Meet Digger Barnes, he is on the Masters Rowing Commission for British Rowing.

01:00 Masters rowing clubs in UK - they tend to be run by masters rowers around the country. The opportunity for anybody to join and learn to row. Digger started at age 45. That's the really good thing about rowing.

03:15 Major regattas and events in Great Britain

The British Masters Championships in May - has 2 categories - the masters age group or the intermediate event.

The Henley Masters Regatta is in July - run in 2 lanes.

Head racing in the winter includes the Vesta Veterans Head of the River in eights during March run on the Thames in London.

05:30 Innovations in masters rowing

The connectivity between masters groups is changing since covid. Now the group is pre-planned lineups before going out rowing.

All racing is done on points so there is no longer a 'novice' category. There is still age group racing and the points mean they select crews of similar points in separate races when enough enter.

In head races the higher point people start at the front of the race.

09:30 Future plans to develop masters rowing

The British Masters Champs evolves every year. Time handicaps may get updated to become different for men and women in future to ensure fairer racing.

11:00 Adult novices

80% of clubs are volunteer run and his club has a waiting list for over 100 people wanting to learn to row and the majority are masters. Until we find enough volunteers to help them, we can't take on many novices. It's important not to disappoint them through the first 12 months of their membership.

British Rowing does not have a masters strategy or a masters pathway. We have to do what we can locally, the federation won't be helping masters novices.

When Digger learned to row in a 10 week beginners course and he knew he couldn't row well after that. He doesn't want others to have the same experience.

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