Sport where individuals or teams row boats by oar
This article is about the sport. For oar powered propulsion in general, see
Rowing
.
Rowing
, oftentimes called
crew
in the United States
, is the
sport
of
racing
boats using
oars
. It differs from
paddling
sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using
oarlocks
, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is divided into two disciplines:
sculling
and
sweep rowing
. In sculling, each rower holds two oars, one in each hand, while in sweep rowing each rower holds one oar with both hands. There are several boat classes in which athletes may compete, ranging from
single sculls
, occupied by one person, to shells with eight rowers and a
coxswain
, called
eights
. There are a wide variety of course types and formats of racing, but most elite and championship level racing is conducted on calm water courses 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long with several lanes marked using buoys.
Modern rowing as a competitive sport can be traced to the early 17th century when professional
watermen
held races (
regattas
) on the
River Thames
in
London
, England. Often prizes were offered by the London Guilds and
Livery Companies
.
Amateur
competition began towards the end of the 18th century with the arrival of "boat clubs" at British
public schools
. Similarly, clubs were formed at colleges within
Oxford
and
Cambridge
on the programme for the 1896 games, racing did not take place due to bad weather.
[1]
Male rowers have competed since the
1900 Summer Olympics
. Women's rowing was added to the Olympic programme in
1976
. Today, there are fourteen boat classes which race at the Olympics.
[2]
In addition, the sport's governing body, the
World Rowing Federation
, holds the annual
World Rowing Championships
with twenty-two boat classes.
Across six continents, 150 countries now have rowing federations that participate in the sport.
[3]
Major domestic competitions take place in dominant rowing nations and include
The Boat Race
and
Henley Royal Regatta
in the United Kingdom, the
Australian Rowing Championships
in Australia, the
Harvard?Yale Regatta
and
Head of the Charles Regatta
in the United States, and the
Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
in Canada. Many other competitions often exist for racing between clubs, schools, and universities in each nation.
History
[
edit
]
An Egyptian funerary inscription of 1430 BC records that the warrior
Amenhotep
(Amenophis) II was also renowned for his feats of oarsmanship, though there is some disagreement among scholars over whether there were rowing contests in ancient Egypt.
[4]
In the
Aeneid
,
Virgil
mentions rowing forming part of the funeral games arranged by
Aeneas
in honour of his father.
[5]
In the 13th century,
Venetian
festivals called
regata
included boat races among others.
[6]
The first known "modern" rowing races began from competition among the professional
watermen
in the
United Kingdom
that provided ferry and taxi service on the
River Thames
in
London
. Prizes for wager races were often offered by the London
Guilds
and
Livery Companies
or wealthy owners of riverside houses.
[5]
The oldest surviving such race,
Doggett's Coat and Badge
was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually from
London Bridge
to
Chelsea
.
[7]
During the 19th century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the 19th century, notably on the
Tyne
. In America, the earliest known race dates back to 1756 in New York, when a pettiauger defeated a Cape Cod whaleboat in a race.
[8]
Amateur competition in England began towards the end of the 18th century the age before technology. Documentary evidence from this period is sparse, but it is known that the Monarch Boat Club of
Eton College
and the Isis Club of
Westminster School
were both in existence in the 1790s. The Star Club and Arrow Club in London for gentlemen amateurs were also in existence before 1800. At the
University of Oxford
bumping races were first organised in 1815 when
Brasenose College
and
Jesus College
boat clubs had the first annual race
[9]
while at
Cambridge
the first recorded races were in 1827.
[10]
Brasenose beat Jesus to win Oxford University's first Head of the River; the two clubs claim to be the oldest established boat clubs in the world.
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). The interest in the first Boat Race and subsequent matches led the town of
Henley-on-Thames
to begin hosting an
annual regatta
in 1839.
[11]
Founded in 1818,
Leander Club
is the world's oldest public rowing club.
[12]
The second oldest club which still exists is the
Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club
which was founded 1836 and marked the beginning of rowing as an organized sport in Germany.
[13]
During the 19th century, as in England, wager matches in North America between professionals became very popular attracting vast crowds. Narragansett Boat Club was founded in 1838 exclusively for rowing. During an 1837 parade in Providence, R.I, a group of boatmen were pulling a longboat on wheels, which carried the oldest living survivor of the 1772
Gaspee Raid
. They boasted to the crowd that they were the fastest rowing crew on the Bay. A group of Providence locals took issue with this and challenged them to race, which the Providence group summarily won. The six-man core of that group went on in 1838 to found NBC.
[14]
Detroit Boat Club was founded in 1839 and is the second oldest continuously operated rowing club in the U.S. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at
Yale University
.
[15]
The
Harvard?Yale Regatta
is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the United States,
[16]
[17]
having been contested every year since 1852 (excepting interruptions for wars and the
COVID-19 pandemic
).
The
Schuylkill Navy
is an association of amateur rowing clubs of
Philadelphia
. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the
United States
.
[18]
The member clubs are all on the
Schuylkill River
where it flows through
Fairmount Park
in Philadelphia, mostly on the historic
Boathouse Row
. The success of the Schuylkill Navy and similar organizations contributed heavily to the extinction of professional rowing and the sport's current status as an amateur sport.
[19]
At its founding, it had nine clubs; today, there are 12. At least 23 other clubs have belonged to the Navy at various times.
[20]
Many of the clubs have a rich history, and have produced a large number of Olympians and world-class competitors.
[21]
The sport's governing body,
Federation Internationale des Societes d'Aviron
, was founded in 1892,
[22]
and is the oldest international sports federation in the Olympic movement.
[23]
FISA first organized a
European Rowing Championships
in 1893.
[22]
An annual
World Rowing Championships
was introduced in 1962.
[17]
[24]
Rowing has also been conducted at the
Olympic Games
since
1900
(cancelled at the first modern Games in
1896
due to bad weather).
[25]
History of women's rowing
[
edit
]
Women row in all boat classes, from single scull to coxed eights, across the same age ranges and standards as men, from junior amateur through university-level to elite athlete.
[26]
[27]
Typically men and women compete in separate crews although mixed crews and mixed team events also take place.
[28]
Coaching for women is similar to that for men.
[29]
The world's first women's rowing team was formed in 1896 at the
Furnivall Sculling Club
in London.
[30]
The club, with signature colors a very distinct myrtle and gold, began as a women's club, but eventually allowed the admittance of men in 1901.
[30]
The first international women's races were the 1954
European Rowing Championships
.
[31]
The introduction of women's
rowing at the 1976 Summer Olympics
in Montreal increased the growth of women's rowing because it created the incentive for national rowing federations to support women's events.
Rowing at the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London included six events for women compared with eight for men.
[32]
In the US, rowing is an NCAA sport for women but not for men;
[33]
though it is one of the country's oldest collegiate sports, the difference is in large part due to the requirements of
Title IX
.
At the international level, women's rowing traditionally has been dominated by Eastern European countries, such as Romania, Russia, and Bulgaria, although other countries such as Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Great Britain and New Zealand often field competitive teams.
[32]
The United States also has had very competitive crews, and in recent years these crews have become even more competitive given the surge in women's
collegiate rowing
.
[34]
Now there is usually the same number of girls and boys in a group.
Technique
[
edit
]
While rowing, the athlete sits in the boat facing toward the
stern
and uses the
oars
(also interchangeably referred to as "blades"), which are held in place by
oarlocks
(also referred to as "gates"), to propel the boat forward (towards the
bow
). Rowing is distinguished from
paddling
in that the oar is attached to the boat using an
oarlock
, where in paddling there is no oarlock or attachment of the paddle to the boat.
The rowing stroke may be characterized by two fundamental reference points: the
catch
, which is placement of the oar spoon in the water, and the
extraction
, also known as the
finish
or
release
, when the rower removes the oar spoon from the water.
After the oar is placed in the water at the catch, the rower applies pressure to the oar levering the boat forward which is called the
drive
phase of the stroke. Once the rower extracts the oar from the water, the
recovery
phase begins, setting up the rower's body for the next stroke.
At the catch, the rower places the oar in the water and applies pressure to the oar by pushing the seat toward the bow of the boat by extending the legs, thus pushing the boat through the water. The point of placement of the spoon in the water is a relatively fixed point about which the oar serves as a lever to propel the boat. As the rower's legs approach full extension, the rower pivots the torso toward the bow of the boat and then finally pulls the arms towards his or her chest. The hands meet the chest right above the diaphragm.
At the end of the stroke, with the oar spoon still in the water, the hands drop slightly to unload the oar so that spring energy stored in the bend of the oar gets transferred to the boat which eases removing the oar from the water and minimizes energy wasted on lifting water above the surface (splashing).
The recovery phase follows the drive. The recovery starts with the extraction and involves coordinating the body movements with the goal to move the oar back to the catch position. In extraction, the rower pushes down on the oar handle to quickly lift the spoon out of the water and rapidly rotates the oar so that the spoon is parallel to the water. This process is sometimes referred to as
feathering the blade
. Simultaneously, the rower pushes the oar handle away from the chest. The spoon should emerge from the water perpendicular or
square
and be feathered immediately once clear of the water. After feathering and extending the arms, the rower pivots the body forward. Once the hands are past the knees, the rower compresses the legs which moves the seat towards the stern of the boat. The leg compression occurs relatively slowly compared to the rest of the stroke, which affords the rower a moment to recover, and allows the boat to glide through the water. The gliding of the boat through the water during recovery is often called
run
.
A controlled slide is necessary to maintain momentum and achieve optimal boat run. However, various teaching methods disagree about the optimal relation in timing between drive and recovery. Near the end of the recovery, the rower squares the oar spoon into perpendicular orientation with respect to the water and begins another stroke.
[35]
[36]
Technique Exercises
[
edit
]
Rowing technique drills are essential components of a rower's training routine, focusing on specific aspects of the rowing stroke to refine skills and enhance overall performance. These structured exercises, whether performed individually (on the
erg
), in groups, or whole boat provide a targeted approach to improving coordination, body positioning, and teamwork.
[37]
[38]
[39]
Forward Pick
[
edit
]
The Forward Pick drill, often used as a standard warm-up for rowing crews in groups of 4 or 6, focuses on isolating different components of the recovery and drive sequence. Starting with arms-only strokes and gradually incorporating the back, ½ slide, and full slide, rowers gain a nuanced understanding of the interplay between these elements. The drill aims to enhance body preparation, providing rowers with a tactile sense of how each phase should seamlessly flow into the next.
[40]
Reverse Pick (Korzinowski Drill)
[
edit
]
The Reverse Pick drill, executed in groups of 4 or 6, isolates different aspects of the drive sequence. With the boat ‘’checked-down’’ (the boat has no speed), rowers initiate the drill with leg-only strokes, gradually adding the back and arms. The emphasis is on maintaining proper body position and sitting tall throughout the exercise. This drill aids in isolating and understanding the distinct elements of the drive sequence and their interconnectedness.
[40]
Cut-the-cake
[
edit
]
The Cut-the-cake drill typically involves the entire boat. Rowers execute the drill collectively, starting with a normal stroke and transitioning into the subsequent recovery. During this process, the entire crew pivots forward with their bodies, swings back to the finish (without letting the oars drop in the water), then swings forward again to reach the catch position. The swinging motion, referred to as "cutting the cake," involves coordinated movements by all rowers, creating a unified and synchronized exercise aimed at improving boat balance, swing, and recovery timing.
[41]
Quarter or Half Slide Rowing
[
edit
]
Designed for the entire crew or smaller groups, this drill involves rowing using only a quarter or half of the slide at a high rating with a full press. It sharpens quick catches and emphasizes coordination during the recovery phase.
[40]
Square-Wide-6
[
edit
]
The Square-Wide-6 drill, conducted in groups of 6 or 4, requires rowers to take a wide grip on the
oar
handle, emphasizing a specific body position during the recovery. This encourages proper body positioning and enhances body flexibility
[42]
[40]
Feet-out rowing
[
edit
]
Feet-out rowing, performed either collectively by all rowers or in smaller groups, involves the removal of feet from the shoes and placement of feet on top of the shoes. This drill helps rowers maintain continuous pressure on the footboard, especially during oar release. Despite challenges like early leg finishing or excessive layback, feet-out rowing reinforces improved leg connection and more reasonable layback, translating on-the-water skills to the erg for a more efficient rowing experience.
[39]
Eyes Closed Rowing
[
edit
]
In the Eyes Closed Rowing drill, performed by the whole boat, rowers execute the rowing motion with closed eyes and heightened auditory awareness. Rowers row with eyes closed, relying solely on their sense of touch and careful listening to the boat motion and the
coxswain
. This drill is designed to enhance rowers' ability to feel the subtle movements of the boat and synchronize seamlessly with their teammates. By eliminating the visual element, rowers focus on developing a heightened sense of touch and teamwork, fostering a deeper understanding of the rowing experience. This drill enhances the overall coordination and sensitivity to the dynamics of the boat, contributing to improved synchronization and a more nuanced rowing performance.
[43]
Boat classes
[
edit
]
Broadly, there are two ways to row, sometimes called disciplines:
[44]
- In
sweep rowing
, each rower has one oar, held with both hands.
[45]
There are usually an even number of rowers ? two, four or eight. Each rower's oar will extend to their
port
or
starboard
. In the United Kingdom, the port side is referred to as
stroke side
and the starboard side as
bow side
; this applies even if the stroke oarsman is rowing on the bow side and/or the bow oarsman on the stroke side.
- In
sculling
each rower has two oars (or
sculls
), one in each hand. Sculling is usually done without a
coxswain
in
quads
,
doubles
or
singles
. The oar in the sculler's right hand extends to port and the oar in the left hand extends to starboard.
Within each discipline, there are several boat classes. A single regatta (series of races) will often feature races for many boat classes. They are classified using:
- Number of rowers: in all forms of modern competition the number is 1, 2, 4, or 8.
- Whether there is a
coxswain
(also referred to as cox). Coxless sweep boats are sometimes called "straight", while sculling boats are assumed to be coxless unless stated otherwise.
Although sculling and sweep boats are generally identical to each other (except having different
riggers
), they are referred to using different names:
Sculling boat classes:
Sweep boat classes:
Equipment
[
edit
]
Racing shell
[
edit
]
Racing boats
(often called
shells
) are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to reduce drag in the water. There is some trade off between boat speed and stability in choice of hull shape. They usually have a fin towards the rear, to help prevent roll and yaw and to increase the effectiveness of the rudder.
Originally made from
wood
, shells are now almost always made from a
composite material
(usually a double skin of
carbon-fiber reinforced plastic
with a sandwich of honeycomb material) for strength and weight advantages. World Rowing rules specify minimum weights for each class of boat so that no individual team will gain a great advantage from the use of expensive materials or technology.
Smaller sculling boats are usually steered by the scullers pulling harder on one side or the other while larger boats often have a
rudder
, controlled by the coxswain, if present, or by one of the crew using a cable attached to one of the shoes.
With the smaller boats, specialist versions of the shells for sculling can be made lighter. The riggers in sculling apply the forces symmetrically to each side of the boat, whereas in sweep oared racing these forces are staggered alternately along the boat. The sweep oared boat has to be stiffer to handle these unmatched forces, so consequently requires more bracing and is usually heavier ? a pair (2-) is usually a more robust boat than a double scull (2x) for example, and being heavier is also slower when used as a double scull. In theory, this could also apply to the 4x and 8x, but most rowing clubs cannot afford to have a dedicated large hull which might be rarely used and instead generally opt for versatility in their fleet by using stronger shells which can be rigged for either sweep rowing or sculling. The symmetrical forces also make sculling more efficient than sweep rowing: the double scull is faster than the coxless pair, and the quadruple scull is faster than the coxless four.
Many adjustments can be made to the equipment to accommodate the physiques of the crew. Collectively these adjustments are known as the boat's
rigging
.
Oars, sometimes referred to as blades, are used to propel the boat. They are long (sculling: 250?300 cm; sweep oar: 340?360 cm) poles with one flat end about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide, called the spoon. Classic blades were made out of
wood
, but modern blades are made from more expensive and durable
synthetic
material, the most common being
carbon fiber
.
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 spoon area than the equivalent sweep oar. The combined spoon area of a pair of sculls is however greater than that of a single sweep oar, so the oarsman when sculling is working against more water than when rowing sweep-oared. They are able to do this because the body action in sculling is more anatomically efficient (due to the symmetry).
The
spoon
of oars is normally painted with the colours of the club to which they belong. This greatly simplifies identification of boats at a distance. As many sports teams have logos printed on their jerseys, rowing clubs have specifically painted blades that each team is associated with.
Training equipment
[
edit
]
Indoor rowing (on
indoor rower
, or
rowing tank
) is a way to train technique and strength by going through the same motions as rowing, with resistance(usually a large tank of water). Indoor rowing is helpful when there are no rowable bodies of water near by, or weather conditions don't permit rowing.
A rowing tank is an indoor facility which attempts to mimic the conditions rowers face on open water. Rowing tanks are used primarily for off-season rowing, muscle-specific conditioning and technique training, or simply when bad weather prevents open-water training.
Ergometer
rowing machines (colloquially
ergs
or
ergo
) simulate the rowing action and provide a means of training on land when waterborne training is restricted, and of measuring rowing fitness. Ergometers do not simulate the lateral balance challenges, the exact resistance of water, or the exact motions of true rowing including the sweep of the oar handles. For that reason ergometer scores are generally not used as the sole selection criterion for crews (colloquially
"ergs don't float"
), and technique training is limited to the basic body position and movements. However, this action can still allow a workout comparable to those experienced on the water. Indoor rowing 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.
[46]
Race formats
[
edit
]
There are several formats for rowing races, often called "
regattas
". The two most common are side by side and
head races
.
Side by side
[
edit
]
Most races that are held in the spring and summer feature side-by-side,
[b]
or sprint
[c]
racing; 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 typically varies between two (which is sometimes referred to as a
dual race
) to eight, but any number of boats can start together if the course is wide enough.
The standard length races for the Olympics and the
World Rowing Championships
is 2 kilometres (1.24 mi) long. In the United States, some scholastic (high school) races are 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi), while many youth races are the standard 2 kilometres.
Masters
rowers (rowers older than 27) often race 1,000m. However the race distance can and does vary from
dashes
or sprints, which may be 500 metres (1,640 ft) long, to longer dual races like the 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi)
Boat Race
.
Two traditional non-standard distance shell races are the annual
Boat Race
between
Oxford
and
Cambridge
and the
Harvard-Yale Boat Race
which cover courses of approximately 4 miles (6.44 km). The
Henley Royal Regatta
is also raced upon a non-standard distance at 2,112 meters (1 mile, 550 yards).
In general, multi-boat competitions are 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
. The World Rowing Championships offers multi-lane racing in heats, finals and repechages. At Henley Royal Regatta two crews compete side by side in each round, in a straightforward
knock-out format
, with no repechages.
Head races
[
edit
]
Head races
are
time trial
/ processional races that 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 are timed over a set distance. Head courses usually vary in length from 2,000 metres (1.24 mi) to 12,000 metres (7.46 mi), though there are longer races such as the
Boston Rowing Marathon
and shorter such as
Pairs Head
.
The oldest, and arguably most famous, head race is the
Head of the River Race
, founded by
Steve Fairbairn
in 1926 which takes place each March on the river
Thames
in
London
, United Kingdom. Head racing was exported to the United States in the 1950s, and the
Head of the Charles Regatta
held each October on the
Charles River
in
Boston
,
Massachusetts
, United States is now the largest rowing event in the world.
These processional races are known as
Head Races
, because, as with bumps racing, the fastest crew is awarded the title
Head of the River
(as in "head of the class"). It was not deemed feasible to run bumps racing on the Tideway, so a timed format was adopted and soon caught on.
Time trials are sometimes used to determine who competes in an event where there is a limited number of entries, for example, the qualifying races for Henley Royal Regatta, and
rowing on
and
getting on
for the Oxford and Cambridge
Bumps races
respectively.
Other race formats
[
edit
]
A
bumps race
is a multi-day race beginning with crews lined up along the river at set intervals. They start simultaneously and all pursue the boat ahead while avoiding being bumped by a boat from 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. 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
[49]
and Cambridge's are organised by the
Cambridgeshire Rowing Association
.
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 it is run as a head race with an interval start.
[50]
A similar type of racing is found in UK and Irish coastal rowing, where a number of boats race out to a given point from the coast and then return fighting rough water all the way. In Irish coastal rowing the boats are in individual lanes with the races consisting of up to 3 turns to make the race distance 2.3 km.
Boat positions
[
edit
]
Rowers in multi-rower boats are numbered sequentially from the bow aft. The number-one rower is called the
bowman
, or just 'bow', whilst the rower closest to the stern is called the '
strokeman
' or just 'stroke'. There are some exceptions to this ? some UK coastal rowers, and in France, Spain, and Italy rowers number from stern to bow.
In addition to this, certain crew members have other titles and roles. In an 8+ the stern pair are responsible for setting the stroke rate and rhythm for the rest of the boat to follow. The middle four (sometimes called the "engine room" or "power house") are usually the less technical, but more powerful rowers in the crew, whilst the bow pair are the more technical and generally regarded as the pair to set up the balance of the boat. They also have most influence on the line the boat steers.
Coxswain
[
edit
]
The
coxswain
(or simply the cox) is the member who steers the boat using rudder strings, and coordinates the power and rhythm of the rowers, by communicating to the crew, often through a device called a
cox box
and speakers. The cox usually sits in the stern of the boat facing the rowers but in
bowloaders
, usually seen in the
coxed four
and
coxed pair
types of boat, the coxswain lies in the bow. The cox is usually the smallest and lightest out of all the crew.
It is an advantage for the coxswain to be light as this requires less effort for the crew to propel the boat. In many competitive events there is a minimum weight, 55 kilograms (121 lb) under World Rowing rules, set for the coxswain to prevent unfair advantage. If a coxswain is under the minimum weight allowance (underweight), they may have to carry weights in the boat such as sandbags.
[51]
Athlete categories
[
edit
]
At the elite level, the World Rowing Federation recognizes an under 19 category for athletes who are age 18 or less by the end of the calendar year for a given event. The
World Rowing Junior Championships
is the
world championship
event for this category. Athletes under 23 years of age by the end of the calendar year may compete in the under 23 category, and the
World Rowing U23 Championships
is held for these athletes. World Rowing uses the term "Senior" for events open to any age.
[52]
Under World Rowing rules, athletes may compete in "
Masters
" categories when they reach age 27. World Rowing holds the
World Rowing Masters Regatta
for these athletes, at which there are several age subcategories.
[52]
Weight
[
edit
]
Lightweight boat classes
are restricted by the rowers' weight. According to the World Rowing Federation, 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
. As of 2021, the only Olympic lightweight boat classes are the men's and women's double sculls. Starting with the 2028 Olympic games, lightweight rowing will no longer have any events in the Olympics.
[53]
The World Rowing Federation lightweight standards are:
- Men: Crew average 70 kilograms (150 lb) ? no rower over 72.5 kilograms (160 lb)
- Women: Crew average 57 kilograms (126 lb) ? no rower over 59 kilograms (130 lb)
At the
collegiate level in the United States
, the lightweight weight requirements can be different depending on competitive season. For fall regattas (typically head races), the lightweight cutoff for men is 165.0 lb. and 135.0 lb. for women. In the spring season (typically sprint races), the lightweight cutoff for men is 160.0 lb., with a boat average of 155.0 lb. for the crew; for women, the lightweight cutoff is 130.0 lb.
[54]
For juniors in the United States, the lightweight cutoff for men is 150.0 lb.; for women, it is 130.0 lb. In the fall the weight limits are increased for women, with the cutoff being 135 lb.
Pararowing
[
edit
]
Adaptive rowing is a special category of races for those with physical disabilities. Under World Rowing rules there are 5 boat classes for adaptive rowers; mixed (2 men and 2 women plus cox) LTA (Legs, Trunk, Arms), mixed intellectual disability (2 men and 2 women plus cox) LTA (Legs, Trunk, Arms), mixed (1 man and 1 woman) TA (Trunk and Arms), and men's and women's AS (Arms and Shoulders). Events are held at the World Rowing Championships and were also held at the
2008 Summer Paralympics
.
[55]
Governing bodies
[
edit
]
The
World Rowing Federation
, known as FISA until recently, is the sport's international governing body. World Rowing runs the
World Rowing Championships
, as well as several other international elite competitions including the
World Rowing Cup
and
World Rowing Junior Championships
. World Rowing also sponsors
rowing at the Olympics
.
World Rowing has over 155
national member federations
who govern the sport in their respective nations.
[56]
International competitions
[
edit
]
The
Olympic Games
are held every four years, where only select boat classes are raced (14 in total):
- Men:
quad scull
,
double scull
,
single scull
,
eight
,
coxless four
, and
coxless pair
- Lightweight Men:
double scull
- Women:
quad scull
,
double scull
,
single scull
,
eight
,
coxless four
, and
coxless pair
- Lightweight Women:
double scull
At the end of each year, the
World Rowing Federation
holds the World Rowing Championships with events in 22 different boat classes. Athletes generally consider the Olympic classes to be premier events.
[57]
In 2017 FISA (now the World Rowing Federation) voted to adopt a new Olympic programme for 2020, whereby the lightweight men's coxless four event was replaced by the women's heavyweight coxless four. This was done to ensure that rowing had a gender equal Olympic programme.
[2]
During Olympic years only non-Olympic boats compete at the World Championships.
Fitness and health
[
edit
]
Rowing is one of the few bearing sports that
exercises
all the major muscle groups, including
quads
,
biceps
,
triceps
,
lats
,
glutes
and
abdominal
muscles.
[58]
The sport also improves
cardiovascular
endurance and
muscular strength
. High-performance rowers tend to be tall and muscular:
[59]
although extra weight does increase the drag on the boat, the larger athletes' increased power tends to compensate. The increased power is achieved through the increased leverage on the oar provided by the longer limbs of the athlete. In multi-person boats (2,4, or 8), the lightest person typically rows in the bow seat at the front of the boat.
Rowing is a low-impact sport with movement only in defined ranges, so that twist and sprain injuries are rare. However, the repetitive rowing action can put strain on
knee joints
, the
spine
and the tendons of the forearm, and
inflammation
of these are the most common rowing injuries.
[60]
If one rows with poor technique, especially rowing with a curved rather than straight back, other injuries may surface, including back pains and wrist injuries. Blisters occur for almost all rowers, especially in the beginning of one's rowing career, as every stroke puts pressure on the hands, though rowing frequently tends to harden hands and generate protective calluses. Holding the oars too tightly or making adjustments to technique may cause recurring or new blisters, as it is common to feather the blade. Another common injury is getting "track bites", thin cuts on the back of one's calf or thigh caused by contact with the seat tracks at either end of the stroke.
[61]
See also
[
edit
]
- International Rowing Federation events
|
- College/university rowing
|
References
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
"International Olympic Committee ? History of rowing at the Olympic games"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on September 8, 2015
. Retrieved
June 6,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games rowing programme announced"
.
worldrowing.com
. June 12, 2017.
Archived
from the original on September 11, 2019
. Retrieved
September 11,
2019
.
- ^
"FISA - worldrowing.com"
.
www.worldrowing.com
.
Archived
from the original on June 23, 2017
. Retrieved
June 6,
2017
.
- ^
"The Ancient Egyptian Rowing Stroke: Propelling the Boats of Gods and Men"
.
Hear The Boat Sing
. March 2, 2018
. Retrieved
April 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Burnell, Richard; Page, Geoffrey (1997).
The Brilliants: A History of the Leander Club
. Leander Club.
ISBN
978-0-9500061-1-6
.
- ^
"Online Etymology Dictionary"
.
Archived
from the original on October 15, 2007
. Retrieved
December 23,
2006
.
- ^
"Doggett's Coat & Badge Race"
.
Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section
.
Archived
from the original on September 28, 2006
. Retrieved
December 23,
2006
.
- ^
"Historical context of the beginnings of rowing at Penn"
. Archived from
the original
on August 8, 2008
. Retrieved
January 25,
2007
.
- ^
"A History of Oxford College Rowing"
.
Archived
from the original on April 10, 2007
. Retrieved
January 17,
2007
.
- ^
"The History of the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association"
. Archived from
the original
on June 20, 2010
. Retrieved
January 17,
2007
.
- ^
Burnell, Richard (1989).
Henley Royal Regatta: A celebration of 150 years
. William Heinemann.
ISBN
978-0-434-98134-2
.
- ^
"History - Leander Club"
. Leander Club.
Archived
from the original on March 23, 2013
. Retrieved
March 20,
2013
.
- ^
"Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club"
(in German). Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club.
Archived
from the original on May 12, 2013
. Retrieved
March 20,
2013
.
- ^
Narragansett Boat Club:
http://www.rownbc.org/?id=club-info/index
Archived
2018-09-16 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Begin-1849images"
.
Archived
from the original on March 20, 2013
. Retrieved
June 12,
2013
.
- ^
"Begin-1849images"
. Archived from
the original
on March 20, 2013
. Retrieved
June 12,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Veneziano, John.
"America's Oldest Intercollegiate Athletic Event"
. Harvard University Boat Club. Archived from
the original
on July 19, 2011
. Retrieved
January 17,
2007
.
- ^
"Boathouse Row"
. Living Places.
Archived
from the original on July 17, 2011
. Retrieved
April 30,
2010
.
- ^
Moak, Jefferson (November 27, 1983).
"National Register of Historic Places Inventory?Nomination Form"
. NPS Focus, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior. p. 669.
Archived
from the original on February 27, 2014
. Retrieved
May 7,
2010
.
- ^
Good, Megan.
"Schuylkill Navy Records, 1859?2009"
(PDF)
. Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on June 10, 2015
. Retrieved
October 7,
2013
.
- ^
"Boathouse Row Clubs"
. Schuylkill Navy & Boathouse Row.
Archived
from the original on June 26, 2015
. Retrieved
June 26,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Virtual Library of Sports: Rowing"
.
Archived
from the original on February 23, 2007
. Retrieved
January 17,
2007
.
- ^
"World Rowing"
. Archived from
the original
on January 2, 2007
. Retrieved
December 31,
2006
.
- ^
"Australian Rowing at the World Senior Championships"
. Archived from
the original
on June 14, 2013
. Retrieved
January 17,
2007
.
- ^
"Rowing Equipment and History"
.
Archived
from the original on November 2, 2011
. Retrieved
July 10,
2011
.
- ^
"Rowing"
. World Rowing.
Archived
from the original on April 10, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
"2015 World Rowing Championships"
. World Rowing.
Archived
from the original on April 30, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
"2014 World Rowing Championships"
. World Rowing.
Archived
from the original on April 13, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
See for example,
International Rowing Federation
sections on World Rowing Masters Regatta and World Rowing Sprints
- ^
"What makes a successful women's coach?"
. World Rowing. December 8, 2014.
Archived
from the original on April 23, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Ogilvie, Sarah (November 1, 2012).
Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary
. Cambridge University Press.
ISBN
9781139789530
.
- ^
"Women in rowing"
. World Rowing. February 23, 2015.
Archived
from the original on April 27, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Feature: the impact of Olympic inclusion on women's rowing"
. World Rowing. June 12, 2013
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
"College DI Rowing - Home - NCAA.com"
.
NCAA.com
.
Archived
from the original on May 14, 2016
. Retrieved
June 6,
2017
.
- ^
"For US women's eight, golden road begins in college"
.
The Boston Globe
. October 21, 2012.
Archived
from the original on April 27, 2015
. Retrieved
April 19,
2015
.
- ^
"Speed Rower, Competitive Rowing"
. Archived from
the original
on June 9, 2009
. Retrieved
February 5,
2009
.
- ^
"British Rowing Technique"
.
The Amateur Rowing Association
. Archived from the original on February 19, 2007
. Retrieved
December 23,
2006
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
"British Rowing - Rowing Exercises"
.
- ^
"Concept2 - Rowing Drills"
. December 16, 2020.
- ^
a
b
"row2k - Erg Drills - Feet-out Rowing"
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"MIT Rowing Club - Rowing Drills"
.
- ^
"Top 20 Terms Coxswains Should Know: Cut the Cake"
.
ReadyAllRow
. Unknown
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
"Water Drills PDF"
(PDF)
.
Squarespace
. Unknown
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
"Water Drills PDF"
(PDF)
.
Squarespace
. Unknown
. Retrieved
February 21,
2024
.
- ^
British Rowing (2021).
2021 Rules of Racing
(PDF)
. p. 10.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 10, 2021.
- ^
Garrett, William E.; Kirkendall, Donald T. (2000).
Exercise and Sport Science
. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
ISBN
978-0-683-03421-9
.
- ^
"Racing"
.
Concept2.co.uk
.
Archived
from the original on December 30, 2006
. Retrieved
January 2,
2007
.
- ^
British Rowing (2021).
2021 Rules of Racing
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 10, 2021.
- ^
United States Rowing Association.
"The Rules of Rowing - 2020 Edition"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on April 17, 2021.
- ^
"Bumps"
. City of Oxford Rowing Club. Archived from
the original
on October 24, 2010
. Retrieved
January 20,
2011
.
- ^
"Green Mountain Head Regatta"
. Archived from
the original
on March 13, 2005
. Retrieved
January 27,
2007
.
- ^
"World Rowing - 2021 World Rowing Rule Book"
.
World Rowing
. p. 103
. Retrieved
April 19,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"World Rowing - 2021 World Rowing Rule Book"
.
World Rowing
. p. 102
. Retrieved
April 19,
2021
.
- ^
"Rowing makes Olympic history with the inclusion of beach sprints at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic games"
.
World Rowing
. Retrieved
October 15,
2023
.
- ^
"Women's Rowing 101 ? PatriotLeague.org ? Patriot League Official Athletic Site"
. PatriotLeague.org. April 18, 2008. Archived from
the original
on January 16, 2013
. Retrieved
March 20,
2013
.
- ^
"Paralympic/Adaptive"
.
WorldRowing.com
.
Archived
from the original on July 14, 2006
. Retrieved
December 23,
2006
.
- ^
"World Rowing - Member Federations"
.
World Rowing
. Retrieved
April 8,
2021
.
- ^
"World Rowing - Rowing and Para Rowing"
.
World Rowing
. Retrieved
October 22,
2021
.
- ^
"Muscles Used"
.
Concept2
. May 9, 2012.
Archived
from the original on May 21, 2020
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
- ^
"The Physical Characteristics of an Elite Rower"
.
Setanta College
. September 21, 2018
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
- ^
Hosea, Timothy M.; Hannafin, Jo A. (April 26, 2012).
"Rowing Injuries"
.
Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach
.
4
(3): 236?245.
doi
:
10.1177/1941738112442484
.
PMC
3435926
.
PMID
23016093
.
- ^
Inc, The Independent Rowing News (June 8, 1997).
Rowing News
. The Independent Rowing News Inc.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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