About Us & How to Join

UT Chattanooga began collegiate rowing in 1984 under Dr. Terry Carney (see Team History for more

information).  The UTC Rowing team is a club sport program.  This means that the program is not part

of the athletic department, nor is it funded by the University (there are no scholarships).  The team is

responsible for raising all money to cover expenses for regattas (entry fees, transportation and housing)

as well as operating expenses.  UTC Rowing uses a number of fundraising activities (hosting the

Tennessee Indoor Rowing Championships, the annual silent auction, the annual luncheon at Outback

Steakhouse @ Hamilton Place, BI-LO and FOOD LION Booster programs and by selling shirts at

regattas).  For more information on the fundraising activities, see the Fundraising section.   For t-shirt

information, see the Merchandise section under "shirts sold at regattas".   UTC Rowing also charges the

students a fee of $100 per semester.  This fee covers costs for entries at regattas, housing, food at the regatta

site and transportation to and from the regatta site.  Starting in the Fall Semester of 2008, the fee will also be

used to help with the costs of hiring an assistant coach.   Each semester, UTC Rowing gets an allocation from

the Student Government Association Club Sports Fund, plus the team accepts tax decutable donations from

alumni and parents (which go towards equipment purchases).

How To Join

   UTC Rowing is open to any UTC student.  To be a member of the UTC Rowing Team, you  do not need any prior rowing experience.  About 95%  of college rowers start when they get to college.  We will teach you everything you need to know about rowing.  And your first year that you compete, you will only race against other college rowers in their first year of college rowing.  This is called the Novice category.  We have a fall and a spring racing season.

   Practices for the new/novice rowers are at two times Monday thru Friday. There is a practice at 3 PM and another one at 4:30 PM; so practices last for 1 ½ hours. The team does practice five times a week, but if a student cannot be there due to a class or work conflict one day a week, that is not a problem to work around. The two times accommodate more flexibility for students, provide for safety (by dividing the “novice” rowers equally into two groups each afternoon), and makes sure that there is enough equipment for the rowers to use.  The focus is to provide an athletic opportunity for students that compliments the academic process and promotes a healthy mind as well as a healty body.  The regattas/competitions are on weekends, so the team leaves on Fridays after classes and returns on Saturday nights (after the regatta if we can be back before 11 pm) or on Sundays.

   We need all body types in rowing, from 4' 10" to 6' 8".  There is room for everyone with lightweight

rowing and open weight categories, as well as a need for coxswains (those under 120 lbs).  There are no tryouts, no cuts and no benchwarmers.  Everyone on the team will get to race at regattas.  We can enter more than one boat at most regattas, which allows for the opportunity for every team  member to get to race.  

   Some Fall Regattas are the Intra-squad Regatta, the Chattanooga Head Race, the Head of the

Tennessee Regatta (Knoxville, TN), the Hobbs Island Regatta (Huntsville, AL), the Head of the

Hooch (Chattanooga, TN) and possibly the Head of the South (Augusta, GA).

   Some  Spring Regattas usually include Tennessee Cup (site TBD annually), President’s Cup (Tampa, FL), SERCS (Aiken, SC), Clemson Sprints (Clemson, SC), John Hunter (Oak Ridge, TN), Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Championships (SIRA in Oak Ridge, TN) and the Dad Vail Regatta (Philadelphia, PA).

   For more information about the UTC Rowing Team, please contact Coach Robert Espeseth at 423-425-5333 or via e-mail at robert-espeseth@utc.edu.  For more information regarding regattas go to the schedule secton.