We are incredibly fortunate to have a large number of active volunteer coaches in our club, many of whom have extensive experience gained from rowing or coxing at national and international level. Meet a few below, although some may look a bit different!
Are you interested in Coaching at Exeter RC? If you’d like to help us by coaching or volunteering our Junior Squad please do get in touch.
Tim Spencer - Learn to row and development coach
"I joined ERC in Aug 1984 (at the age of 23!) when the club used the Prospect Inn as the social centre and our small number of boats were stored in some of the cellars (now retail units) along the Regatta straight. Got my first win July 1985 and went on to reach Senior B status.
My “claims to fame” are being part of the crew that featured on BBC TV coverage in the Eights Head on the Thames, and doing a weekly report in the local paper, along with a spell doing a ten minute feature on ERC most Saturdays on local radio! Years on, I started helping with a bit of
coaching in an attempt to give back to the sport I have enjoyed so much! Qualified as a coach in 1992.
My aims in coaching are to make rowing as accessible to as many people as possible by helping to raise the profile of the club in Exeter, and for all those new rowers to enjoy the sport as much as I do!"
Stephen Otter - Performance coach
"I have been coaching junior athletes at Exeter Rowing Club for the past two years and have enjoyed seeing the way our young members have grown in confidence and ability in a highly technical and physically demanding sport. And had fun at the same time!
I was 15 years old when I started rowing at a comprehensive school in Wallingford. Although we were coached by a teacher at the school, we were not allowed to train in school time and boated from the town's rowing club situated on the longest stretch of the Thames between locks - quite the opposite of the stretch of water we have to train on in Exeter.
In 1979 and 1980 I rowed mainly in pairs and a fours and won gold medals at the National Schools Regatta and National Championships in both years; and at some international regattas such as Mannheim and Ratzeburg. Selected to row for GB, I rowed at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Moscow in 1979 and Hazelwinkle in 1980. I also reached the final of the Britannia Cup at Henley Royal Regatta (HRR) in 1980. A highlight of my school rowing was when we won the Queen Mother Challenge Cup at the National Schools Regatta in a borrowed eight. This was the first and only time a state school has ever won that event.
After school, I rowed for Leander Club in an eight and coxless four, and in 1981 reached the final of the Wyfold Challenge Cup at HRR and represented GB at the U23 Match des Seniors in Essen. Since then I rowed intermittently, rowing for: Hong Kong at two Far East championships and the China National Championships where we won bronze in the eights event; Vesta Rowing Club; Furnival Rowing Club (coaching); and the Metropolitan and Devon and Cornwall Police rowing clubs."
Paul Wilson - Intermediate coach
"I first took up rowing at school in February 1967! I spent half an hour in our outdoor rowing tank and this was followed by an outing sat in the two seat of an eight. After rowing all through the summer term, I first joined ERC in July of that year. My first race for the Club was in the J18 fours at Torquay Regatta where for some reason we ended up being disqualified - I never knew why!
In my second year of rowing at school, I was fortunate enough to secure a seat in the School First Eight and the highlight of that was to compete in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.On leaving school I rowed for Club commuting between home and Portsmouth where I was doing a degree. In 1970 I was a member of the crew that won the first regatta for the club away from WEARA when we won the Novice Fours at Monmouth Regatta.
On completing my degree, I was asked to take up the position of Club Captain in the autuimn of 1974. This came as a complete surprise but it was a role I fulfilled for fours years. In 1979 I was asked to take over as Club Chairman and this is a positon I have held at various times for 25 years! I have also been Club President twice.
I completed the Bronze level Coaching course in 1975 and since than I have coached at all levels in the Club at various times. My early regular coaching was focussed mainly on the men's and women's novice squads where we had a lot of success, particularly with the women. Following that, I was asked to take on the Club's Learn to Row programme and I organised and ran some seventeen courses with varying degrees of success. With a change of emphasis, I joined the team to help with coaching our very successful Junior Squad which is where I am now."