Rowing (sport)

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A coxless pair which is a sweep-oar boat. The rower on the left of the photo, or the bow of the boat is rowing "starboard" or "bowside". The rower on the right of the photo and closest to the stern of the boat is rowing "port" or "strokeside" .
Racing shells stored in a boathouse (Picture taken on August 2000, in the Tel Aviv Rowing Club, Israel).

Rowing is a sport involving athletes rowing boats. It can be either recreational or competitive. In the United States, high school and collegiate rowing are also sometimes known as crew.

In Rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing backwards (towards the stern), and uses the oars which are attached to the boat at the oarlocks to propel the boat forward. This may be done on a river, lake, sea, or other large body of water. In most competitive forms of rowing, the boat (called a shell or fine boat) is narrow to avoid drag and the oars are attached to oarlocks at the end of outriggers extending from the sides of the boat. These boats also have sliding seats which allow the rower to engage his or her legs as part of the rowing stroke. It is a demanding sport requiring both physical strength and cardiovascular endurance.

There are two forms of rowing:

  • Sweep or Sweep-oar rowing, where each rower has one oar and holds it with both hands. In sweep boats each rower is referred to either as "port" (aka "strokeside") or "starboard" (aka "bowside"). These designations refer to whether the rower's oar extends to the port (rower's right) or starboard (rower's left) side of the boat.
  • Sculling where each rower has two oars (one in each hand). The oar in his or her right hand extends to the port side and the oar in his or her left hand extends to starboard.

A piece of equipment commonly used when training for rowing is the "indoor rower" (a.k.a. "ergometer", "ergo", "erg machine" or "erg"). Erging has become popular as a sport in its own right with numerous indoor competitions (and the annual World Championship CRASH-B Sprints in Boston) during the winter off-season.

History

Rowing boats (or similar vessels) have been around for thousands of years, but prior to the 18th century, there is little mention of boat races. In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regata included boat races among others. Nowadays, rowing competitions are still called regattas (with a second 't' added).

The finish of the Doggett's Coat and Badge. Painting by Thomas Rowlandson.

The first modern rowing races, in the second half of the 18th century, were races between watermen (professional river taximen) on the River Thames in England. One such race, called the Doggett's Coat and Badge was first held in 1715 and is still held each summer. Subsequently, rowing became extremely popular both as an amateur and professional sport, often with thousands of spectators for events. Amateurs took up competitive rowing in 1811, when students at Eton College (a boys' prep school) began rowing a ten-oared barge and the first recorded race between students took place in 1817. Graduates of Eton went on to Oxford and Cambridge, where they organized College boat clubs. The Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University first took place in 1829 and was the second intercollegiate sporting event (following the first Varsity Cricket Match by 2 years). It began as a two mile competition but is today competed for four miles. The Boat Race continues to be a popular British sporting event.

In America, there is also a sizable rowing community. Ports such as Boston, New York, and Philadelphia required the building of many small rowing boats, and competition was inevitable. The first American race took place on the Schuylkill River in 1762 between 6-oared barges. As the sport gained popularity, clubs were formed and scullers began racing for prizes. Professionals were rowing against clubs and each other before the civil war. Races were often round trips to a stake and back, so that the start and finish could be watched. The public flocked to such events, and rowing was as popular in America during the 1800s as other professional sports are today. In 1824, ferrymen from the Whitehall Landing at Manhattan's Battery raced a crew from the British frigate HMS Hussar for $1,000. Thousands bet on the event and the Americans won. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University. The Harvard-Yale Regatta is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the United States having been contested every year since 1852 (except for occasional breaks due to major wars, such as World War II and the US Civil War). The oldest inter-high school competition in the United States also occurred on the water, in the form of a race in eight man boats between two New England boarding schools: Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, and Phillips Academy Andover in Andover, Massachusetts. The oldest continuous rowing club in America is the Detroit Boat Club, in Detroit, Michigan.

Rowing today is governed by the FISA, which has organized World Rowing Championships since 1962. Rowing has also been conducted at the Olympic Games since 1900 (canceled at the first modern Games in 1896 due to bad weather).

Strong rowing nations include Great Britain, the United States, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and Romania. Well-known rowers of recent years include Sir Steve Redgrave (UK), who won Olympic golds in five successive Olympics; Sir Matthew Pinsent (UK), who won golds in four successive Olympics; James Tomkins (Australia), three times Olympic gold medalist; Rob Waddell (New Zealand) and Xeno Müller (Switzerland), opponents in the single sculls; Ekaterina Karsten (Belarus) in women's single sculls; and Kathrin Boron (Germany) in women's double sculls and quadruples.

Equipment

Boats

Main article: Racing shell

Racing boats (usually called "shells") are long, narrow, and semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag to a minimum. Originally made from wood, shells are now almost always made from a composite material (usually carbon-fiber reinforced plastic) for strength and weight advantages.

There are a large number of different types of boats. They are classified using:

  • Number of rowers. In all forms of modern competition the number is either 1, 2, 4, or 8.
  • Position of coxswain. Boats are either coxless ("straight"), bow-coxed (also called bowloaders), or stern-coxed.

Although sculling and sweep boats are generally identical to each other (except having different riggers), they are referred to using different names:

  • Sweep: straight pair (2-), coxed pair (2+), straight four (4-), coxed four (4+), eight (8+) (always coxed)
  • Sculling: single (1x), double (2x),triple (3x) (not very common) quad (4x), octuple (8x) (very rare, always coxed, and mainly for juniors)

Oars

Main article: Oar (sport rowing)

Oars are used to propel the boat which are long (250–300 cm) poles with one flat end about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide, called the blade. An oar is often referred to as a "blade" in the case of sweep oar rowing and as a "scull" in the case of sculling. A sculling oar is shorter and has a smaller blade area than the equivalent sweep oar.

Two hatchet sculls. The "blades" are at the top of the picture and the handles are at the bottom.

Classic oars were made out of wood, but modern oars are made from synthetic material, the most common being carbon fiber. The most common makes are Concept2, Croker, and Dreher.

Competition

Rowers may take part in the sport for their leisure or they may row competitively. There are different types of competition in the sport of rowing. In the US all types of races are referred to as "regattas" whereas this term is only used in the UK for head-to-head races.

Rowing is unusual in the demands it places on competitors. The standard world championship race distance of 2,000 m is long enough to have a large endurance element, but short enough (typically 5.5 to 7.5 minutes) to feel like a sprint. This means that rowers have some of the highest power outputs of athletes in any sport. At the same time the motion involved in the sport compresses the rowers' lungs, limiting the amount of oxygen available to them. This requires rowers to tailor their breathing to the stroke, typically inhaling and exhaling twice per stroke, unlike most other sports such as cycling where competitors can breathe freely.

Head-to-head

Races that are held in the spring and summer are head-to-head - all the boats start at the same time from a stationary position and the winner is the boat that crosses the finish line first. The number of boats in a race varies between two and six. Regulation length races (including the Olympics and the World Rowing Championships) are 2,000 m long, however occasionally the distance will be 1,000 m, or some intermediate distance dictated by the local body of water. As exceptions, two traditional races: the annual Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge and the Harvard-Yale Boat Race cover courses of approximately four miles (roughly 6.5 km). The Henley Royal Regatta is also raced upon a non-standard distance, although much shorter than the Boat Race or the Harvard-Yale Boat Race at only 1 mile, 550 yards (2,112 meters). Dashes (sprint regattas in the UK) are normally 500 m long, and certainly less than 1,000 m.

Masters rowers (rowers older than 27) generally race a 1,000 m distance. Finish times for Masters races may also have handicapped times, depending on the age span of the athletes participating.

In general, the competition is organized in a series of rounds, with the fastest boats in each heat qualifying for the next round. The losing boats from each heat may be given a second chance to qualify through a repechage. Examples are the World Rowing Championships which offers multi-lane heats and repechages and Henley Royal Regatta which has two crews competing side by side in each round, in a straightforward knockout format, and does not offer repechages.

Head races

Head races take place from autumn (fall) to early spring (depending on local conditions). Boats begin with a rolling start at intervals of 10-20 seconds, and race against the clock. Distances usually vary from 2,000 m to 7,000 m although there are rowing marathons at 26 miles (over 50,000 m) and there is at least one 115 mile (185075 m) event in Oregon, the CPR. Examples of head races are the 3 mile (4,828 m) Head of the Charles in Boston, Massachusetts in October, the 4¼ mile (6,840 m) Head of the River Race on the Thames, the head of the Trent in Peterborough, Ontario along the Trent-Severn Waterway, the head of the Rideau in Ottawa, Ontario, London in March, and the 3¼ mile (5,000m) Head of the Lake through the Montlake Cut in Seattle, Washington.

Bumps races

A third type of race is the bumps race, as held in Oxford (known as Torpids and Eights Week), Cambridge (known as the Lent Bumps and the May Bumps), between the London medical schools (the United Hospitals Bumps) on the Tideway and at Eton College and Shrewsbury School, (which are the only schools in Britain to continue this tradition). In these races, crews start lined up along the river at set intervals, and all start at the same time. The aim is to catch up with the boat in front, and avoid being caught by the boat behind. If a crew overtakes or makes physical contact with the crew ahead, a bump is awarded. As a result damage to boats and equipment is common during bumps racing. To avoid damage the cox of the crew being bumped may concede the bump before contact is actually made. The next day, the bumping crew will start ahead of any crews that have been bumped. Bumps races take place over several days, and the positions at the end of the last race are used to set the positions on the first day of the races the next year. Oxford and Cambridge Universities hold bumps races for their respective colleges twice a year, and there are also Town Bumps races in both cities, open to non-university crews. Oxford's races are organised by City of Oxford Rowing Club [1] and Cambridge's are organised by the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association. Bump races are very rare in the United States.

Stake races

The stake format was often used in early American races. Competitors line up at the start, race to a stake, moored boat, or buoy some distance away, and return. The 180° turn requires mastery of steering. These races are popular with spectators because one may watch both the start and finish. Usually only two boats would race at once to avoid collision. The Green Mountain Head Regatta continues to use the stake format but is like a head race with a staggered start.

The crew

In all boats, except the single sculls, each rower is numbered in sequential order from the bow to the stern. The person who is seated on the first seat is always the bowman, or more commonly called just the bow. Note - there are some exceptions to this - UK coastal rowers number from stern to bow and this is also the standard in France and Spain.

In addition to this, certain crew members have other titles and roles:

Stroke (or strokeman)

The "stroke" is the rower closest to the stern of the boat. Everyone else follows the stroke's timing - placing their blades in and out of the water at the same time. The strokeman can communicate with the coxswain (when in a stern coxed boat) to give feedback on how the boat feels. During a race, it is the stroke's responsibility to establish a consistent rate and rhythm. (In coxed boats, the coxswain will assist the stroke in establishing the rate). Because of the great responsibilities, the rower in the stroke seat will usually be one of the most technically sound members of the boat. In smaller boats that do not have a coxswain, the stroke may also be responsible for steering since they are closest to the skeg (also known as a "fin") and can "get a point" from which the stroke can judge on the direction of the boat.

Seven

In an eight oared shell, the rower at seven sits behind stroke and is typically both fit and skilled. The seven man or woman acts as a buffer between the stroke and the rest of the crew. The rower at seven closely follows the rhythm set by the strokeman which helps transmit this rhythm to the rest of the boat. If the strokeman increases or decreases the stroke rate it is essential that seven follow this change of rate so that it is translated to the rest of the crew.

Middle Crew (or "Engine Room", "Meat Wagon", etc.)

The middle four rowers in an eight are called the "engine room" because they are often the most powerful and heaviest rowers in an eight. The rowers in the middle boat have less effect on the boat's stability then those on the perimeter. The boat's center of mass is in the middle and it is also where the boat is at its widest and has the most displacement. The movements and power application of the rowers in the middle have less effect on the boat's pitch, roll and yaw. Therefore, the rowers in the middle of the boat do not have to be as technically sound and can focus more on simply pulling as hard as they can. While none of the boat's crew can completely disregard their technique, it is common practice among crews to put the most technically proficient rowers at the bow and stern and the physically strongest rowers in the center.

Bow (or bowman)

This is the rower closest to the bow of the boat. In coxless boats, they are usually responsible for toe steering and giving calls to the crew. The bow pair, which are the two rowers closest to the boat's bow, are more responsible for the stability (called "set") of the boat than any other pair of rowers. This is due to the dynamics of racing shells. Boats that are bow coxed (with the coxswain lying in the bow behind the bowman) rather than stern coxed (with the coxswain sitting in the stern opposite the Stroke) rely on communication between the bowman and the cox - as the cox cannot see boats coming up from behind. Bowmen tend to be the smallest of the rowers in the boat.

Coxswain (cox)

Main article: Coxswain (rowing)

The role of a coxswain is to:

  • Steer the boat
  • Provide motivation and encouragement to the crew
  • Inform the crew of where they are in relation to other crews and the finish line
  • Make any necessary race tactic calls

A boat without a cox is known as a coxless or "straight" boat. Besides the obvious single, straight pairs and fours are the most common coxless boats at regattas in the US. Because of their speed and lack of maneuverability, eights always have a cox.

In the old days, the coxswain communicated to the crew through a megaphone that s/he wore strapped to her/his head. Starting in the late 1970s, a "cox box" or speaker & microphone system made it so that even the bowman could hear the coxswain's commands.

Lightweights

Main article: Lightweight rowing

Unlike most other sports, rowing has a special weight category called lightweight (Lwt for short). According to FISA, this weight category was introduced "to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people". The first lightweight events were held at the World Championships in 1974 for men and 1985 for women. Lightweight rowing was added to the Olympics in 1996.

At international level the limits are:

  • Men: Crew average 70 kg (154.32 lb) - no rower over 72.5 kg (159.84 lb)
  • Women: Crew average 57 kg (125 lb) - no one over 59 kg (130 lb)

Different limits apply to US collegiate crews (see lightweight rowing article for more details).

World championships and Olympics

Main articles: World Rowing Championships and Rowing at the Summer Olympics

At the end of each season, the FISA holds the World Rowing Championships with events in 23 different boat classes.

At the Olympic Games only select boat classes are raced (14 in total):

  • Men: quad scull, double scull, single scull, eight, straight four, and straight pair
  • Lwt Men: straight four and double scull
  • Women: quad scull, double scull, single scull, eight, and straight pair
  • Lwt Women: double scull

Athletes generally consider the Olympic classes to be "premier" events and are more interested in rowing in these than at the World Championships. During Olympic years only non-Olympic boats compete at the World Championships.

Event nomenclature

The following short nomenclature is often used to indicate the type of boat:

  • The prefix indicates the type of event
    • M - men's (If there is no prefix, it usually refers to a Men's boat).
    • W - women's
    • L or Lt - lightweight
    • O - Open - generally crews between college and masters, but can be any age mix
    • B - under 23 years of age
    • J - (Junior) under 19 years of age
    • Mixed - a crew comprised of an equal number of men and women, usually applicable to Masters events only
    • Masters (or veteran - UK) - 27 years of age or greater. Masters events also include a letter designation indicating the average age of the crew:
      • A - 27-35 years of age (31-35 in the UK)
      • B - 36-42 years of age
      • C - 43-49 years of age
      • D - 50-54 years of age
      • E - 55-59 years of age
      • F - 60-64 years of age
      • G - 65-69 years of age
      • H - 70-74 years of age, and so forth.
  • For non-international events, there may be an experience category (i.e., N - Novice, S - Senior, E - Elite). The categories are different depending on the country.
  • The number of crew members (excluding cox)
  • "x" indicates a sculling boat
  • The last character shows if the boat is coxed (+) or coxless (-)

Examples:

  • M8+ or 8+ men's coxed eight
  • W4- women's coxless four (or "straight four")
  • LM2- lightweight men's coxless pair
  • BM1x men's single sculls under age 23
  • JW4x junior women's quad
  • Masters WC2x masters women's double sculls with average crew age between 43-49
  • Mixed Masters 8+ coxed eight with 4 women and 4 men as rowers and a coxswain of either gender

Rowing terminology

Main article: Rowing terms

Anatomy of a stroke

  • The stroke begins with the oar out of the water with the blade feathered, or in other words with the face of the blade parallel to the water. The rower has legs straight, body leaning back, and arms in so that the oar handle is a few inches from the solar plexus. This is the beginning of what is called the recovery or the slide.
  • The rower extends the arms fully forward (i.e. toward the stern) while keeping the oar level, legs straight, and torso leaning back.
  • The rower leans the body forward, continuing to keep the oar level, and not bending the knees.
  • The rower bends the legs, bringing the sliding seat forward (i.e. toward the stern) on its rollers, while the oar remains level. Simultaneously throughout, the rower rotates the wrist of the inside hand (on a sweep oar. Both wrists on a scull), causing the face of the blade to form a 90 degree angle with the water. This is called squaring the blade or rolling up the blade. This should begin when the hands are passing over the ankles.
  • When the rower reaches the sternmost point of the slide, the end of the recovery, the blade is quickly and smoothly inserted into the water by a slight lifting of the hands. This is called the catch.
  • The rower levers the boat past the blade by straightening the legs while the body remains leaned forward and the arms remain straight. This is called the leg drive.
  • The rower continues pushing with the legs while the body leans back (i.e. towards the bow).
  • The rower completes the leg drive plus backwards lean and pulls the oar(s) to the chest by bending the arms. This is called the draw.
  • The rower pushes the oar handle down so the blade comes out of the water. This is known as the release or extraction or the finish.
  • The oar handle is rotated 90 degrees such that the blade is again parallel to the water. This action is referred to as feathering.
  • At this point the rower is in the same position as the beginning, torso leaning back, hands in the body, and legs extended.

Sweep rowers (one oar) and scullers (two oars) have similar stroke styles, with some differences to accommodate the number of oars held by the rowers. The most notable difference is the crossing of the hands required when sculling (usually achieved by passing one hand in front of the other so as to not upset the balance), as the handle length of the sculls is set to be a comfortable and powerful distance apart at the catch and finish.

It is important to note that the rowing stroke differs slightly depending on location. For example, as opposed to the style of squaring here, 'gradual rollup', favored on the US East coast, some parts of the UK, and in Canada, the "flip catch" is sometimes favored . The flip catch has the rower flick the wrist near the very end of the recovery, speeding up the squaring of the blade. However, new rowers taught to do this can acquire a habit of diving their hands towards the gunnel rather than keeping them level, throwing off the set, or changing the yaw of the boat. In Canada, the drive is not as separated. When Canadian-style rowers catch, they push the legs down and lean back at the same time. This allows for an extremely large amount of power at the beginning of the stroke but lacks the consistency of the separated drive favored by other crews.

Coastal and ocean rowing

Main articles: Coastal and ocean rowing and Ocean rowing
A Cornish pilot gig, a 6 crew boat returning from a race at Falmouth in Cornwall

Coastal and ocean rowing is a type of rowing performed on the sea. Due to the harsher conditions encountered at sea, the boats are wider and more robust than those used on rivers and lakes.

The sport of Coastal and Offshore Rowing is thriving across Europe, though at present most British sea rowing is "traditional" fixed seat rowing and competition is of a regional nature. France is leading the development of modern sliding seat sea going boats, "Yoles", and National Competition here is well established with FISA, the Worldwide regulatory body for rowing encouraging the expansion of the sport to other countries.

However, in North America the sport of "open water" rowing relies on typically longer, lighter and faster boats while sharing an emphasis on safety. Open water racing in North America is very popular in New England, California, and Washington.

Surfboat rowing is a variant of ocean rowing, developed for surf lifesaving. It remains a prominent feature of Australian surf lifesaving clubs, and has become an important element of Australian cultural identity.

Adaptive rowing

Main article: Adaptive rowing

Adaptive rowing is a special category of races for those with physical disabilities. Under FISA rules there are 3 classifications of adaptive rowers LTA (Legs, Trunk, Arms), TA (Trunk and Arms), and A (Arms only). Events are held at the World Rowing Championships and are also due to take place at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Women's rowing

For most of its history, rowing has been a male dominated sport. Although rowing’s roots as a sport in the modern Olympics can be traced back to the original 1896 games in Athens, it was not until the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal that women were allowed to participate – well after their fellow athletes in similar sports such as swimming, athletics (track and field), cycling, and canoeing.

Notwithstanding its male domination, women’s rowing can be traced back to the early 1800s, and an image of a women’s double scull race made the cover of Harper’s Weekly in 1870. In 1927, the first rowing event for women between Oxford and Cambridge was held (for the first few years it was an exhibition, and it later became a race). And in 1954, the women's events were added to the European Rowing Championships. In 1988, the first Henley Women's Regatta was held. And in 1997, one of the last bastions of rowing was breached when Leander Club, under pressure from the British government, admitted women as members.

At international level, women’s rowing has traditionally been dominated by Eastern European countries, such as Romania, Russia, and Bulgaria, although other countries such as Germany, Netherlands, Canada, and New Zealand often field competitive teams. The United States also has often had very competitive crews, and in recent years these crews have become even more competitive given the surge in women’s collegiate rowing, and the establishment of the NCAA Rowing Championships for women.

Noted Female Rowers

Rowers of wider fame

Rowing in popular culture

Clubs and companies for rowing

Governing bodies

See also: Category:Rowing governing bodies

Notable clubs

See also: Category:Rowing clubs

The following clubs are noted for having produced a significant number of Olympic class rowers:

For USA Collegiate teams that have won Olympic medals, see College rowing (United States)

Companies

See also: Category:Rowing companies

See also

External links
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