Dutch Small Boat Challenge
Please Join Us - Early Bird Rates Available Until January 31
The mission of Sparks challenge camps is to intensively train athletes in key areas of rowing development while exploring their personal relationship with performance.
Category
Challenge
Ages
15
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17
The Greatest Small Boat Country In the World
Holland is the greatest small boat country in the world. The Netherlands tied GB for the most 2024 Olympic rowing medals, with Holland winning more small boat events.
Small boats enable boat feel, autonomy, and bladework skills that cannot be accessed in larger sweep shells. As a result, most rowing countries's athlete development schemes (including Holland) begin novices in small boats and work towards the eight as the ultimate experience of rowing after athletes have developed the focus and ability to move smaller shells autonomously.
Dutch culture, with its strong emphasis on autonomy and independence, aligns well with Sparks' mission to teach self-mastery through rowing. That's why Sparks offers two distinct sessions of this program—one with racing and the other focused on technical mastery.
Racing in Holland is an exhilarating experience, complete with the opportunity to compete at the Dutch International Youth Regatta. However, the technical session offers something equally valuable: an intensively focused environment without the distraction of racing to develop personal strategies for faster technical adaptation. Both sessions aim to elevate your rowing IQ and transfrom your technique, but each takes a different path to that goal.
Training occurs twice daily. You won't be able to choose the boats you're assigned to, but every boat has something to teach. You must be patient and mature enough to handle learning new things on a continual basis. The reward is an increased competence in sculling and smaller boats as well as a more intimate relationship with the sport and performance that you can utilize in your continued journey of improvement long after camp ends.
The racing session (June 24 - July 6) finishes at the Dutch International Youth Regatta at the end of the program - a multi-day event with multiple races in different boat for each athlete. You may find yourself racing in a single, with other program athletes in small boats, and if you're lucky, potentially even subbing into a Dutch crew to row down the course. Dutch rowers qualify for the Dutch junior national team by winning the regatta, so stiff competition is guaranteed!
The technical session (July 8 - 20) is more physically demanding with a smaller cohort. Here, the emphasis is on mastering your pursuit of technical change via volume and challenge. You'll use SMART goal setting and mindfulness amongst other tools to leave with a more self-aware, structured approach to achieving rapid technical progress. This program can also be combined with our Thames Racing Challenge to provide two weeks of internally focused small boat technical work in Holland followed by two weeks of large boat sweep racing in England.
We do not require prior sculling or small boat experience for this program.
Admissions
Our challenge two week programs offer athletes a chance to improve their training and racing self-awareness (rowing "IQ") so they may better pursue rowing performance. The Dutch Small Boat Challenge provides Dutch small sculling boats and coaching as catalysts for reflection and performance.
First: you should aspire to improve your perspective of yourself as a rowing athlete.
Second: you should possess the emotional maturity necessary to integrate with the group and your own relationship with performance.
Finally: you should possess the fitness to get the most out of the program.
Athletes accepted to the Dutch Small Boat Challenge cohort tend to be rising sophomores/grade 10/fifth form and rising juniors/grade 11/lower sixth.
Step 1: Initial Application
Submit your registration and pay the $895 deposit; we will accept the deposit to process your application and hold your place. If you are not offered a place, the full deposit is refundable.
Step 2: Written Application
This program informs athletes' approach to rowing performance by enabling the self awareness to guide independent development. Athletes should seek a deeper relationship with rowing performance, possess a drive to learn and improve, and an adventurous spirit.
The Dutch Small Boat Challenge Written Application is comprised of these response prompts:
- What about this specific program appeals to you?
- Evaluate yourself as a rowing athlete - what are your strengths and weaknesses, and how will this program help you grow?
- Evaluate yourself as a teammate. Discuss the ways you are a supportive teammate and explain how you'd like to grow.
- Please provide a brief summary of your rowing experience including a recent 2,000m ergometer score.
- Please upload a short (~1 minute) video of yourself on the ergometer or water.
(Please do not worry about editing or perfect quality - 10-20 strokes from the side will do.
The prompts will be submitted on your Sparks user dashboard and are due within 14 days of initial application.
Step 3: Zoom Interview
You will schedule your interview from your Sparks user dashboard after you submit your written application. During the interview we will talk about the program, your written application, and how the opportunity aligns with your experience, values, and goals.
Step 4: Decision
Upon acceptance full payment is due by March 1. Full payment is due within 14 days for applications received after March 1.
Admissions occurs on a rolling basis. Timeline for decisions is within a week of the interview; if your timeline is shorter, we can work with you. Written applications must be submitted within 14 days of initial application, and interviews must be scheduled within 30 days of initial application.
At A Glance
Excellent Staff at Low Ratios
Thoughtful Admissions
High Standards of Behavior
Reading and Writing at Camp
Healthy Hospitality
The Reflective Cycle
Camp Focuses
Racing
Small Boats
Sculling
FAQ
What is the cancellation/refund policy?
- You will be placed on the applicant list for this program when you register by submitting the $895 deposit and your initial information/application.
- If you are not accepted, we will work to find you a slot elsewhere or provide a full refund.
- If you complete the admissions process (see above) and are accepted for a slot in this program, we will send you an acceptance letter. If you are accepted:
- Full payment is due by March 1
- $395 of the $895 deposit is refundable until March 1
- We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance with cancel for any reason coverage within 21 days of receiving your acceptance letter to protect your camp purchase and any applicable travel after March 1.
- Sparks offers travel protection plans from TravelSafe. Learn more about travel protection here
- You can cover the deposit initially then add the full cost of the program and flight later.
- The policy will also cover 75% of the $500 non-refundable part of the deposit in the case you withdraw prior to March 1.
- Sparks offers travel protection plans from TravelSafe. Learn more about travel protection here
- If you do not complete the written application and schedule your interview within 30 days of deposit, $395 of $895 remains refundable until March 1.
- If you withdraw after March 1, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever (including, but not limited to: voluntary withdraw, illness or injury, summer school, security concerns or other reasons).
- If your camper leaves camp after it starts, there are no refunds for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to: voluntary withdrawal, illness or injury, dismissal by Sparks (due to discipline, behavior, lack of fitness or motivation, etc.) security concerns, or any other reason. Any costs incurred by Sparks as a result of an early departure are the sole responsibility of the parents.
In the unlikely case a camp does not proceed, we’ll work to notify you by March 1. You’ll be offered a different program or refund. We recommend buying your flight after March 1.
Do you offer scholarships or discounts?
We offer discounted prices for "early bird" registrations prior to January 31.
Regarding Scholarships:
Please see this link to our NCAA Compliance webpage.
What level of experience is necessary for this program?
Average age is 16 with 1.5 years in the sport. That said, "experience" of 1.5 years can vary significantly depending on team and region. We evaluate each athlete on a case by case basis in the admissions process.
It is helpful sometimes to consider what can be accomplished at camp in the timespan to decide whether one's level of experience is a fit for the program. Holland is an intermediate camp that fits between our shorter, much larger introductory collegiate camps at places like Penn and our longer leadership level programming in New Zealand.
The two week length enables realization of technical and educational benefits prior to departing camp. That said: our objective is to enable the athletic self-awareness necessary for camp athletes to coach themselves over the long run - long after camp ends. As such: if learning and technical improvements are your goal set (combined with getting some international racing in!), then Holland may be a good fit for you.
Tell me more about admissions for this program - how selective is it?
Our admissions process is the most thoughtful in the sport and we evaluate each athlete on a case by case basis.
This program is selective based on the need for safety during small boat workouts and to create competitive boatings for racing.
While we look 2K and rowing experience, we are also very interested in your motivation and passion for rowing. At our camps, the drive to improve leads to increased maturity and thoughtfulness - which leads to performance.
We also consider your ability to live, train, and support others in a community committed to utilizing challenge for personal growth. Sparks camps are unlike traditional training camps in that progress in self-awareness per your relationship with performance is as important as acute technical progress. Ideal candidates will complete the program with gains in both self-awareness and corresponding ability to improve long after camp ends.
We welcome your questions either via phone or in the chat box in the right hand corner.
What differentiates Sparks camps and this program specifically?
We are the only camp in rowing with a full-time staff that has academic and professional backgrounds in experiential education. We also have a summer operations staff (many are returners that teach during the school year) who buy into the idea of personal growth at camp not just for campers - but for themselves as well.
The result is a culture sincerely committed to the power of rowing as a personally transformative experience built on vulnerability, thoughtfulness, responsibility, and initiative. These qualities along with our values of growth, kaizen, and plus one stroke dictate the culture our camp community forms around. Our focus is on utilizing rowing to create the self-awareness necessary to master one's relationship with performance.
Holland offers the opportunity to race in an incredibly competitive field: European junior small boats. But more importantly, it offers students of the sport the ability to educate themselves (and get ahead) in what is arguably a more advanced athlete development system than the US. Finally, given the group size and cultural activities - we expect students to find more than rowing performance on this trip. We also hope for them to find friendship, support for their journey, and joy.
How big is the program?
Sparks multi-week cohorts are typically between 12 and 18 athletes. Coaching and operations staff ratios are set at 1:6, making overall staff to student ratio 1:3 - however, sometimes it is even lower.
Of chief importance to us is the quality of our cohorts - which we believe is a product of admissions, staffing, and group size to facilitate activities (eg. sweep boat rowing v. singles) as well as friendships that last long after camp ends.
We seek the highest international-quality level in coaching staff and our senior operations staff is made up of former rowers turned educators with a number of years of prior experience in our camp system; many hold graduate degrees in education.
The cohort (12 rowers maximum) in the Dutch Racing Challenge combines with our Holland Coxing Leadership Program. Total group size maxes at 18, with three coaches and four operations staffers - maintaining a a lower than 1:3 staff to camper ratio.
What can you tell me about college recruiting and this program?
Holland and the racing the Dutch Junior Champs in small boats are amazing experiences that can lend perspective, rowing IQ, and racing IQ. The program is a beautiful way to gain unique perspective on the global junior talent "market" - and Holland sends recruits to US D1 programs every year.
Regardless, many recruiters will say "A for effort, but what did you learn?"
Training and racing overseas will speak to some recruiters more than others, but all recruiters care about engagement with the sport more than the particulars of your summer program choice or race results. Given recruiting is a globally competitive "talent marketplace", getting some international perspective will help you - but in the end no one race or camp is going to provide the competitive rowing intellect necessary to succeed at the recruiting process. You are a composite of your experiences - so best to make them unique and highly educational.
The general age of program participants typically puts them more than a year out on college recruiting, but we have had a number of alumni who have gone on to row in college.
What can you tell me about housing and supervision at camp?
Campers lodge in far south Amsterdam at the IBIS budget hotel and are combined with our top tier coxing program to form a total group size of 12. We ride bikes throughout the city, which is the defacto Dutch mode of transportation (campers go through "bike safety school" at the start of the program)
At Sparks camps, we have two staffs: a coaching staff and an operations staff. Our operations staff is responsible for the experiential education and pastoral care at camp. We seek to maintain industry-leading 1:3 staff to student ratios at this program.
The staff lives amongst the athletes, and has oversight 24 hours a day. Unhealthy substances and/or behaviors are strictly prohibited.
Tell me about safety at Sparks
We employ safety and risk management practices from the adventure education industry, where some risk is inherent but must be quantified insofar as educational value. These practices are initially employed in program design and we work hard to train operations staff to seek to maintain an awareness of specific risks at all times. No outdoors programming can guarantee safety, however professional management of risk is key to the art of providing consistently excellent experiential education programming.
Please also see our essential eligibility criteria here.
How do you handle travel to/from the camp?
We seek to help families connect who would like their students to travel together, but there are a lot of ways to fly direct to Amsterdam's Schipol (AMS). We provide a direct flight from a major US hub for campers interested in traveling together.
The journey itself is part of the experience. Our Program Director (already on the ground in Holland as students depart) tracks student travel into Amsterdam, where they are picked up from the airport.
You will fill out a travel form after registration that enables our staff to make sure your camper arrives and departs camp safely.
If your camper needs to depart the day after camp ends, we will place a staff member at the CitizenM Schipol Airport that night; you can register for this option when you provide travel details. Staff cannot be responsible for campers as the camp will have ended, but they will be able to help your camper get checked into the hotel and answer questions.
If you have questions, we're happy to answer them in the box in the lower right side, or you can schedule a call with us.
I have questions before I apply. Is it possible to speak with someone?
Certainly - we completely understand your need to connect about this commitment!
We just ask you schedule a call with us (click here) given we're a very small office.
Where are camp forms found?
Camp forms are issued at least six weeks prior to camp on our site via your dashboard.