two-week trial, below, or join the team right away.
Upcoming days
2026
- Sat, November 1410:30am to 1:00pm
2027
- Sat, January 1610:30am to 1:00pm
- Sat, April 1710:30am to 1:00pm
- Sat, May 1510:30am to 1:00pm
- Sat, June 1210:30am to 1:00pm
How it works
Show up curious. We handle the rest
New rowers are invited to try rowing for two weeks, free of charge, with no obligation.
Still looking for your sport?
Monday, January 4 through Saturday, January 16.
After the trial, see what it costs.
Missed a window? Email information@oaklandstrokes.org and we can arrange a different trial period. Middle schoolers start through the Middle School program; during the summer, Learn to Row camps offer week-long sessions. Already playing a fall sport? Try Middle School Sunday Sculling.
Your first day
What to do when you get there
Practice starts at 4:30pm at the Tidewater Boating Center, 4675 Tidewater Avenue, Oakland, CA 94601. Come a few minutes early and find a coach: they will be expecting new faces.
- 01
Drop off by the boathouse
There is a parking area just south of the boathouse; it's being worked on at the moment, so space is tight. Carpooling or dropping off is a lot easier than trying to park.
- 02
Look for the flagpole
It’s to the right as you enter the parking area. A pathway runs from there toward the boathouse.
- 03
Follow the path to the boathouse
That’s where your athlete will find their group.
We’ll also email these details, along with what to wear and bring, once you register. Questions? Email information@oaklandstrokes.org or call (510) 926-4100.
A day at Tidewater
What practice looks like
Practice runs from 4:30 to 7:00pm, and most athletes come straight from school. Once at the boathouse, they change and prepare the equipment to go out on the water. After a quick check in with their coach, they launch their boats and training gets going. Days are spent on the water working on rowing technique and doing training pieces. We also include a mix of land work (strength, running, ErgThe rowing machine. Short for ergometer, and used when the water is not an option.All the rowing words, and biking) to maximize our fitness.
Already play something else?
Athletes from other sports
Rowing is a late entry sport, so you're not behind if you start in high school. Almost everyone else here started in high school, too.
Runners and swimmers
You already know how to push yourself, which is most of what a 2KTwo thousand meters, the standard racing distance and the standard erg test.All the rowing words asks. The engine you built somewhere else works here on day one.
Basketball, volleyball, water polo
Height and leverage move a boat, and so does reading what the people around you are doing. Team sport instincts transfer straight across.
Everyone starts at the same place
It’s not like everyone else has been rowing for years. The other athletes are new, too, which is why first-year rowers can race in our fastest boats.
If your season finishes in the fall, you don’t have to wait until next year. The November start is built exactly for athletes coming off a fall sport, with its own free two week trial. Middle schoolers already playing something can start with Sunday Sculling, one morning a week.
From people who started here
“Oakland Strokes has taught me how to row, while also being on a strong, supportive, and loving team.”
“I love my teammates and the culture here at Oakland so much... it’s such a positive place to learn a new thing and grow confident.”
“I first discovered rowing at a few Oakland Strokes summer camps in middle school. Right away, I thought being out on the water was so cool, and I found it incredibly rewarding to persevere and work toward goals alongside others.”
“Rowing is one of the rare sports where you can start in high school with zero experience and still excel, even earning college recruitment opportunities. It demands a massive commitment from the entire family, but the return on investment in your child’s confidence, fitness, and friendships is entirely worth the leap!”
Questions families ask
The answers
Do I need any experience?
No. Most Oakland Strokes rowers started with zero experience, including athletes now racing in our varsity crews. The 2026 national champion Men’s U17 8+ was two-thirds first-year rowers.
What should I wear and bring?
Clothes you can move in: fitted shorts or leggings work best, since baggy shorts catch in the sliding seat. Running shoes, layers for the water, a water bottle, and sunscreen. We provide the boats, oars, and coaching.
How fit do I need to be?
Come as you are. Rowing builds the fitness, and coaches meet every athlete where they start. What matters is being open to learning and pushing yourself to get better every day.
Can I come with a friend?
Please do. Most of our athletes found the team through a friend, and boats are better with people you know in them.
Can I come and watch a practice?
Yes, and you don’t have to watch from the dock. Prospective athletes can ride along in a coach’s LaunchThe small motorboat a coach drives. Every crew on the water has one alongside.All the rowing words and see practice from the water, alongside the crews. Email information@oaklandstrokes.org and we’ll find you an afternoon.
What if I’m small for my grade?
Ask about coxing. Every Eight, or 8+Eight rowers with one oar each, plus a coxswain. Nine people, about sixty feet.All the rowing words carries nine athletes: eight rowers and a CoxswainThe one facing forward. They steer, call the race plan, and keep eight people rowing as one.All the rowing words who steers, strategizes, and runs the race.
When and where is practice?
High school crews practice weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings at the Tidewater Boating Center, 4675 Tidewater Avenue in Oakland.
Middle school schedules are lighter and are listed on the Middle School page.
How do families handle getting to practice?
Almost every athlete ends up riding with someone. Every family gets a team roster, so you can see who lives near you and work a carpool out with them directly. Our athletes come from all over the East Bay and beyond.
Does the club practice on San Pablo Reservoir?
We used to, but we don’t any more. It’s closed to rowing due to invasive golden mussels.
Is cost a barrier?
It should never be. The trial is free, and financial aid is available in every program. Details are on the Register page, or email aid@oaklandstrokes.org.
The ninth seat
CoxswainThe one facing forward. They steer, call the race plan, and keep eight people rowing as one.All the rowing words lead the boat: steering, running the race plan, and executing the race strategy. Coxswains may compete for either the women’s or men’s squads; they are supported to pursue college opportunities alongside the rowers.
Our Core Principles
The Whole Athlete Philosophy
We believe the rowing community is strongest when it reflects who people are in their entirety: what they look like, where they come from, who they love. Being part of Oakland Strokes means doing the ongoing work of keeping our boathouse a place where every athlete and family feels welcome, supported, and pushed to grow.
Our whole-athlete philosophy means we:
- Build each athlete’s rowing (their technique, their fitness, their boat feel) with real fundamentals. We don’t take shortcuts.
- Build each athlete’s character. We teach them to meet adversity with openness, persistence, and commitment, because the boat will test all three.
- Hold every athlete to a shared standard: A successful team is defined by everyone rowing toward the same goal.
- Create belonging before we ask for performance. Athletes commit to a team before they commit to a sport, and rowing asks a lot of them once they do. It takes hard work, resilience, a competitive instinct, the discipline to show up, and a commitment to making the people around them better. We believe those qualities are what results in sustainable performance.
Stay in touch
Get on the email list
Trial dates, registration openings, and what the team is up to. A few emails a season.
Join the email list →Follow on Instagram
Photos of race mornings, first strokes, announcements and race results, plus pretty pictures of the boathouse at sunset.
Follow @oaklandstrokesrowing →Ask a person
We’re always available to answer your questions or schedule a visit:
Email or call:
information@oaklandstrokes.org
(510) 926-4100
Financial aid questions go to aid@oaklandstrokes.org.