Junior Performance Pathway

The Mercantile Junior Performance Pathway is our club-wide strategy to create opportunities for junior athletes to discover, explore, and excel in the exciting world of high-performance rowing.

The Junior Performance Pathway was created as our response to the mandate set by Rowing Australia that performance clubs assist and facilitate junior athlete development programs. Mercantile intends to not only respond to this mandate, but to actively shape the future of Australian junior rowing with the introduction of this strategy.

The Pathway is comprised of two squad-based programs, each with their own unique yet unified set of goals and purposes:

The Junior Development Program
The Junior Performance Program (see the Performance program page for details.)

The Junior Development Program (JDP)

The Junior Development Program is the beginning of our pathway for aspiring athletes, ages 18 years or younger, to discover and excel in the sport of rowing. This program is designed for junior athletes from all sporting backgrounds, and prior rowing experience is not a prerequisite. We welcome talented athletes from both schools with and without rowing programs to join this squad

The Junior Development Program operates year-round with up to six training sessions per week. Training includes on-water rowing, weights, and ergometer sessions, and athletes will compete in local regattas. The only difference between our club and others is that we have a clear pipeline into international competitions and will provide you with the opportunity to train in a high-performance environment.

The ultimate goal of the Junior Development Program is to prepare athletes for the Junior Performance Program.

The Club Captain Alex Clarke is responsible for this area and is assisted by volunteer coaches Anthony Bergelin and Euan McMinn.

Alex Clarke

Alex is Club Captain and has personally developed this program with great success.

Anthony Bergelin

“Berge” is a highly experienced and respected school and club coach who brings great enthusiasm and commitment to this area and his rowers.

Euan McMinn

Euan brings a calm, technical and methodical approach to the young athletes and a lot of energy. We are fortunate to have Euan and such a coaching team

Want to get involved?

If you are interested in getting involved with the Mercantile Junior Performance Pathway, please complete an expression of interest form using the buttons below, or reach out to our Head Coach, Scott Rowe to learn more.

Expression of Interest Forms