An Introduction to Rowing (11 page)

The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta has been held annually since 1880. It has been hosted at Martindale Pond, Port Dalhousie, St. Catherines, Ontario in August.

See http://www.henleyregatta.ca/

The International Huegel Regatta on Lake Baldeney in Essen, Germany is a large European regatta with competitors for around the world.

The Coupe de la Jeunesse is an international junior regatta with 2000 m races held annually at various locations in Europe.

See http://www.couperowing.org/

Rowing is performed at several different levels: high schools, clubs and universities. Many countries have rowing associations at the national level.

This is the national rowing club in Argentina.

http://rowingclubargentino.com.ar/

British Rowing is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Great Britain.

http://www.britishrowing.org/
Rowing Australia

Rowing Australia is the national governing body for the sport of rowing in Australia. It holds the following national regattas: Australian Rowing Championships, Australian Masters Championships, Youth Cup and Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

http://www.rowingaustralia.com.au/

This is the national rowing association in Austria.

http://www.rudern.at/

Rowing Canada Association is the national governing body for the sport of rowing in Canada.

http://www.rowingcanada.org/

Canadian University Rowing Association (CURA) is the governing body for rowing at universities in Canada and organizes the annual championship regatta.

The Czech Rowing Association is the national governing body for rowing in the Czech Republic.

http://www.veslovani.cz/

The Danish Rowing Federation is the national governing body for rowing in Denmark.

http://www.roning.dk

FISA, the International Rowing Federation, is the governing body for international rowing, established in 1892. FISA started the World Rowing Championships in 1962. This week long event, is currently held annually at different venues around the world. Men's lightweight and Women's open weight events were added to the championships in 1974.

http://www.worldrowing.com

Deutscher Ruderverband is the national governing body for the sport of rowing in Germany.

http://www.rudern.de/

http://www.kopilasia.gr/

Rowing Federation of India is the national rowing association in India.

http://www.indiarowing.com/

Rowing Ireland governs the sport of rowing in Ireland.

http://www.iaru.ie/

Federazione Italiana Canottaggio is the national body of rowing in Italy.

http://www.canottaggio.org

The New Zealand Rowing Association (NZRA) is the governing body of rowing in New Zealand.

http://rowingnz.com/

Scottish Rowing governs the sport of rowing in Scotland.

http://www.scottish-rowing.org.uk/

http://www.avironlehavre.org/

Rowing South Africa governs the sport of rowing in South Africa.

http://www.rowsa.co.za/

Spanish Rowing Federation is the orgaizing body for rowing in Spain.

http://www.federemo.org/

Row Sweden governs the sport of rowing in Sweden.

http://www.algonet.se/

Swiss Rowing Federation is the national association for rowing in the Switzerland.

http://www.ruderverband.ch/

USRowing is the national association for rowing in the USA.

http://www.usrowing.org/

Welsh Rowing is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Wales.

http://www.welshrowing.com

Here is a list of books that provide more information on rowing.

Boyne, Daniel J. 2000.
Essential Sculling
, The Globe Pequot Press

Bourne, Gilbert C. 1925.
A Textbook of Oarsmanship
, Oxford University Press

Davenport, Mike, 2002.
The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging
, SportWork, Inc.

Halberstam, David. 1985.
The Amateurs
, William Morrow and Company, Inc.

Keisling, Steven. 1982.
The Shell Game
, William Morrow and Company, Inc.

Keisling, Steven. 1990.
The Complete Recreational Rower & Racer
, Crown Publishers, Inc.

McArthur, John. 1997.
High Performance Rowing
, The Crowood Press, Ltd.

Nolte, Victor. (Ed.), 2011.
Rowing Faster
, Human Kinetics, Inc.

Paduda, Joe. 1992.
The Art of Sculling
, Ragged Mountain Press

Simon, Laura; Zalkind, Margot; Stokes, Stew. 2009,
The Coxswain Encyclopedia
, The Foundation for Rowing Education, Inc.

The International Rowing Federation. 2002.
The FISA Coaching Development Program Handbook
, FISA

Here is some web sites that will provide you with information on rowing:

Rowing Clubs and Associations

World Rowing http://www.worldrowing.com/

row2k http://www.row2k.com/

Rowing Links http://www.rowinglinks.com

Friends of Rowing History http://www.rowinghistory.net/

World Rowing Magazine http://www.worldrowingmagazine.com

River and Rowing Museum, Henley http://rrm.co.uk/

Rowing Instruction

Black Bear Sculling http://www.blackbearsculling.com/

Calm Waters Rowing http://www.calmwatersrowing.net/

Craftsbury Sculling Camps http://www.craftsbury.com/sculling/camps/home.htm

The Florida Rowing Center http://www.floridarowingcenter.com/

Boat and Equipment Manufacturers

Adirondack Rowing http://www.adirondackrowing.com/

Concept2 http://www.concept2.com/

Coxmate http://www.coxmate.com.au/

Croker Oaks http://www.crokeroars.com/

Durham Boat Company http://www.durhamboat.com

Empacher http://empacher.de/

Filippi Elite Rowing http://www.eliterowing.com/

Hudson Boat Works https://www.hudsonboatworks.com/

Kaschper Racing Shells http://www.kaschper.com/

Maas Boat Company http://maasboats.com/

Nielsen-Kellerman http://nkhome.com//

Peinert Boatworks http://www.peinert.com/

Pocock Racing Shells http://www.pocock.com/

Resolute Racing Shells http://www.resoluteracing.com/

Vespoli Racing Shells http://www.vespoli.com/

Virginia Rowing Company http://www.virginiarowing.com/

Regattas

The Boat Race http://theboatrace.org/

Doggetts's Coat and Badge Race http://www.doggettsrace.org.uk/

The Head of the Charles http://hocr.org/

Henley Royal Regatta http://www.hrr.co.uk/

The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta http://www.henleyregatta.ca/

San Diego Crew Classic http://crewclassic.org/

Head of the Schuylkill Regatta http://www.hosr.org/

Head of the Yarra http://www.headoftheyarra.com/

Rowing World Lucerne http://www.ruderwelt-luzern.ch/

The Great Race http://www.thegreatrace.co.nz/

Rowing has its own unique terminology.

Backstay

This is the part of a rigger that goes from the top of the oarlock to the gunwale of the shell. This helps to brace the rigger and connect it to the hull.

Backstop

The stop mechanism on the seat slides to prevent the seat from coming off the tracks at the bow end.

Blade

This is the wide, flat part of the oar that goes into the water.

Bow

This is the forward section of the boat and the first part of the boat to cross the finish line.

Bow Ball

The rubber ball at the end of the bow to prevent damage to people or shells.

Bow coxed boat

A shell in which the coxswain is near the bow instead of the stern. It is hard to see the coxswain in this type of boat, because only his head is visible. Having the coxswain virtually lying down in the bow reduces wind resistance, and the weight distribution is better.

Button

A wide collar on the oar that keeps it from slipping through the oarlock.

Catch

The point in the stroke at which the oar blade is placed into the water. This marks the beginning of the drive and the end of the recovery.

Catch angle

The catch angle is the oar angle at the catch position. See oar angle.

CLAM

Clip-on Load Adjustment Method. This is a shim that clips over the sleeve of an oar on the outboard side of the collar to reduce the gearing or load of an oar.

Cockpit

The part of the boat in which the rowers sit.

Collar

See Button.

Course

A straight area of a body of water, typically four to eight lanes wide, marked with buoys for rowing competitions. An Olympic course is 2000 meters. High school races are usually 1500 meters. A head race has a much longer course (three miles or more) usually following a winding river.

Coxswain

This is the person who steers the shell and directs the crew. Also called the cox'n or cox.

Cox box

A battery-operated electronic device that includes a digital stroke rate monitor, an elapsed time readout and a voice amplifier. The coxswain uses the cox box to monitor the race and to make his or her commands more audible to the crew. The coxswain typically wears a head-mounted microphone, which is connected to the cox box.

Crab, or Catch a Crab

This occurs at the end of a drive when an oar gets stuck below the water and it is difficult to get out. This can lead to the rower getting ejected from the boat.

Crossover

In sculling, this is when the one oar handle crosses over the other handle during the drive and recovery.

Drive

That portion of the stroke when the blades are in the water and the rower is pulling on the oar handles.

Deck

The part of the shell at the bow and stern that is covered with fiberglass cloth or thin plastic.

Engine room

The biggest and strongest rowers in the middle seats in the boat. In an eight, these are seats 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Ergometer

Also called a rowing machine or "erg". It simulates the actual rowing motion and is used for training.

Feathering

The act of twisting the oar to position the blade vertically for the drive and horizontally for the recovery.

FISA

Federation Internationale des Societes d'Aviron (International Federation of Rowing Societies). The international governing body for the sport of rowing in the world, established in 1892.

Frontstop

A stop at stern end of the track that the rower's seat slides on. The wheels of the seat should almost reach the frontstop at the catch of each stroke.

Gate

The bar across the oarlock that keeps the oar in place.

German rigging

A different way of setting up which side of the boat the oars are on in a sweep boat. Instead of alternating from side to side all the way down, in a German rigged boat, two consecutive rowers have oars on the same side.

Grips

Rubber caps on the inboard (handle) end of the oars.

Gunwale

The upper edge of the hull to which the riggers are bolted. Pronounced "gun-el".

Head Race

This is a timed race where the crews start at intervals and chase each other along the course.

Heat

A qualifying race within a specific race category. For example, men's varsity eight (MV8).

Heavyweight

The weight class in men's rowing for rowers over the lightweight restriction.

Hull

The external body of the shell.

Inboard

The distance from the butt of oar handle to the inside edge side of the collar.

Inside hand

The sweep boat rower's hand that is closest to the rigger. The sweep boat rower uses the inside hand to feather the oar. When rowing at port, the right hand is the inside hand, and when rowing at starboard the left hand is the inside hand.

Layback

The amount of reverse pivot of a rower's torso from the hips during the last third of the drive for a proper finish position.

Lightweight

A racing category that refers to the bodyweight of the rowers. Under current rules, the Lightweight class weight limits are 150 pounds for boys and 130 pounds for girls.

Novice

A rower in his or her first rowing season, without regard for academic grade level. Novice high school rowers are usually freshmen or sophomores.

Oar

Used to drive the boat forward: rowers do not use paddles.

Oar angle

The oar angle is between the oarshaft and a line perpendicular to the centerline axis of the shell.

Oarlock

This is a U-shaped plastic bracket that holds the oar and swivels on the pivot pin, which is mounted at the end of the rigger. Also called a row-lock.

Orthogonal Position

When the oar is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shell.

Outboard/outside hand

The sweep boat rower's hand that holds the oar handle furthest from the rigger. When rowing at port the left arm is the outside arm, and when rowing at starboard the right arm is the outside arm.

Petite Final

This is the final for boats that were eliminated from the final.

Pin

The metal peg that forms the pivot for the oarlock.

Port

Left side of the boat, while facing forward, in the direction that the boat is moving.

Power 10 or 20

Coxswain's command for the rowers to do ten/twenty of their best, most powerful strokes.

Quarter-slide, half-slide, three-quarter-slide and full slide

Distances of the slide from the sternmost (release) position.

Ratio

This is the ratio of the time taken for the drive and the time taken for the recovery portion of the stroke. The ideal ratio should be about 0.5, meaning that twice as much time is taken during the recovery as compared with the drive.

Recovery

That part of the stroke when the blades are out of the water and the person is moving towards the next drive.

Regatta

A boat racing meet with a several races. A high school regatta may have races in the following men's and women's classes, for four- and eight-seat boats: varsity, junior varsity (JV), lightweight, freshman, and novice.

Release

That point at which the oars are taken out of the water at the end of the drive, also the beginning of the recovery.

Repechage

The second-chance race which ensures that everyone has two chances to advance from preliminary races since there is no seeding in the heats.

Rigger

The triangular metal arm that extends from the side of the boat to which the oarlock is attached.

Rudder

The metal or carbon fiber plate that pivots at the skeg at the aft-end of the keel and is controlled by the coxswain to steer the boat by attached cables.

Rudder Lines

Strings the coxswain uses to move the rudder and turn the shell.

Run

The run is the distance the shell moves during one stroke. This can be seen by looking at the distance between the puddles made by the same oar.

Rush the slide

Refers to moving the seat from the release position to the catch position too quickly.

Sax board

Another name for the gunwale.

Sculling

The discipline of rowing where scullers use two oars or sculls. Singles (one rower), doubles (two rowers) and the quads (four rowers) are sculls.

Sculler

A rower that uses two oars.

Set

The stability and balance of a shell.

Settle

The part of the race when the crew decreases the rating from the initial high stroke to a lower pace that the crew will maintain until the final sprint.

Shell

Another name for a boat.

Skeg

The fin attached to the keel of the shell that helps stabilize the shell and maintain a straight course.

Skying

The blade being too high above the water at the end of the catch.

Sleeve

Plastic tube on the oar, under the button, that protects against wear in the oarlock.

Slide

The set of two runner tracks for the wheels of each underneath each seat in the boat.

Sling

This is a portable folding boat holder. Two are required to hold a boat.

Span

Distance from the center of starboard sculling oarlock pin to the center of the port oarlock.

Spin the boat

Turn the boat around to face the other direction.

Spread

Distance from the centerline of the shell to the center of the oarlock pin.

Sprint

The last part of a race, where boats make a final push in power and stroke rate to cross the finish line. Usually done in the last 250-500 meters.

Starboard

Right side of the boat, while facing forward, in the direction of movement.

Starboard-rigged

A shell rigged so that the stroke seat is a starboard rower.

Stern

The rear of the boat. The rowers face the stern.

Stern pitch

Aft slant on the blade when the oar is square in the water.

Straight

Refers to a shell without a coxswain i.e. a straight four or straight pair.

Stretcher or Footstretcher

The stretcher consists of two inclined footrests that hold the rower's shoes. The rower's shoes are attached to the footrests.

Stroke

The rower who sits closest to the stern. The stroke sets the pace for the other rowers.

Stroke rate

The number of strokes a crew takes in one minute, also called strokes per minute (SPM). Calculate the stroke rate by counting the number of strokes taken in 15 seconds and then multiply by 4.

StrokeCoach

A small electronic display that the coxswain can attach in the boat to show the important race information like stroke rate and elapsed time. Also called a cox box.

Sweep

The type of rowing where rowers use only one oar. Pairs (two rowers), fours (four rowers) and the eight are sweep boats. Pairs and fours may or may not have a coxswain. Eights always have a coxswain.

Swing

This is when the entire crew is moving perfectly in unison and the shell seems to be moving very fast without much effort.

Work Through the Pin

The amount by which the front of the rower's seat moves further sternward from a line between the oarlock pins.

Washing out

Not getting the blade deep enough into the water so that the blade comes out of the water too early.

Way-enough

Coxswain's command to stop rowing.