Rowing

Rowing is the act of using handheld oars to propel a boat through water. It has been used as a form of transportation for thousands of years. Records of rowing competitions also date back thousands of years, but rowing as a sport did not become popular in modern times until the 1800s. Competitions include races featuring solo rowers or teams of two, four, or eight rowers with the possibility of an additional teammate—known as the coxswain—who steers and directs the team. Elite rowers must be in top physical condition. The sport demands strength, rhythm, and endurance. When the competition involves a team on a single boat, the participants need to communicate effectively and work as a single unit. The sport requires muscle exertion throughout the body.

Many people row recreationally. Participants may enjoy the exercise rowing provides. Outdoor enthusiasts often prefer rowing to motor vehicles because it is a quieter method of transportation. People who fish often row to desired fishing locations.

Origins and History

Ancient Egyptian carvings depicted competitive rowing in the 1400s BCE. These carvings described the feats of a deceased pharaoh and showed that he defeated rivals in rowing competitions. In the first century BCE, ancient Roman writer Virgil authored The Aeneid, which describes the death of mythic hero Aeneas and a series of games and competitions that took place to honor his passing. Rowing was among those competitions.

Boat racing became popular in Italy during the Middle Ages—between 500 and 1500 AD. Modern competitions grew from transportation rivalries in London. In the 1700s, several boat owners made money transporting citizens across the River Thames. They often attempted to demonstrate that they had the fastest service. North America's first recorded boat race occurred in New York Harbor in 1756.

In the early 1800s, several British institutions began forming rowing clubs and competing. Oxford University and Cambridge University were among the most prominent. More clubs began forming in cities in the United States and Europe as the century continued. Some of the earliest were Britain's Leander Club, Germany's Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club, the Narragansett Boat Club in Rhode Island, and the Detroit Boat Club.

Yale University began its rowing program in 1843. Several other Ivy League universities and service academies followed suit. These were some of the most influential schools in the country, and their participation in rowing significantly boosted the sport's popularity. In 1852, Yale and Harvard arranged to compete in a boat race. The two schools were considered the very best academic universities in the nation and some of the best in the world. They had competed intensely for students and reputation since their respective foundations. This first race was the beginning of a rowing rivalry that persists in the twenty-first century.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, rowing became a common international sport. When the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, multiple rowing events were set to take place. However, weather interfered, and rowing was absent from the first iteration of the Olympics. Rowing made its official Olympic debut in 1900, with four events and exclusively male participants. By 1976, Olympic rowing had expanded to eight events for men. The 1976 Olympics also saw the debut of women's rowing, with six events.

Rules and Regulations

In the context of rowing, which is often referred to as crew, boats are sometimes called racing shells. The two main styles of rowing are sweep-oar rowing and sculling. In sweep-oar rowing, each competitor holds a single oar in both hands. The athletes sit single file in the shell, and the side where each oar is positioned alternates from front to back. Each athlete may be labeled a port or starboard rower, or as rowing on the stroke side or bow side. Sweep-oar rowing typically uses a coxswain, who does not row but steers the boat and helps the team maintain rhythm. In sculling, each rower uses two oars, one in each hand on either side of the boat. Most sculling races do not include a coxswain. The amount of rowers in a single boat during races may be one, two, four, or eight, with the possible addition of a coxswain.

Rowers can engage in a few different types of races. Side-by-side races, or sprints, involve all competitors starting at the same point and time and racing to cross a finish line. The 2-kilometer race is the most common length for this type of event, though 1 and 1.5-kilometer races also exist. This race is sometimes called a regatta, but terminology differs by region, and in some places, all rowing competitions are known as regattas.

The head race, also called a time trial, involves competitors starting one at a time, with short intervals between each start. Each boat is timed as it attempts to reach the finish, and the best time wins. These typically involve longer distances than side-by-side races, with some exceeding 12 kilometers.

Strategy and Tactics

Competitive rowers must have excellent form, rhythm, strength, and endurance. Team-based rowers must work effectively with one another, even if they can see only the teammates in front of them. In sprints, rowers use short, quick strokes to accelerate their craft. They gradually lengthen their strokes as the boat's speed increases. Once the boat is moving quickly, most crews enter a set of strokes called the high. They take full strokes but more rapidly than the pace they will maintain for most of the race. Most crews do this to establish their desired speed early. What varies widely is how long crews maintain the high. Maintaining the fast pace for too long can cause a crew to tire early, but there are psychological advantages to building an early lead. Unlike in other racing sports, crews face backward and cannot see competitors who are ahead of them. For most people, this makes it more difficult to find the extra drive to catch opponents.

Once crews conclude their high, they begin rowing at the rate they will maintain for the majority of the race. Coxswains may call for short bursts of speed for ten- or twenty-stroke intervals. Strategic teams will use them to ward off approaching opponents or to close the distance on leaders. During the final leg of a race, crews sprint, expending all the energy they have until they have completed the race.

Professional Leagues and Series

The governing body of international rowing competition is the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Aviron (FISA). In English, it is called the World Rowing Federation, or World Rowing. FISA was founded by rowing groups in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium in the late nineteenth century. The sport was growing throughout Europe, and participants agreed that consistency and regulation were necessary to ensure that everyone was competing under the same standards. Shortly after its foundation, FISA established the European Rowing Championships, which continue to take place annually.

FISA is one of the regulating bodies that determines the structure of the Olympics. It was the first international athletics organization to take part in Olympic planning. It presides over the Olympic rowing events, determining how many events will take place at each Olympics and what the rules will be. In 1962, FISA established the World Rowing Championships, an expansion of the European Rowing Championships. Initially the World Rowing Championships took place every four years, scheduled so that every two years would feature either Olympic or world-champion rowing. In the 1970s, FISA made the World Rowing Championships an annual event. During years when Olympic rowing takes place, the World Rowing Championships feature only events that are not held at the Olympics. They generally draw less attention and weaker competition in those years, as elite rowers consider the Olympics to be more important. In non-Olympic years, however, the global rowing community views the World Rowing Championships as the top priority.

In the United States, rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport. The Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) has overseen men's rowing since the late nineteenth century. The IRA holds a championship event annually. Women's rowing is a more recent sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) manages the sport and holds conference and national championship events at the conclusion of each season.

As the sport has progressed, various competitions and events take place throughout the year. The World Rowing Masters Regatta has taken place annually since 1973 for rowers twenty-seven years and older and features thousands of athletes on teams from around the world. There are also specific events for younger rowers, such as the Under 19 and Under 23 Championships. Since 2008, World Rowing has also sponsored rowing events at the Paralympic games. The sport has also expanded to include beach and spirit events, which have allowed cities and coastal areas greater access to the sport.

Popularity

Competitive rowing is very common at universities, and most countries have national teams that compete at the World Rowing Championships and the Olympics. Most first-world large cities with access to water have at least one rowing club. As a spectator sport, rowing generally receives large audiences only during Olympic competition. Due to its long history, tradition, and association with prestigious institutions, however, it has developed a respected reputation among even casual observers.

Recreational rowing is an appealing activity for many people. Since it uses so many muscles but is low-impact exercise, rowing is popular as part of a fitness routine. Participants can get a full workout without putting much stress on any part of their body. While lack of water access can limit participation in rowing, many people use fitness machines that emulate the motions, gaining the exercise benefits without a boat. Rowing is also enjoyable to those who want to explore the outdoors via the water. Many appreciate rowing's quiet nature and the satisfaction of using their own abilities to travel.

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