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We are an all-volunteer, non-profit community of adult rowers—persistent rowers who have spent 30 years developing a vibrant rowing club in the unlikely setting of Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. From 1991 until 1997, when Tempe Town Lake was created by damming a portion of the Salt River, our founders rowed by trailering boats to neighborhood lakes and distant reservoirs. We welcome adult rowers of all levels, novice to advanced, as well as adaptive, whether recreational or competitive. Rio supports and works closely with Arizona’s junior and city-operated rowing programs. We are a self-sustaining organization that keeps operations afloat through memberships, sales of classes and clinics, and donations.
Our Mission: We empower adult rowers to discover the joys of rowing and advance their skills in a welcoming team environment.

HOW WE ROW: Rio Salado Rowing Club is a membership organization that provides recreational and competitive rowing opportunities for adults of all experience levels—from beginners who’ve never held an oar to world-class rowers. We both sweep and scull, and rowing education is a major focus of our club. Our full-time professional head coach leads a team of USRowing-certified coaches who provide four levels of classes that enable athletes to progress from first day on the water to rowing independently and racing. Rio fields a strong coed competitive team that competes in local, regional, and national regattas. We welcome guest rowers from other clubs and offer adaptive rowing for people with functional limitations. Every winter, we welcome rowers from cold places to our sunny, ice-free lake in Arizona for clinics led by world-class coaches from around the country. In our covered boatyard, Rio provides a fleet of well-maintained equipment and boats—from 8s to singles—for use by classes, members, and guests.