Coaching
Available to all members regardless of standard, we have a mix of paid professional coaches and willing volunteers who give up their time for the club. Many of these hold ARA coaching qualifications up to and including Bronze Award level, additionally Ian Roots won the ARA's Senior coach of the year award in 2008.

The club is organised into several different groups according to age, experience, ambition and gender. These are the current groups:

• Senior men
• Novice men
• Senior women
• Beginners
• Masters women
• Masters men
• Recreational veteran women
• Recreational veteran men
• Single scullers
• Coxswains

These 'groups' have organised outings, usually at specific times. In addition authorised club members may take boats for outings on an informal basis. See below for details of each group and if you're not sure where you fit, email the Captain for advice.

Newcomers to the club are welcome and may join for a trial period before committing to membership. We do ask all new people to complete a membership form, so that you've signed our declaration and provided some emergency contact details for us, if you don't do this, you are not insured correctly.

Senior Men
MAABC are actively recruiting new senior men members for the 2010/11 season.

The Senior Men's squad is aiming to repeat and improve on last year's competitive season. As well as finishing again in the top 170 in the Head of the River race, the squad aims to have at least one crew qualify for Henley Royal.

The squad has a history of success, and in recent times has produced rowers such as Tom Solesbury, who have gone on to row for Oxford and Great Britain.

Although ideally looking for rowers with some senior rowing experience, the squad is always receptive to new rowers and coxes of all standards, especially those keen to race at the major summer regattas. The squad prides itself on its friendly and welcoming attitude.

The squad boasts an excellent fleet of boats at their disposal ranging from club singles to eights, and has a number of committed paid and unpaid coaches.

The squad aims to train 6 days a week (8 sessions), increasing in the build up to big races and with the addition of more water sessions as the evenings get lighter. The training requested is however very flexible and we accommodate for those who wish to train away from the club.

For more information please contact the Captain.

Novice and Intermediate Men
This group trains less than the seniors, but still aims to race competitively at local and some big summer regattas. If you wish to row at a competitive standard, but have less experience, are returning to rowing, or are unable to commit to the level of training required in the senior squad, this is the squad for you.

The current group has a mixture of graduates of the MAA learn to row programme and some who have done some rowing before. This squad normally trains alongside the seniors, ensuring a good degree of banter and the opportunity to learn from more experienced athletes. Coached by a number of enthusiastic club volunteers. Please contact the Captain if you are interested in joining the group.

Senior Women
Since September 2007 Ian Roots has led the coaching of this group, ably assisted by George Jones. The coaching team is focused on creating a supportive environment that will enable our small squad to achieve wins at the highest national level (WHR and National Championships), international level (Home International and Commonwealth), with the very top end aiming for GB selection.

In 2009-10, the women's squad had another excellent season, with the following wins:

• Women's Henley Regatta (8 medals - 2 wins - Lwt 4-; Lwt 4x)
• National championships (20 medals - 4 wins - 12 gold, 2 silver, 6 bronze)
• Commonwealth Regatta (Canada) (4 participants, 9 medals - 1 win 2 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze)

To achieve these outstanding results, most of the girls spend the winter months in sculling boats (singles or crew boats) to improve boat moving skills and to prepare the top of the squad for GB selection trials. As we approach the spring, some of the squad start to focus more on crew boats, depending on where their strengths and ambitions lie, but all of the squad, whether they scull or sweep for the summer season, benefit from improving their sculling ability in the early winter. Ian and George are both very experienced sculling and sweep coaches and work hard with the girls to develop technique and boat moving skills.

Outings typically start at 7am on weekends, and the week starts with George's Monday night circuits then the rest of the week is a mix of ergos/weights and water sessions, with regular coached weekday morning sessions available to all. The happy yet competitive environment has assisted the girls to achieve great success on a national and international stage, and the past 5 seasons have seen consistent achivement at WHR, Nat Champs and international success, the best period in the club's history.

The club is very proud of our athletes and cultivates a welcoming and relaxed, but professional environment. We are keen to welcome any new athlete who wants to develop her sculling ability, as well as sweep rowing, and who has ambitions to achieve success at the highest national and GB level. Club sculling boats are available if required, although most athletes in the group have their own boat. Being situated on the upper reach of the tideway towards Chiswick and Richmond, we enjoy the best of the tideway water, and an ideal environment to develop technical skills. Please email Ian directly if you would like to know more, or have ambitions to join this group.

Beginners
MAA has a strong tradition of teaching novices and raw recruits. We have had beginners, male and female go on to race at the Henley regattas, win medals and in exceptional cases international honours.

Nina Padwick, one of our Presidents, runs the beginner courses assisted by club members. The course lasts for 6 weeks and requires a commitment of 4 sessions per week. At the end of the 6 weeks you can choose to join the club and there will be a selection process to decide which group is most suitable for you. We run 2-3 courses each year depending on demand.

Beginners are generally in the age range 18-30 although we occasionally make exceptions, please email Our learn to row co-ordinators, Chris and Nina for full details and the next start date.

Masters Women (A-F)
There are basically 2 groups of Masters women, split mainly into those who can only train evenings and weekends and those who are available to row during weekdays. Both groups are focused more on sculling but do compete in sweep boats when the opportunity arises (eg the Eights heads). Sculling is done in small boats where ability and conditions permit but larger crew boats are available and are used.

Individuals chose their level of partipation from relaxed sculling for fitness, those aiming for wins at local regattas and to those aspiring to the more competive Masters competitions (Nationals, Henley and World). We have a competitive single sculling ladder to allow individuals to compete and measure their progress within the group. Both groups have a wide age range, so you can be sure you fit in somewhere.  

The 'weekday' group meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am and do some weekend sessions. The 'weekend' group meet at 730am on Saturdays (2 sessions) and 830 on Sundays (1 session). Both groups take part in club circuit sessions and have weekly ergos to complete.

Both groups are coached to consistently improve technique and push motivation. Please contact Christine Drake for more information.  

Masters men (C+)
Still training hard throughout the year this group races in mainly eights and fours at local regattas and are organised by Keith Mahoney. Their regular outings are Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am and Tuesday evenings.

Recreational veteran women
Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am see a group of old friends who rowed together (many for GB) in the 1950's and 60's enjoy a sociable row together in quads, doubles and other boats. Any club member who is available at this time is welcome to join the group.

Recreational veteran men
Run on similar lines to the Veteran Womens group, this group met on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am and at 1.30pm on Saturdays for organised outings. This group also mostly sculls, using quads and other smaller sculling boats. Their outings normally consist of a paddle then a race back to the club.

If you are interested in joining any of the veteran/masters groups but are unsure where you fit, please contact the captain to be directed to the best person.

Single scullers
MAA has indoor racking for over 80 sculling boats and additional outside racking. There is a short waiting list maintained by the captain. Please email Rob if you are interested in racking your single with us. Racking is only available to full MAABC members. Rack fees in 2010 are an additional £180/£120 per year for indoor/outdoor racks. Single scullers in private boats are still subject to all club rules, including following British Rowing's RowSafe advice and the PLA navigation rules. All boats must be identified with an MAA number which can be obtained from the captain.

Members who want to learn to scull must do so within an organised group. Inexperienced scullers must never take out a club boat unsupervised as the river can be dangerous. If you want to arrange supervision please talk to your coach, or to the captain or safety advisor.

Coxswains
New coxes are always welcome at MAA - beginner coxes and those new to the tideway are normally coached by Sarah Blackburn. Experienced coxes looking to race at national level and the Henley regattas can join either of the senior squads (contact the relevant coach above). If you have less time to commit, our veteran and intermediate squads always value good coxes and there is plenty of race experience to be had. Please email Sarah if you are interested in coxing for us.

Internationals
In recent years, MAABC has had four members represent Great Britain at World Championships, all coached by MAABC coaches:
George Menheneott W4- 2007 - 4th place (silver at Ottensheim World Cup).
Lorna Norris Lwt4x, 2005 - bronze medal. Coach Richard Tinkler (MAABC) & GBR.
James Di Luzio 2x, World Junior Champion 1997 (with partner Matthew Wells). Coaches Ian Roots & Darren Whiter (GBR).
Sue Appelboom Lwt 1x, 1991, 1995, 1996. Coach Tony James (MAABC).

MAABC has also had representation at the Commonwealth Rowing Championships:

Anna Townsend and Ruth Sander representing England in 2010 - Gold medals in LW pairs, Silver in HW quads, Bronze in LW doubles and Bronze in LW pair (500m) Ruth additionally won Silver in LW single. [Note these games were run under a new format of just 4 female athletes per country].
Beks Edgar and Lorna Brown represented Wales in 2010.

Mel Sage representing England 2006 - Gold medals Lwt 2x and Lwt 4x.
George Menheneott representing England 2006 - Gold medal 2x
Lu Bowden, Tracey Matthews, Eva Bishop and Tash Smith representing England 2006 - Gold medals - 4x
Ingrid Hansen representing Scotland - Silver Lwt 4x
Beks Edgar representing Wales - Bronze Lwt 4x

Pippa Wilson representing England, 2002 - silver medals Hwt 2x (with Charlotte Dalton from Thames RC) and 4x (with Charlotte, Jen Smith from Warwick and Jane Fisher from Worcester).

For more information on the different groups of oarsmen and oarswomen please contact the captain.