Rowing & Sculling

Whether you are new to this sport or a seasoned athlete wanting to refine your skill set we are happy to work with you.  We enjoy sharing our passion for being on the water and look forward to showing you how to move with greater ease and freedom.  The first session is typically done on land with an erg and/or Calvin Coffey ergometer (sculling machine) trainer with video to watch yourself live as we break down the stroke.  Depending upon the time of year and weather conditions we spend time on the water focusing on specific drills to have you move more efficiently.  We believe you learn best when you can see yourself in action and use video filming to help you make the necessary changes.

  • Interested in learning how to row and/or scull?
  • Already know how to row and/or scull but want to refine your skill set to move the boat better with less strain on your body?
  • Have you picked up some old habits that don’t serve you or caused an injury or two that might limit your training time on the water and range of motion?
  • Do you move the boat as efficiently as possible?  How connected are you from your feet to your hands?
  • Are you optimizing your training time on land and on the water?
  • Finish each workout feeling satisfied with an understanding of what you can do to improve and how to accomplish this for your future row?

For many rowers and scullers finding the balance between getting enough water time and cross training can be challenging.  We have developed an online training option for you to stay focused with targeted individualized movements to enhance your balance, coordination, flexibility and range of motion all in the comfort of your own home or gym.   We are also available for private and small group training sessions on land and water.  For more details about training locations and cost, please contact us.

BU Masters Sculling Program

Interested in sculling on the Charles River and want weekly coaching?  We have a very nice group of master’s scullers with varying levels of abilities. I run the AM training practices for both the Summer, Fall and Spring programs.

Each practice is run as an independent training session allowing each boat to move as fast or as slow as they feel comfortable on the water.  Attempting to have each athlete stay together leads to too much time being wasted.  I make sure everyone understands the rules of the water while keeping safety our first priority before pushing off the dock.  All the necessary equipment is provided (racing shells and oars) but each athlete is responsible for having a working set of bow and stern lights properly mounted/secured to the boat.

The fall training sessions are meant for experienced scullers only wishing to enhance existing skill sets on the water.  Launching from the BU dock is also the start of the HOCR race course requiring each athlete to understand how to yield and pass safely.

BU handles all the course registration fees and scheduling.

Instructor: Melissa Poplaski

Location: BU Boathouse 619 Memorial Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139

Click here for latest course schedule and online registration.