ARC Policy:

APPROVED BOW PERSONS

Purpose:

The purpose of the policy is to describe a process to give all members of the Club the opportunity to bow a club-owned single, double/pair, or quad while maximizing both their safety and that of the equipment.

Rationale:

The rowing course at the ARC (from Ontario Place to the Humber River) is difficult to navigate, with many hazards. The safety of ARC’s membership is of paramount importance. Club equipment, as a limited asset, must also be safeguarded, to ensure that it continues to be available for all to use.

Policy Statement:

All members of the ARC who wish to bow a club-owned 1x, 2x/- or 4x must be approved as Bow Persons through the procedure described below, before they will be allowed to bow a “blind boat”.  

Definitions:

• Member – an active member of the Argonaut Rowing Club in the current membership year.
• Approved Bow Person – An active member who uses Club equipment and is permitted to bow any boat class.
• Club Rower – any adult member who uses Club equipment and is not in a competitive program.
• Masters Athlete – any adult member over the age of 21 who is in one of the “Masters” programs (ie. Masters Women’s Performance; Masters Women’s Development; Masters Men).
• U23/Sr Athlete – any member who is part of the Under-23 and Senior program.
• Club Rowing Hours – any time that a member of a competitive program rows outside of their scheduled practice time. This is applicable to any Member.

Criteria for Approval:

Members will be approved to bow a boat if they meet the following criteria: 

1. Attended a Bowing Clinic in 2024 or 2025 – the first Bowing Clinic was offered in September 2023. While helpful, the information presented, topics covered, and method of delivery have changed; therefore, attending the 2023 Bowing Clinic does not count towards current bow approval criteria.
2. Completed an on-water Bow Training Session – knowledge gained in the Clinics becomes practical in these on-water training sessions. One cannot do a Bow Training without first having attended a Bowing Clinic.
3. Historical Record – members who have a proven track record of zero incidents and positive feedback are able to continue bowing without having met the above two criteria. The Historical Record is automatically 0 (zero) for the entire first year of a rower’s involvement in the Club Rowing program. On the one-year anniversary of them joining Club Rowing the Historical Record begins.
4. Coaches’ Discretion Factor – if a Member does not meet any of the above criteria but has worked with a coach and the coach feels confident in the Member’s ability to bow unsupervised, the coach can vouch for the Member to the Rowing Manager to be allowed to bow outside of their program times.

Application:

This Policy is applied as follows: 

1. This policy does not apply to Private Boat Owners when they are using their own equipment.
2. Club Rowers in their first year of membership, must attend a Bowing Clinic and complete a Bow Training in order to bow. Their Historical Record is zero.
3. Club Rowers who have been a member of ARC for over one year, but do not have at least one full year of bowing experience must attend a Bowing Clinic and complete a Bow Training in order to bow. Their Historical Record is zero 
4. Club Rowers who have at least one full year of bowing experience with no incidents or reported concerns may continue bowing. Their Historical Record is one.
5. Rowers who are part of the U23/Sr program or a Masters program, are allowed to bow when rowing in their scheduled practice time with a coach.
6. Rowers who are part of the U23/Sr program or a Masters program and are rowing outside of their scheduled practice time (“Club Rowing Hours”), must meet one of the following:

1. Have attended a Bowing Clinic and completed a Bow Training;
2. Have a good Historical Record of at least one year; or
3. Have your coach vouch for your bowing ability to the Rowing Manager.

Application of this Policy to Members:

The Argonaut Rowing Club currently has over 250 members over the age of 18. While this policy aims to simplify and generalise the rules around who is allowed to bow and when (inside coached hours vs. Club rowing hours), it is recognised that when this policy is put into effect, many people who have been bowing will suddenly no longer be able to bow anymore which will have a ripple effect on which crews can go out and how often.

It is not the goal of this policy to restrict people from rowing, rather, we want to raise the floor and create an overall better educated membership and a safer rowing environment for all. 

If you have any concerns about someone else’s ability to bow effectively, you can submit your concerns via the Club Feedback Form.

Approved by the Board of Directors: September 5, 2024