In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regata included boat races among others.
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. Rowing was becoming 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.
The first American race took place on the Schuylkill River in 1762 between 6-oared barges.
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 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 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).
Bump races are mainly being continued in Britian. 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. Bump races are very rare in the United States.
Bow (or bowman)
This is the rower closest to the bow of the boat. In coxless boats, they are usually responsible for 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.
Middle Crew (or “Engine Room”)
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.
Seven
In an eight oared shell, the rower at seven sits behind stroke and is typcially 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 increase or decrease the stroke rate it is essential that seven follow this change of rate so that it is translated to the rest of the crew.
Stroke
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 member 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.
Coxswain (cox)
(That little person yelling “stroke”)
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 comands.
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.
These excerpts were borrowed from wikipedia. There’s lots more info where this came from so be sure to check the site out for a FULL background on rowing
Rowers line up on ergometers at the Chattanooga Erg Sprints competition. Photo by Alison Pollini.
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