Stretcher
The stretcher is a board made of wood, plastic or carbon fiber reinforced plastic , on which the athletes push or support themselves with their feet in rowing and canoeing .
Rowing
In sport rowing boats , the stretcher is attached to the hull in front of the roller rails of the roller seat . The rower sits on the movable roller seat and is fixed with his feet on the stretcher. In the water phase of the rowing stroke , he pushes himself off the stretcher and moves his body on the roller seat towards the bow of the rowing boat. The rudder blade is anchored in the water and the rowing boat is accelerated. In the overwater phase, the rower pulls himself back into the display for the next stroke by bending his legs on the stretcher.
Ideally, the stretcher should be at an angle of about 40 ° to 45 ° to the keel. This enables the best possible power transmission into the boat. Every rower can adjust the position of his stretcher along the longitudinal axis of the boat to his individual height and proportions.
Racing boats
In addition to adjusting the size of the stretcher in racing rowing boats, the stretcher angle and the height of the foot position can usually be individually adjusted to the rower. This primarily takes into account the details of the anatomy of the legs and individual rowing styles.
In racing rowing boats, a pair of special shoes is attached to the stretcher, which gives the rower a better grip in the boat. The fastening of the shoes to the stretcher is about under the ball of the foot so that the heels with the shoes can be lifted off the stretcher. This construction is necessary for the correct execution of the rowing movement. In order to get out of the shoes quickly in the event of capsizing, so-called capsizing straps between the heel ends of the shoes and the stretcher restrict the freedom of movement of the shoes to the necessary extent. Nowadays rowing shoes are also made with Velcro fasteners that can be opened with a quick grip using a rip cord. In the past, rowing shoes were also often equipped with laces .
In the regulations for rowing regattas such as the rowing competition rules (RWR) of the German Rowing Association , it is stipulated that it must be possible to get out of the shoes in the shortest possible time without outside help and without the use of hands. Therefore, to regattas of judges technically correct operation of Stretchers checked (Kenter tapes and Velcro rip cords) and expressed a start prohibition against the entire team for defects of the Stretchers.
In some boat classes without a helmsman (for example two without a helmsman , four without a helmsman and double fours ), there is a so-called foot control on the right or left shoe of a rower , which is connected to the rudder via steering lines. The rowing boat can thus be steered by turning the foot, although this control requires some experience steering the rowers. Usually the foot control is installed at the batsman's rowing area .
Gig boats
Even in gigboats , the stretcher can be adjusted to the height of the rower. For reasons of simplicity, the angle and height of the stretcher can usually not be changed, but are in some cases standardized to fixed values. Instead of built-in shoes, the rower gets into the boat with sneakers or barefoot . The fixation on the stretcher is done using heel caps and leather straps on the forefoot.
Canoeing
Recreational sports
In the kayak , the stretcher is below deck. It is attached either to brackets on the side or on an aluminum rail to the bottom of the boat. The position of the stretcher can be adjusted to the leg length of the paddler . By supporting it on the stretcher you get better hold in the boat and sit better. This makes paddling and steering the boat easier. In boats with a steering system, the pedals are attached to the stretcher. In two-person kayaks in the hiking area, the pedals are attached to the stretcher of the paddler sitting at the back.
Canoe racing
There are also adjustable stretches in every racing kayak . In contrast to recreational sports, they are also essential in racing, because without a stretcher the paddler cannot muster all the strength to propel the boat. In order to optimize the power transmission to the boat, there is usually a so-called roller in front of the stretcher, a metal rod with a foam coating, which not only allows you to press against the stretcher with your feet, but also to pull. In contrast to recreational sports, a racing kayak is always controlled by the person in front.
White water sports
In white water sports, so-called baffle plates are often used instead of stretches . Since sometimes violent forces act on the boat in white water sports (when driving on steps or weirs, when hitting rocks, etc.), baffle plates prevent the paddler's feet from sliding off the stretcher or even injuring himself on it. In addition, you achieve an optimal hold in the boat, which is important to steer or edge the boat in white water .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Wolfgang Fritsch: Rowing Basics . 3rd, revised edition. Meyer & Meyer Verlag, Aachen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89899-416-3 , p. 25 .
- ↑ a b Trimming Rowing Boats. Rowing Association Schleswig-Holstein, accessed on February 24, 2013 .
- ↑ Rowing competition rules (RWR) of the German Rowing Association; valid from January 1, 2016. (PDF; 666 kB) (No longer available online.) In: www.rudern.de. German Rowing Association, archived from the original on April 29, 2016 ; Retrieved April 29, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Stretcher. (No longer available online.) German Rowing Association , archived from the original on December 22, 2015 ; accessed on December 21, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
