Sparks Harvard
Thanks for your interest!
Sparks is not hosting a camp at Harvard in 2025. Regardless: Harvard coaches are tentatively scheduled to work our camps.
If you're seeking a camp nearby, we'd kindly refer you to our Boston University or Columbia University camps. We also invite you to check out our camps at Notre Dame,Cornell, George Washington, and Cambridge University - or our myriad of multi-week international camps.
Category
Collegiate
Ages
14
-
18
Harvard raced Yale for the first time in 1852, making the race America's oldest intercollegiate competition. Things have changed in the last 175 years or so - and yet Harvard rowing on the Charles remains timeless. As a result, the school has a place in the sport that goes beyond its academic brand.
Sparks is proud to partner with the Harvard coaching staff to provide camp for athletes seeking greater perspective, connection, and inspiration in the sport.
At Sparks, we believe that rowing can help you become a better human being. Lessons are available in the sport that are hard to find elsewhere - as long as they're realized. We combine top-tier collegiate coaching and technical work with peer-driven small groups led by trained staff to enable students to get the most out of camp - both insofar as learning and fun. You’ll also have the chance to meet current rowing undergraduates (some alumni) who are happy to share their specific experiences with you.
Camp at Harvard is a uniquely valuable experience in rowing - whether you're coming with a historical interest or because you'd like to picture yourself as Harvard undergraduate, you will find others as excited as you are about spending four days rowing at Harvard. Rowing can change your life, and the inspiration a place like Harvard can bring is powerful.
Coxswains have their own staff and mini-camp run off of Sparks’ coxswain curriculum.
Learn to Row (LTR) also has a dedicated coach who journeys through the entire process of camp with students.
Come to camp to learn, but leave with new perspective, education, ability - and hopefully, friends.
On your first day at camp, you'll arrive on the Harvard campus and find our dorm. You'll be met inside by our staff and go through check-in.
Welcomes are important at Sparks, so after you drop your stuff and say goodbye to your folks (if you didn't fly in without them), introductions will be made all around before we head to the boathouse for our initial session. The afternoon will hold an assessment meant to help the coaches put you in the right training group for your position and skill level at camp.
After assessment, you'll meet your small group - which is not the same as a training group - and hopefully encounter a variety of folks from all over. This group will be your home at camp.
The next few days will be sometimes predictable - and sometimes not. Twice daily water training will combine with meeting with coaches, your small group, and evening seminars. There will be an opportunity to speak with coaching and camp staff one on one about everything from better 2,000m ergometer scores to calling the right race to recruiting. There may even be an opportunity to pull a 2,000m piece at camp with collegiate staff's instruction. ;) If you're a coxswain or LTR, you'll have your own dedicated staff. Coxswains have their own curriculum at camp.
Each day, you'll meet in your small group for various actitivies. You'll also learn about recruiting, injury management and prevention, and discuss ways to serve your home team. That said, much of this occurs in an interactive format and is different each time - we're serious when we talk about education through experience.
Camp will move along extremely quickly, and the last night will arrive almost immediately. Given camp is short, and our goals are lofty, we aim to have you walk away from camp with a far deeper knowledge of the sport, new friends, and an improved relationship with rowing.
Included in Camp Fee
Meals
Lodging
Camp Gear
Coaching & Equipment
1:5 Staff to Athlete Ratio
Not Included in Camp Fee
Personal Gear
Airfare to and from camp
Trip Protection (strongly recommended) - Learn More
Four Days of Connection, Growth, and Inspiration at Harvard
Day 1: Approach
Check-in will occur at the Harvard dorms and we'll start to get to know each other. After introducing themselves, coaches will run a long training session/assessment to establish athlete boating for effective coaching. You'll also meet your PL group, which will be your home at camp.
Day 2-3: Connection & Growth
Training will occur 2-3 times a day (depending on session length) - generally on the Charles, but also with 1-2 sessions on the ergometer. Athletes will rotate amongst coaches to receive feedback during sessions while meeting with their small groups, engaging in seminar content, and getting to know one another. Athletes will also have the opportunity to meet with coaches one on one.
Day 4: Inspiration
Our cumulative session will include racing. You'll bid goodbye to your coaches, counselors, and new friends and depart!
Accomodations
The camp stays in the Harvard dormitories.
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
Teamwork
Coxing
Sweeping
Large Boats
Ergometer Skills
FAQ
What is your 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.
- We offer these plans from Travel Insured International during the check-out process for our four and five day camps and during final balance payment for deposit-based multi-week camps.
- Learn more about travel protection here
- 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 recommend 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 camp?
Our collegiate introductory camps support the widest range of camper experience levels - from folks starting the sport to active Division I recruits. That said, camper experience averages at about one year (2 seasons) of competitive rowing experience.
If you've never rowed or coxed before, we provide ten Learn To Row slots per camp session for students who possess athletic backgrounds, focus, and the comfort to engage intensively with their own staff and schedule.
For experienced athletes: we require coxswains to have one season of experience or more and offer twelve slots with a dedicated coach and curriculum. We ask both experienced men and women to have one season of experience or more and typically average three experienced eights per gender.
Once you get to camp, you'll be put through an assessment the first day to place you with a group that will work best for you - so don't worry about whether you're good enough (or potentially, "too good" ;) ) for camp.
Tell me more about the Sparks coxswain curriculum
Please feel free to read in detail about our coxswain curriculum here.
What differentiates Sparks camps?
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.
This does not mean other camps are relatively inferior; in fact, we feel such a perspective is not helpful. The camp needs to fit the athlete. Our focus is on utilizing rowing to create self-awareness for our camp community
What is/is there difference in the Sparks collegiate camps?
The objective at our introductory collegiate camps is to educate and inspire, so we suggest seeking fit for your goal set. The difference is in the coaching staff and location. We advise using the camp to get inspired insofar as collegiate environments, and as such it would be best to choose one that might be on your school list at some point. Different venues may also feature different attractions from a rowing perspective. Beyond that, coaching staffs differ per camp and some students seek to connect with particular coaches.
Who are the camp coaches?
At Sparks, home school coaches are given first priority for slots followed by partner school coaches from our network of collegiate camps - this results in a mix of coaches from these schools. (If you have a question about a particular coach, click the intercom button in the bottom right corner and ask us!)
We fill any remaining slots with the highest level of coaching talent available worldwide. This has generally been coaches from Holland and England, Olympic medalists, collegiate educators of solid repute, and one five time Olympic coach.
We take the quality of our educational staff extremely seriously at Sparks. We do not value being an Olympian or a Division I coach in itself but instead seek to hire coaches who are first talented educationally and second passionate about the sport. If you throw in Olympic experience on top of that, then that helps too!
How does Learn to Row or Cox work at your camps?
We reserve a very small grouping of slots at each camp for the learn to row/cox section.
The group receives its own dedicated coach for the week and is oriented to the sport we love.
Ideal Learn To Row/Cox athletes have prior athletic background, and will be taken where they are and taught from the ground up.
How does Learn to Cox work?
You should sign up as a coxswain with zero seasons of experience and then be oriented to the fundamentals of the sport with the Learn to Row group while you will also attend meetings of the coxswain section at camp. You will also have access to the camp coxswain coach beyond of your dedicated learn to row/cox coach.
What should I seek from coaches at camp? Is recruiting a part of camp?
Per NCAA rules, recruiting or speaking in specifics about institutional recruiting policies is not a part of camp. Campers may speak about the overall process and ask coaches' opinions on specific steps of their journey (i.e. 2K development), but may not inquire as to their possibilities at the coaches' programs during camp.
Coaches all have their own style of pedagogy. Part of camp should be to experience the differences in those styles such that campers may better understand the way coaching staff manage and connect with the sport for their own benefit. Campers will have the chance to speak with coaches per their recruiting questions multiple times during camp.
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.
What are the pertinent dates and times to know as a camp parent?
Registration is 1 PM - 2 PM on the first day of camp
Camp ends at 1 PM on the last day of camp
Times for Day Campers generally run from 8 AM to 8 PM
More specific information is available in the FAQ for Registered Campers on the camper forms dashboard - though we're always available in the lower right hand corner for questions.
How do you handle travel to/from Harvard? Do you offer an airport shuttle?
You will fill out a travel form after registration that enables our staff to make sure your camper arrives and departs camp safely.
We will have a Sparks staff member at Logan Airport (BOS) on the first and last day of camp. We do not rent vehicles for staff to transport campers in Boston. Campers will be placed together in an Uber to and from the airport.
Flights should arrive no later than 12 PM on the first day of camp and depart no earlier than 3:30 PM on the last day.
Where are camp forms found?
Camp forms are issued at least six weeks prior to camp on our site via your dashboard.
I still have questions. Is it possible to speak with someone?
Certainly!
If you have an logistical or informational question, feel free to use the live chat in the bottom right corner. We can generally turn these around quickly.
If you want to speak with a real, live human - that's also possible! We just ask you schedule a call with us (click here) given we're a very small office.