Have you always wanted to row a competition in a coastal skiff? Good news from Holland! A Dutch initiative presents the first coastal rowing pop-up coastal race skiff competitions. Rowers will have the opportunity to race and get acquainted with the new international rowing discipline during these events. Here is what the Dutch Rowing Association KNRV says about it:

“Abroad, more and more (international) competitions in the field of coastal rowing are appearing and with the pop-up initiative we can respond to this in the Netherlands”, reports the organization team specially set up for this purpose, including Nico Rienks and Mitchel Steenman. . ”This is how we put coastal rowing on the map in the Netherlands together.”

What is a pop-up contest?

Coastal rowing is slowly but surely gaining in popularity and is high on the agenda to be admitted as an Olympic discipline  The Beach Sprint: TW) in 2028. The rough conditions of wind, waves and currents always provide a sporting challenge for the participants. The branch of sport lends itself perfectly to the concept of so-called pop-up competitions. A pop-up competition is a form of competition in which the announcement is announced shortly in advance and the races take place at a hitherto unknown location.

“At the moment, a relatively small group of people in the Netherlands still practice this branch of the rowing sport… During the pop-up competitions, we will put the emphasis on the single scull for the time being. When choosing locations that are suitable for a competition, we can make good use of the experience that Mitchel has in the smaller boat classes,” says Nico. “And luckily we have Martijn Rom Colthoff in our team. Martijn has been devoted to coastal rowing for years, both as a rower and as an organizer. As initiator, Martijn has brought me and some ladies from the Project2020 team of Rowing Association SilVia to give a new impulse to coastal rowing in the Netherlands. The POP UP competitions are separate from the current coastal classification. They are announced a few weeks in advance and can take place anywhere in the Netherlands. …”

Coastal Rowing POP UP Race locations

Find out the latest POP UP Events in The Netherlands: The races are organized in open coastal waters. Preferably in places where a rowing race has never been held before. That makes the experience extra special. Associations, including non-rowing clubs, that would like to co-organize such a competition can contact the Dutch Association or Rowing in Europe. We will pass your information to the right plave.

A Pop Up Race: How does it work?

The principle of pop-up competitions is flexibility and sponanity: A date and location will be determined approximately four weeks in advance and registration will be opened at enrollments.knrb.nl. Furthermore, the registration process is the same as for any other rowing competition. This set-up makes it possible to switch last minute and to comply with the regulations in force at that time. This does mean that no dates are fixed in advance on the competition calendar. So keep a close eye on the official channels to stay informed of the latest developments. It is also possible to receive an invitation by email for each competition. You can register via this link.

On the race day, there is a maximum of 20 boats per heat. The heat classification is made based on age and the number of registrations. So make sure you get there on time! You can register here.

I don’t have a boat, can I still participate?

No problem! Participants and suppliers of coastal boats are happy to make their equipment available for these competitions against a contribution to the transport costs. This way we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate.

“See it as the ideal opportunity to get acquainted with this new rowing variant,” says Nico. “No major upfront investment is required, just rowing experience. “In this way we can ensure that coastal rowing is gaining ground in the Netherlands and that we as a rowing country can also participate in this discipline internationally. Due to the COVID-19 situation, it will not be possible to present a full program this year, but the concept of pop-up certainly offers perspective. As was shown last July during a pilot in Vinkeveen. Despite the circumstances, we managed to organize a great event. Let’s look at the possibilities of doing that again this year.”