Amidst the madness that is 2020, TopRow is celebrating the opening of our new site in Melbourne, Australia. Our first Australian rowers will hit the water beginning November 4th, 8 months after the originally scheduled March opening was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Head Coach Will Golding has been steadfast in his optimism throughout the lockdown in Victoria while reliably and consistently releasing online content in the form of Facebook Live Circuits and Virtual Erg Coaching, as well as making preparations so our Learn to Row program could begin as soon as it was safe. As with many of our other locations, we are fortunate to have the support of a local partner in Richmond Rowing Club who’s committee have backed us to the hilt and helped us navigate towards opening our doors safely coming out of Melbourne’s second lockdown. We look forward to cementing a successful partnership for years to come.
Our Coaches down under are excited to finally get underway and are chomping at the bit to deliver our courses to the people of Melbourne who are finally reaping the rewards of their stoic adherence to some of the most severe restrictions throughout the world.
While those of us in the northern hemisphere put in meters on our ergs and stay home to slow the spread of COVID in our cities, we’ll be sending welcoming (and envious) thoughts to Melbourne!
Amsterdam Light Festival tour: ‘An absolute must’
This year rowing centre Berlagebrug organizes the Amsterdam Light-festival tour for the fifth time. Every edition more than 1000 rowers have participated. TopRow spoke with one of the participants, Marie-Jeanne Diederen (51), from the Maastricht Watersport Club...
Masters of the Jingle Mingle
On a crisp, cold Saturday, December 8, scores of rowers - from kids who could still show their ages with just their fingers to a couple of septuagenarians - all gathered in the airy, erg-filled gym at DREAM Charter School in East Harlem. Among the throng were TopRow...
Row row row your boat in London! (part 2)
After the “Learn to Row 1 course” our boat liked the rowing so much that we decided to carry on together. Well the same crew minus one (who moved to Germany but pledged to carry on at Rhine Canals). We wanted to keep to our weekday evening slot and Top row was very accommodating. Even though they had not been planning to schedule a course at this time, when they realized we had a group of three, they just made it happen for us.