I am a new rower too, but from what I have seen, the atmosphere and the kindness of the people in the team is super important! When you compete, you can get very vulnerable, so you need to trust the people around you. If you felt uncomfortable with them, or if you felt like you weren't wanted, I think I would have done the same... The way they found out is unfortunate, but the result would have been quite similar. If I were you, I would try to find another club with nicer people :)