Gap year rowing

Thames welcomes athletes taking a gap year before or during university. Our ‘gappies’ recently have come from the UK, US and the Netherlands among other countries and have gone on to study and row at universities including Yale, Brown, Stanford, Durham and Newcastle. We have a strong relationship with a number of institutions as well as with under-23 national team coaches.

Please email our head coach, Sander Smulders, if you are a prospective gap year athlete.

Why do a gap year at Thames?

Gap year athletes will develop both as rowers and as young adults, training in a squad with significant diversity in their rowing and career backgrounds. We can help you develop skills that will help you succeed at university, including technical rowing ability, physical capacity, and interaction with others.

What are the erg requirements for gap year athletes at Thames?

We do not set a required erg standard, but competitive times would be sub-6:30 for male athletes and sub-7:40 for female athletes.

What does the training look like and where do you race?

Both the men’s and women’s squads train approximately 10 times a week, with 2-3 water sessions on weekday mornings or evenings, water sessions at weekends, and erg and strength and conditioning sessions on weekdays. Land training is completed when it best suits the athlete.
The squads go on training camp in May, usually to Spain for 10 days.
We race the major head of the river races on the Tideway from September-March, culminating in the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race and the Head of the River Race; recently we have also attended the Heineken Roievierkamp in Amsterdam in March; in the summer, we race Wallingford, Metropolitan and Marlow Regattas at Eton Dorney in the lead-up to Henley Women’s Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. During the winter we run regular match racing with clubs including Cambridge University, and we will also attend some other summer regattas.

What support does the club provide?

Thames cannot offer help with obtaining any necessary visas to live in the UK, but will put you in touch with previous gap year athletes who can provide advice on their experiences.
The club can help put you in touch with prospective housemates; there are usually a number of newcomers to the club also seeking local accommodation at the start of the season, and many club members share a house with their teammates.

How much does rowing at Thames cost?

Gap year athletes are charged our under-25 membership (£500 for the 2025/26 season), plus a £50 joining fee. There is a 10% prompt payment discount on membership if paid in full by mid-October.
Additional costs include: any kit purchased, training camp (approximately £700), race fees (approximately £550 annually), and accommodation during Henley Royal Regatta.

What if I am a cox?

We welcome coxswains as gap year athletes and some of our past coxswain gappies have gone away with a red box from Henley at the end of their year!

What happens at the end of my gap year?

We like to stay in touch with our gappies, celebrate their achievements after Thames, and welcome them back if they decide to return to London after university. We often run summer boats in the intermediate events at Henley Royal Regatta for US-based students.