Atlanta Junior Rowing Association was founded in 1988 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit club sport dedicated to providing rowing opportunities for high school students throughout Metro Atlanta.   The program started as a small club rowing out of the Atlanta Rowing Club's boathouse.  By the late 1990's, AJRA had grown so much that it needed its own boathouse.  In the fall of 2000, the club negotiated with the City of Roswell to construct a boathouse at its present address on Azalea Road.  AJRA has since grown in size and today has over 100 rowers from middle schools and high schools throughout the Atlanta area.  High schools represented include Roswell, Centennial, Alpharetta, Pope, Walton, St. Francis, Lovett, and many others.

The mission of the Atlanta Junor Rowing Association remains:

• To engage high school athletes in the Olympic sport of rowing
• To instill and enhance the athlete's self-esteem, self-discipline, team reliance and fitness
• To provide a competitive, supportive, athletic experience

History:
   Rowing is a centuries old sport steeped in tradition which traces its origins back to ancient times.  The beginnings of the modern version of the sport date to the early 18th century when rowing saw the creation of the two most historic races in the sport: the Oxford-Cambridge boat race in 1829 and the Henley Royal Regatta in 1839.  As an Olympic sport,  rowing was slated to take place in the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896 but due to bad weather did not make its appearance until the Paris Olympics in 1900.  In recent times, rowing has seen a tremendous surge in popularity at both the high school and college level.   The teamwork and camraderie involved in the sport at every level continues to foster friendships and still remains the main reason for the popularity of the sport.  For more on the history of rowing, visit the Friends of Rowing History.

Rowing Seasons:
    Today, rowing is a year long sport that consists of three basic seasons: fall, winter, and spring.  The difference between the fall and spring seasons is similar to the difference between cross-country and track.   Fall races are called head races and generally take place on rivers.  Head races are three to five kilometers long which means a rower will typically race from between 15 to 25 minutes.  Head racing is a timed event with each boat starting approximately 30 seconds apart.  The boat with the fastest time wins.  Spring races are between 1500 and 2000 meters in length and are called sprint races.  In the spring, races are generally rowed on a buoyed six lane course.  All six boats start at the same time and the first boat to cross the finish line wins.  These races typically take between 6 and 8 minutes.  The winter season is generally devoted to training indoors where most of the training is done on an indoor rowing machine called the ergometer.  In recent years, the winter season has seen the growth of many indoor events such as the CRASH-B sprints.  For more information on rowing including a glossary of rowing terms, visit USRowing's website.

Rowing Events:
    Similar to track and field, a regatta consists of many separate events.  The main difference between the events lies in the difference between sweep rowing and sculling.  Sweep rowing is when each rower in the boat has one oar.  This type of rowing is typically more prominent at the high school and collegiate level.  Sweep boats come in three classes: pairs, fours, and eights.  As the names imply, pairs have two oars with one on port and one on starboard.  Fours have four oars, and eights have eight oars.  Typically, fours and eights also carry a coxswain who steers the boat, keeps the rowers together, and executes the race plan. Eights remain the most popular event at the collegiate level.


    Sculling is when each rower in the boat has two oars.  Although not as popular at the high school and collegiate level, sculling has a symmetry which makes it beautiful to watch.  Sculling boats also come in three classes: singles, doubles, and quads.  Singles involve one rower with two oars.  Doubles and quads involve two rowers with four oars and four rowers with eight oars respectively.  Most large regattas at the high school level will feature both sweep rowing and sculling.  For more information on rowing including a glossary of rowing terms, visit USRowing's website.

How to get started in Rowing:
    Despite its growing popularity, most rowers still begin as freshmen, whether in high school or in college. Rowing is fairly unique in that a high school student can join as a novice and after a year return to row with the varsity team. At both the high school and collegiate level, rowers have been known to start rowing and within a couple years become part of boats that go on to win national championships.
    Those interested in rowing at AJRA typically join Learn to Row camps over the summer. The middle school development program (aka "D Squad") in the Fall and Spring is the perfect way for 7th or 8th graders to gain a basic understanding of the sport while working on conditioning. For high schoolers new to rowing, the novice program will help them learn the basics of rowing and conditioning in preparation for competing in regattas against some of the premier rowing teams in the southeastern United States. The novice program is offered in both the fall and spring seasons.

    Our boathouse is located at 245 Azalea Road just off of Roswell Road. It is adjacent to the Roswell River Landing.  AJRA has a fleet of 14 boats that are stored year round at our boathouse.  The club currently owns 8 eights and 6 fours.

Directions to our boathouse:

    AJRA rows on a 6 mile section of the Chattahoochee River that lies between the GA400 bridge on the upstream side and the Morgan Falls Dam on the downstream side.  To see a topographical map  of the river click here (thanks to Bob Baxley).