United We Row
Whether you recognize it or not, United We Row – USRowing’s commitment to making rowing more welcoming and inclusive – has a footprint across the entire organization. From high performance to safety, we can all consider how to make rowing a place where all athletes, coaches, parents, and volunteers feel a sense of belonging. But, like any coachable athlete, we are all on a learning journey.
We invite you, our rowing community to learn and act along with us. Please explore the education, resources, and activations – and if you don't see what you need, reach out with your ideas. Thank you for helping provide a seat in the boat for everyone.
Educational Resources
Learning and Development
- The Launch, USRowing's online learning platform, provides the tools you need to take your rowing career or program to the next stage. All of our inclusion-related is free and available to all. Some specific modules we recommend include "9 Things to Know about DEI in Rowing" and "Opening the Boathouse Doors".
- Adaptive Coaching Certification provides specific insights and baseline knowledge to any coaches who work with athletes of all ability levels. Rowing is a unique sport where adaptations can be made to equipment, the rowing stroke, or coaching style to accommodate people with disabilities or specific requirements in many creative ways.
- Consider USRowing Coaching Certification to learn the tools required to lead a safe, effective, competitive, and joyful program. Participants will have space to engage with fellow coaches on topics ranging from inclusion and retention to race prep to create the best environment for their athletes. Financial assistance for these programs is available to qualifying coaches.
United We Row Mentorship Program
The Launch presents an innovative mentorship program tailored for coaches and club administrators. This mentorship initiative brings club leaders and coaches together, fostering knowledge exchange, idea enhancement, skill development, and relationship building through diverse mentorship opportunities and interactions.
The United We Row coaches mentorship program is for coaches who are recipients of the United We Row Coaches Scholarship, formerly known as the All-Coach scholarship, to enhance their rowing skill development, professional growth, and relationship facilitation.
Women's Coaching Leadership Programs
USRowing provides opportunities designed to empower professional women rowing coaches. Participants delve deep into the heart of leadership, addressing the pressing challenges they face daily. To learn more reach out to community@usrowing.org
Take on a Leadership Role
Become a Coach or Referee
USRowing is always looking to grow our bullpen (to steal from baseball) of coaches and referees. These two positions are key for creating welcoming, inclusive, and positive spaces for all of us in the rowing community.
Could you see yourself in a launch with a megaphone? Want to attend regattas to keep them safe and fair? Stay tuned to our Careers page, check out the referee process here, and learn about launching into coaching here.
Resource Guides
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Native American Heritage Month 2024
Neurodivergent Resource Guide
Webinars
- The Power of One
- 2021 USRowCon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sessions
- 2020 USRowCon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sessions
- DEI Panel with Arshay Cooper
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity Training
- Intersection of Inclusion: LGBTQIA+ in Rowing
- Keynote: Looking Back at 2020 & Lessons from the Boathouse with Arshay Cooper
- Keynote: Making our Youth and Collegiate Rowing Programs More Diverse and Inclusive
- Rowing-Related Microaggressions That Need to Stop
Engagement Resources
These resources can be used by anyone in the rowing community looking to improve the culture of their boathouse to make it more welcoming to all. Please visit our Resources page for more.
Launching Your Inclusion Work
Opening your boathouse doors to new rowers can be daunting. This guide provides a few ideas for getting started.
Boathouse Inclusion Checklist
The boathouse inclusion checklists offer various ways for organizations to create environments where everyone feels welcome, respected, supported, and valued.
Identity Wheel Activity and Instructions
When enough trust has been built, use this activity to get to know your leadership team, coaches, or athletes better.
Vision and Mission Worksheet
Not sure the leaders, coaches, and rowing community at your organization are aligned when it comes to “DEI”? Use this worksheet to develop your vision and mission to guide your work.
New to Rowing Resources
Share these items with new parents, youth, or masters athletes to give them a head start in learning the culture of rowing.
Step Into Rowing Manual
A handbook for parents/guardians from USRowing.
Get a Grip on Rowing
Survey Templates
These templates are available to organizational leaders and coaches to adapt and implement within their own clubs. USRowing encourages the following best practices:
• Add the demographic questions to your registration flow.
• Keep the demographic data and the Experience Survey separate – this makes the survey more focused and digestible for respondents.
• Analyze the data gathered from the Survey and use it to inform programmatic changes. Report back to the membership.
• Launch the Experience Survey, have a specific timeframe that it will be open, and create a sense of urgency when the survey will close.
• Promote the survey via different channels to reach all membership (emails, texts, signs with QR codes at the boathouse, verbal reminders from coaches).
• We encourage collecting both demographic data and administering an Experience Survey once/year.
Please reach out to community@usrowing.org if you have questions or feedback. Thank you!
Template for Demographic Survey
Template for Member Survey
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United We Row
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