PROGRAM STRUCTURE
ROWING ELITE PROGRAM
PROGRAM COST & DATES
FAQ’s
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
@saiieathletics
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
At SAIIE, we work with well-renowned local rowing clubs in Sevilla to help student rowers perfect their skills. College rowers will have the opportunity to study with us and train with the rowing team while earning college credits.
The Rowing program allows students, during the summer, to train alongside top rowers. Along with training, you will need to take a minimum of one course taught in English or Spanish(3-4 credits). The courses we offer are in Spanish Language, Spanish Culture, and Liberal Arts.
To learn more about the academic program that we offer at SAIIE through the summer please visit our website here.
ROWING ELITE PROGRAM
Students participating in this rowing program will row during the early mornings or evenings depending on class schedule. Classes are from Monday - Friday. The group of students will be coached by coaches with National Coaching certifications.
Rowing program Includes:
- 4 weeks of rowing training sessions
- 5 water sessions per week mixed with gym work - Coach will plan this
- Gym membership throughout the duration of the program at the rowing club.
- Access to rowing machines (ergometer) and weight room.
Rowing requirements:
- Must be at least a sophomore in College.
- Students must be rowing on their varsity team back at their college.
- In the 2k Concept Rowing Ergometer test female student-athletes cannot exceed 7:20 and male student-athletes 6:20.
Please note: If you exceed these times, please contact the Program Manager, Sean Chipres, at seanrc@saiie.com
Rowing typical practice
- Starts with dinamic stretching and warm up.
- Coach will explain practice and athletes will go out to the water.
- Start up with some warm up exercises on the water.
- Continue with steady state, drills, and fartlek intervals
PROGRAM COSTS & DATES - 2025
Summer session: $400 (This is an additional cost to the overall program cost. Tuition and fees still apply) Dates: Mid May – Mid June, 2025
Cost Includes:
Application Deadline: April 1
If you do not see your question listed here please contact us.
What do I bring/wear to practice? How intense is the training? How is the team at Club Náutico? What boats do you usually row in at Club Náutico? What water sessions do you usually do? What is the coaching like? How often do you do weights? What other training do you do? What is the weather like during May/June? How far are the training facilities from SAIIE? How much money will I spend on transportation to training?
Wear athletic clothes, spandex, running shoes, hat, sunglasses. Bring a full refillable water bottle, and don't forget your sunscreen!
The training is challenging, there are usually two sessions a day, one session on the water and one in the gym. The weights program is challenging and the water sessions include a mixture of tough sessions with hard pieces and more mileage focused sessions. The program will definitely push you and improve your fitness but there is also time for recovery.
The team is very friendly and welcoming. There are a lot of very good athletes in the team who are technically experienced and are very fit.The team is quite big so there is some depth in the squad which makes it easier to fit into.
The team rows in a variety of boats, there are opportunities to sweep in 8s, 4s or pairs, or scull in a single, doubles or a quad, this usually depends on how many athletes there are at the session. However the coach is very accommodating so if you prefer to sweep or scull there is usually the option to do one or the other. It is a good opportunity to gain experience in boats you don’t usually row in at home.
Usually we warm up by doing some mobility exercises on land and then we warm up from arms only on the water and progressively add bodies, legs etc. The sessions typically range in mileage and intensity, there is a training program for each week. Some sessions will be longer paddles with a more technical focus, whereas other sessions will be more intense with short or long pieces.
David is a highly experienced coach who has coached at an Olympic level. He coaches in Spanish but it is quite easy to understand what he is telling you and he can also demonstrate what you are doing, some of the other rowers also speak English so they can help.
Usually there are weights sessions 4 times a week in the program, however this can change depending on the time of the season, for example there could be less weights sessions if there is a regatta coming up. The weights program is challenging and really improves your strength. Usually the exercises are organised in a circuit and the team tries to do this at the same time which means there is a good atmosphere in the gym with Spanish music etc.
There is also a mixture of ergometer training and some recovery x-train sessions, for example there is sometimes an hour long x-train (usually the rowers do this on the bike). There are sometimes days where there will be a hard erg on the program which the rowers usually try to do together.
This time of year is very hot in Seville, in the day the weather averages 90's ºF and sometimes reaches 100's ºF. Bring cool clothing.
The club is quite close to SAIIE, it is about 20 mins on the bus and public transport is very cheap in Seville, or it is around 30 mins walking. There is also the option to join the gym in the SAIIE building for a reduced price, which could be a convenient option to fit in gym sessions during the school day.
In the case you are not in walking distance and you have to cath a bus to trainings you will not spend more than $25 for the entire month. Around the city they are also bikes and motor electric scooters that can be use for a small fee (great to move around the city for students). The city of Seville has a great bike lane.
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who wants to keep training but also wants to get an abroad experience. David is very open and will allow you time to travel but if you come to train he will throw in you in a boat, it’s a lot of fun, you meet a lot of new people, get to practice the language. Overall it was a great experience!
Austin Letorney
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
I am so grateful for the opportunity provided by the SAIIE Summer Rowing Program. As Club Nautico Sevilla's first ever American rower through SAIIE I was warmly welcomed and integrated into both their practice and competitive race schedule on the beautiful Guadalquivir River/Canal de Alfonso XIII. The ability to complete my international requirements to graduate with International Honors from the University of Alabama while remaining consistent with my on water and weight training regimen through the SAIIE Rowing Program was both academically rewarding and athletically advantageous.
Logan O’neil
University of Alabama
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