United We Row

Interested in Classification?

If you are interested in becoming a US Para Classifier, please review the following information. Classifier Workshops are held approximately every other year in various locations throughout the US. A link to register is provided below. Ideally, a Medical and Technical Classifier should register from the same locale so they can perform classifications together.

Professional Expectation: Certified Classifiers are expected to classify 1 athlete per year in each of the 3 Sport Classes to maintain their certification. 

Why Classify?

You may already be a Para or Adaptive Rowing Coach or work as a volunteer at your local club and would like to be more involved with preparing your athletes for the Para Pipeline or supporting their rowing at local regattas. US Classifiers perform their job as part of a 2-person Team ( Medical and Technical) who work in tandem to assess a rower during a one-hour time period, usually at your local club or regional event. Occasionally, Classifier Teams will be asked to travel to events to assess a larger number of rowers. After attending a Classification Workshop and becoming certified, Classifiers who work outside their local community may be offered travel and a per diem to cover expenses with prior approval. By becoming a classifier, you join an expert team who are integral to the success of our US Adaptive and Para Athletes. 

Basic Classification Workshop Participant Profile Prerequisites:

Participants must be either a medical professional (to train as a Medical Classifier) or someone with a recognized Rowing coaching qualification* (to train as a Technical Classifier). 

• Medical professionals include a medical doctor, physiotherapist, or occupational therapist, with a current professional license to practice by a nationally recognized authority. Medical Classifier candidates must have clinical experience in the assessment techniques used in World Rowing Classification (manual muscle testing, goniometric ROM measurement, and relevant neurological testing methods).
• Technical Classifier candidates must have knowledge and understanding of the sport of Rowing. (This is also encouraged for Medical Classifier candidates).
• Participants must have successfully completed the online classification course through the World Rowing Academy. (The online course will be sent to pre-qualified candidates to complete before the workshop).
• Experience with individuals with impairment and activity limitations, especially those impairments most common in Rowing, is an asset. (Common impairments include amputation, orthopaedic musculoskeletal conditions, and other neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, brain injury, and cerebral palsy).

* Interested individuals without a Rowing coaching qualification will be asked to submit their coaching and/or rowing history for approval before registering for a Basic Classification Workshop. Athletes with these qualifications who wish to become a Classifier must not have competed in a World Rowing event for a two-year period prior to attending the Basic Classification Workshop.