When you’re serious about rowing, it makes sense to seek out ways to improve and perfect your skills. Even if you don’t plan on being a professional athlete, it’s always worthwhile to get better, whether you’re involved for recreational purposes or trying to get a college scholarship.
Sports camps offer unique opportunities to develop your rowing skills in an immersive environment with top-notch teachers and sometimes professional athletes. However, some of the best camps take place overseas. If you don’t mind traveling, there’s no reason to pass up the opportunity to attend.
Here are four situations when you should consider attending an overseas rowing camp:
- Variety
If you live in an area where rowing isn’t a serious sport, you probably don’t have many rowing camps around. By traveling overseas, you can find plenty of camps that offer a different focus. For example, Sparks Rowing hosts camps for experienced rowers, coxswains, and novices designed to strengthen practical skills and build awareness and mindfulness.
- If it won’t negatively impact your finances
The best rowing camps aren’t cheap, but when you add the cost of traveling, you’ve got a hefty expense. If you’re considering an overseas camp, it’s important to make sure the cost won’t set you back financially. In some cases, it might be worth going into debt temporarily, but only when you can pay it back in a reasonable amount of time.
If you’re in the clear and the cost of traveling overseas won’t hurt your finances, then it might be a good choice if there’s something you can’t get anywhere else.
- Your chosen camp doesn’t exist elsewhere
If your goal is to focus on specific techniques, or you just don’t have a rowing camp in your area, it’s worth traveling to attend. There might be a camp closer than overseas, but if you have to travel no matter what, you may as well choose the exact camp you want to attend.
- You enjoy traveling
As a rower, you might enjoy traveling. Some of the world’s best rowing champions travel the world regularly, and if you go pro, you will be in good company. For example, after Tom Mackintosh won third place in the men’s single scull, he went to Italy to train for the World Rowing Championships that will be held in Serbia.
Here are three situations where you should avoid an overseas rowing camp:
- You don’t want to row in college or go pro
For most people, attending a rowing camp is an investment in their future as an athlete. If you’re just exploring rowing, or if you just enjoy the sport as a hobby, it might not be worth attending an overseas camp. It’s difficult to get formally recruited to row for a college, so if you know this is just for fun, consider the investment you’ll be making before signing up for camp.
Granted, if it’s not a financial burden and you really want to do it, there’s no reason not to go. However, if it will require more time and money than you have to spare, it’s probably not right for you.
- You don’t have the money
At the end of the day, whether or not you go to a rowing camp overseas will boil down to your finances. Do you have the funds available? Will you be depleting your whole savings account for the occasion? If the money isn’t there, you won’t be able to attend without going into debt.
If you’re a dedicated, serious rower, you might feel like it’s worth taking on debt to go overseas. Sometimes that’s true. Just be careful with the loan you take out and make sure the interest isn’t too high. Also, be sure you can pay it back quickly because interest will add up fast.
- You have responsibilities at home
Do you have responsibilities that you can’t pass onto someone else while you’re gone? Are you unable to take time off work and still keep your job? If so, you have two choices: arrange for someone to help or skip the camp.
If this situation applies to you, and you really want to attend an overseas rowing camp, start working on getting a replacement for your duties as soon as possible. You may have to wait for a few camps to pass, but you’ll get there eventually.
Overseas rowing camps have plenty to offer
Sometimes, camps in other countries offer more than what you can get in your homeland. If rowing is your passion and you want to attend a camp overseas, go for it.