History · Fundamentals · Terminology · Watching a Race
The History of the Sport of Rowing
| "Competitive rowing among organized crews is one of the oldest and most traditional sports. Races between oared galleys were held in ancient Egypt and Rome. The Thames River in England is the setting for the oldest rowing contest in the world, held annually since 1715; the annual boat race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge; and the Henley Royal Regatta. The Henley annually attracts the foremost crews and scullers of the world, including several from US, universities and schools. In the US, rowing was an informal sport in the 18th century. The first formal public notice of a rowing contest appeared in 1811. In the following years, boat clubs began to be established in the Atlantic it's most important expression in the growth of college and university rowing; the sport States and in the Midwest; by the mid-19th century many kinds of clubs, competitions and vessels existed. Women often competed in club contests. Rowing regattas became popular spectator sporting events in cities adjacent to water. The idea of amateurism gained support in the late 19th century. This idea found thereupon began to attract a different body of participants and spectators. From 1852, the date of the first Harvard Yale race, to the 1870's intercollegiate competition flourished. Woman began rowing in 1877 at Wellesley. On it's revival in the 1890's a number of colleges joined together to form the Intercollegiate Rowing Association in 1895, and since that time collegiate rowing for both men and women has been firmly established. Rowing was adopted as an Olympic sport in 1900 and was formally incorporated in the Olympic Games in 1908. Women have competed in Olympic rowing events since 1976." A good source of information about rowing and the rowing season is the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia Internet site www. boathouserow.org. |
Rowing Fundamentals Illustrated
Crew Terminology
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are various divisions or classifications in crew. All races have separate divisions
for men and woman. There are also Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Novice or Freshman
races. There are three weight classes. Open Weight, Midweight, Lightweight. The coxswain [pronounced cox'n] commands the shell. Depending on the type of shell, the coxswain is either in the bow or stern. The coxswain faces forward toward the finish line. It is the responsibility of the coxswain to plan the race strategy, steer the shell and motivate the rowers, via commands and encouragement. The coxswain is in command of the shell in and out of the water. The rowers sit in a line down the center of the shell with their backs to the direction the shell is moving. Power is generated using a blended sequence of the rower's legs back and arms. Each rower sits on a sliding seat with wheels on a track called the slide. Each oar is held in a U-shaped swivel called an oarlock, which is mounted on a metal pin at the end of the rigger. The rowers' feet are secured in adjustable brackets called foot stretchers. Timing must be perfect for a good crew. All rowers must hit their catches simultaneously -- that is the blades on the oars must hit the water at the same time. Similarly the "pull through" [the portion of the stroke while the blades are in the water] and the finish of the stroke must be performed in unison. To the spectator the achievement of perfect synchronization appears easy. However, these movements must be done with seamless rhythm and control so that the rowers never stop the forward movement of the shell. Rowing should be a continuous fluid movement. The whole body is involved in moving the shell through the water. Although rowing looks like an upper body sport, strong legs are very important. The rower begins the stroke at rest with his legs fully extended and the oar blades immersed in the water, almost perpendicular to the water. The rower must slide forward to the front end of the slide; reach out with the oar; make the catch; and then apply pressure first with the legs driving the seat backwards on the slide; finish the stroke with a full body swing, and draw the arms into the body; flip the wrists and push the oar handle from the body in a single motion to bring the blade back into the water and then slide forward to begin a new stroke. It certainly is not as easy as it looks. |
Rowing Cycle Terminology
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Seat Positions
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Equipment Terminology
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How to Watch a Race
The Best Way to Watch a Race is with Binoculars.
| TYPES
OF SHELLS Rowing has two categories, sweeps and sculls. The boats are called shells. |
| COXSWAIN The coxswain sits in the stern or lies in the bow and whose major job is to steer. The coxswain often calls the beat and aids in carrying out strategy in the race by gauging positions of the other crews. |
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THE SHELLS Rowing boats are thin with special fiberglass or wooden laminated exterior structure 3/32" thick over a framework. The bow and stern decks are covered with a plastic material. The boat has a sliding seat which runs on a track about 27" long so the rower moves back and forth as he or she rows. The boat has adjusted foot rests to accommodate the length of the oar-person's legs. The blades, the surface of the oars, vary in width from 6-1/2" and in length from 24 to 30" depending on requirements of the shell and the oars-person. Blades are painted in club, college or national colors. Learning to use the blades correctly is the most difficult part of learning to row: if the blade doesn't move through the water at exactly the right angle, it will pull that slice of the shell down and slow its progress. To keep the boat going in the correct direction, the coxswain or one of the oars-persons uses a rudder, a movable metal piece on an axle, in the stern of the boat. |
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR With each stroke, the crew is trying to make an excellent run (distance the shell goes in one stroke cycle). Watch to see if all crew members hit the catch together (do all oar blades enter the water at the same time?). Watch the bodies of the crew: do they move in unison? All good crews must have power to move the boat through the water, and must be in top physical condition. During the race, the number of strokes per minute will vary - from 42 to 50 at the start, 34 to 40 in the body, and 40 to 48 at the finish. The race starts when the starter lowers a red flag, after asking, "Are you ready?" In case of a false start, or broken equipment within the first one hundred meters, approximately 40 seconds, competitors are called back. A crew responsible for two false starts is disqualified. Boats must stay in their lanes though there is no penalty for crossing the buoys so long as this does not hinder other competitors and the boat crosses the finish line in the judge's view. The course is followed by an umpire in a motorboat behind the last crew and judges whether the competitors are following the rules. The race is judged by a jury under the direction of the chief judge. |
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