Competition FAQs

USRowing is making a commitment to our community. Per-athlete fees enable us to more readily support athletes with financial restrictions. Our plan is to direct a portion of overall domestic competition revenue to community initiatives, including those that reduce economic barriers to regatta participation like our Bridge and Community memberships. These programs provide the benefits of championship membership at no extra cost and eliminate entry fees at the USRowing Youth Series. 

The per-athlete model also standardizes the cost of participation regardless of boat class or number of events (subject to per-regatta event limits).  

Each athlete will be charged the same one-time fee unless their entry fees are waived as part of Bridge or Community membership.

USRowing Championship membership is required to compete at the USRowing Youth Series.

The registration process on RegattaCentral will be similar to prior years. The coach or team representative will still select the boats that they are registering and add lineups in accordance with all entry and lineup deadlines.  

To add an athlete to your lineup, this athlete must already exist on your club roster and have a USRowing member number. This will streamline the compliance process, enabling compliance emails to go to athletes competing at each regatta in a timely manner. 

The coach or team representative will not pay for their entries until the final lineup deadline closes. This will allow the coach or team representative to make lineup changes without worrying about being reimbursed.  

An invoice will be sent to the coach or team representative immediately when lineup changes close. This invoice will include line items for each athlete. If the athlete has a waived fee due to a Bridge or Community membership, that athlete’s line-item fee will be $0.00.  

All invoices must be paid by the coach or team administrator by the payment deadline stated in the respective entry packet. 

• USRowing Central Youth Championships  
• USRowing Mid-Atlantic Youth Championships  
• USRowing Northeast Youth Championships 
• USRowing Northwest Youth Championships  
• USRowing Southeast Youth Championships 
• USRowing Southwest Youth Championships  
• USRowing Youth National Championships  

The per-athlete entry fee will not be introduced for the RowFest National Championships. 

All USRowing Relevant Adult Participants are required to take the 90-minute SafeSport Trained course. Additionally, 30-minute annual refresher courses are available as part of this series after the initial training has been completed. Any member who is not defined as a Relevant Adult Participant is not required to complete any form of SafeSport training. For more information, review our  USRowing Safe Sport Policy. 

Below is a summary. 

Forecast Competition Investments

The costs of running safe, fair, and memorable regattas are increasing significantly. This is particularly challenging for our youth regional events, where historically entry fees have been insufficient to offset costs. We believe these regattas are critical to our mission, so we’re taking the following steps to make these events financially sustainable while keeping participation costs down over time: 

• Increase venue diversity. The more venue opportunities we have, the more competition for business we create. Currently, we have 1-2 venues per region that meet our standards to host a regional championship. We're continuing to meet with convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) and cities to discuss what rowing can bring to their city and how to build a venue that can benefit all types of rowers.   
• Increase our sponsorship list. We are exploring multiple sponsorship and onsite activation opportunities to reduce regatta dependence on entry fees and improve our regatta experiences.  
• Increase interest in rowing. We’re working on growing the sport of rowing through exposure at regattas. By partnering with city governments and CVBs, we can bring the community to the waterfront, increasing the interest in our sport to benefit these communities and your clubs. 

• Bid System. We’re streamlining the USRowing Youth National Championships’ bid process to ensure that teams and athletes can confirm their trips as early as possible. The youth nationals’ bid will be under the control of the coach and is further explained in the youth series entry packets. 
• Trailer Set Up. We’re launching a new parking system at all youth series regattas that removes uncertainty and improves the experience for both teams and trailer drivers, including where to park, space allocations, and onsite assistance.  
• Upgraded Safety Checklist. We've updated our safety checklist to continue to ensure safe and fair conditions prior to the start of the regatta.  

• Video Production. We’re excited to deliver live streaming at all youth regional events, so coaches and athletes can watch replays and spectators can watch the entirety of the race, no matter their location.  
• Coaches Tent. At the USRowing Youth National Championships, we will offer a coaches tent that provides a space for all coaches to get out of the sun, grab a bite to eat, network with other coaches, and grab some giveaways. This tent will be available starting the first day of practice. 
• On-land activations. We’re eager to grow the festival-like feel at all events in the youth series to deliver a more memorable experience for competitors and spectators alike. We look forward to partnering with more rowing, health and wellness, and local vendors, as well as offering new off-water activities for all attendees. 
• Inclusion Procedures. In our venue contracts, we’ve created inclusion procedures to ensure everyone feels welcome at our youth series regattas. This includes items like LOC inclusivity training, inclusive messaging throughout the venue, and much more.