European Development Challenge

Holland & England
European Development 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

-

18

Built For Athletes Serious About Development

Combine our technically-focused Dutch Small Boat Challenge with our Thames Racing Challenge for four weeks of intense focus on rowing self-mastery in two of the greatest countries in the sport.

Rowing small boats enables athletes to be more sensitive to the way technical improvement enhances boatspeed. Over two weeks in the greatest small boat country in the world, athletes will learn to pursue an intensive cycle technical improvement and develop greater sensitivity to their ability to move shells. As our program in Holland ends, we will travel to London to start our program there. You will then have the opportunity to bring that small boat experience and ability immediately into a competitive large boat sweep racing context coached at a high level and finish your four weeks by racing with your team at the most sacred site in all of rowing: Henley-on-Thames.  

At Sparks, we are convinced small boats are the key to American junior athlete development given the autonomy and independence they encourage alongside the boatfeel and bladework development. You just can't develop the same relationship with the sport from five seat of an eight compared to the single - when you alone determine your success or failure.

And yet, we race as a team - particularly in the US. We go through selection in large sweep boats and your ability to add to boatspeed can make the difference between your team's ability to win or lose. Our tradition of sweep racing in the US comes mostly from England, which is the homeland of the sport.

We invite you to apply for the opportunity to attend these two challenge-level programs next summer back to back. The Sparks staff, reflective cycle, diversity of boatclasses, coaching, and culture will have serious impact on your rowing IQ and make a difference in your growth as an athlete - and as a person.

Get the Full European Development Challenge Program Itinerary Here!

Please complete the form and you'll receive an e-mail with a link to the itinerary.

Thanks for your interest in the European Development Challenge!

Please check your e-mail for the link.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Admissions Process

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 European Development Challenge provides Dutch small sculling boats and coaching combined with British sweep coaching, selection, and racing 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.

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 European Development 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.

What's Included?

Included in Camp Fee

  • Lodging and Meals
  • Camp Gear
  • Coaching & Equipment
  • 1:3 Staff to Athlete Ratio
  • Eurostar ticket AMS -> LON

Not Included in Camp Fee

  • Personal Gear
  • Airfare to and from camp
  • Trip Protection (strongly recommended) - Learn More

At A Glance

Excellent Staff at Low Ratios

Excellent Staff at Low Ratios

Our camps are supportive communities via staff and campers' commitment to growth via the sport.
Thoughtful Admissions

Thoughtful Admissions

Our admissions-based camps have rigorous processes. The result are groups committed to each other and the sport.
High Standards of Behavior

High Standards of Behavior

We hold high expectations of our staff and athletes to create focused, positive environments for growth.
Reading and Writing at Camp

Reading and Writing at Camp

We believe in developing the whole person via the connection between mind and body.
Healthy Hospitality

Healthy Hospitality

We're deeply thoughtful about healthy environments for growth - including food, housing, and tech.
The Reflective Cycle

The Reflective Cycle

We utilize a cycle of action and reflection in small groups to teach camper show to coach themselves.

Camp Focuses

Teamwork

Racing

Small Boats

Sculling

Sweeping

Large Boats

FAQ

What is the cancellation/refund policy?

Camp purchases are fully refundable minus transaction fees until March 1 for summer camps.

  • We strongly recommend you purchase travel protection with cancel for any reason coverage.
  • If you withdraw after the above dates, 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 a refund. In some cases, we may extend the 'go, no-go' date. We recomend buying your flight after March 1 or later, if we advise.

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 for our challenge camps is 16 with 1.5 years in the sport. That said, the 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. This is a challenge level program, so age and experience will be less than our leadership level four week program in New Zealand.

That, said given the length of this program, we are a bit more selective about admissions than other challenge level programs. You can read more about that in the FAQ item per selectivity.

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 extremely selective based on the length, the need for safety, and to create competitive boatings for racing. We have a 2K standard in London of sub 7:20 for males and 8:20 for females, but if you're looking to spend four weeks with us - we're looking for well under these numbers.

That said: 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.

You must be patient and mature enough to handle learning new things on a continual basis. It will be a break from your normal training meant to provide perspective and place you in a high-performance team environment and you need to be able to engage it thoughtfully with your peers.

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.

Rowing in Holland 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. The chance for technical rowing development in the greatest small boat country on earth is an incredible opportunity. England is the homeland of the sport, with the most robust rowing talent development program in the world. The coaching is excellent, and the opportunity to be selected and race in a competitive dual regatta will provide much benefit. Like Holland, it offers students of the sport the ability to educate themselves (and get ahead) in what is 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.

What can you tell me about college recruiting and this program?

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.

How big is the program?

Sparks multi-week cohorts are typically between 12 and 16 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.

Holland will be a maximum of 12 athletes while the Thames Program Combines with our UK Coxing Leadership Program to total 22.

At Sparks, we have reflected deeply on optimal group size for camp type and length after over a decade of running rowing camps. The standard in the outdoors education (e.g. hiking trips) is 12 campers at a 1:6 ratio with staff - who are generally undergraduates. While we have kept size while pushing staff ratios down and staff experience up in Holland, we have improved this model for this large boat camp with a larger maximum group size for a better team feel while pushing ratios down with highly qualified staff (classroom educators and coaches with graduate degrees are normal in our staff pool) and an organized structure to better affect consistent performance improvement.

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.

What can you tell me about housing and supervision at camp?

Campers stay in hotels and bicycle to the boathouse in Holland while they walk in England.  

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?

Campers will arrive into Amsterdam, be accompanied by a staff member to our London program hotel via Eurostar at the end of the program in Holland, then depart from London at the end of that program. Campers will arrive the evening before the London camp start with their assigned staff member and placed into their rooms at our London hotel.

We provide shared direct US hub flight suggestions for interested campers. Our Program Director (already on the ground as students depart) tracks student travel into Amsterdam, where they are met at the airport by our staff.

The journey itself is part of the experience. Our international camps invite athletes to take a personal journey with the sport at its center. The time and maturity required in getting to and from camp enforces a sense of distance and accomplishment in itself.

If your camper needs to depart the day after the program ends, we will have a staff member at the Holiday Inn Express: London Heathrow T4 the final night of the program. Staff cannot be responsible for campers as the camp will have ended, but they will be able to help your camper get checked in 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.