An exploration of mixed-gender events and inclusive rowing formats. The ultimate objective of crew rowing is absolute unity of motion. Daniel James Brown describes it best in The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, “All were merged into one smoothly working machine; they were in […]
News
Rowing News | Condition-Free Technique
The late coach Larry Gluckman coined the term “condition-free technique.” Larry coached his rowers to develop clean bladework skills and technique so they could handle any kind of adverse weather or water. Losing rhythm, being thrown off balance or, worst-case scenario, flipping over happen easily if you are not rowing with your oars high enough […]
South Carolina Chefs Whipped the World’s Toughest Row
How long does it take to row a boat more than three thousand miles over open ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua? For Ben Towill and Charlie Layton, two Charleston, South Carolina, restaurant vets who completed that epic journey January 21, the answer is forty days. Read full article here. Interested in more Rowers […]
Ten Questions with Christine Cavallo
Sitting in the two seat of OUWBC’s Blue Boat is former US lightweight Christine Cavallo. Cavallo, 26, is a Stanford alumni and represented USRowing at the 2018 and 2019 World Rowing Championships, and trialed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team but just missed selection for the lightweight double. Ahead of making her Boat Race debut […]
PAUL FUCHS: GUARDIAN OF ROWING’S EQUIPMENT
Rowing requires equipment. World Rowing, as the governing body of the sport, manages the rules around that equipment and a commission is purposed with that role. Heading World Rowing’s Materials Commission – now called the Equipment and Technology Commission – was former American rower Paul Fuchs. Read full article here. Interested in more Rowers Choice […]
The Rise of the Stroke Rate
BY VOLKER NOLTE PHOTO BY PETER SPURRIER. Statistics published annually by Valery Kleshnev identified an increase of stroke rates between one and two strokes per minute on average over the whole 2,000-meter racecourse after about 10 years of steady numbers. Read full article here. Interested in more Rowers Choice and rowing content? Click here to […]
Getting the Jump on Rowing
In the 1980s, a new type of training, plyometrics, entered rowing. Created by Russian scientist Yuri Verkhoshansky for track and field, it was based on the premise that bounding on and off a raised platform, such as a box 18 inches high, would develop ballistic power and explosive strength in the legs. Read full article […]
Swinging by the Stars and Stripes
A physical therapist once told me that many Olympic athletes are elite compensators. He meant that we are incredibly good at performing sub-optimal movement patterns, developing epic strength in those patterns, and then winning races using less-than-ideal skills. When you win using poor patterns, those patterns are reinforced because athletes will attribute their success to […]
Number Crunching
Race data analysis of the U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships Variable weather conditions throughout the U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships in Varese, Italy (even within a single day) makes it difficult to compare the absolute rowing speeds across different categories. The average winners’ speed in 12 comparable Olympic boat types (except lightweights) was […]