NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT OF THE SARATOGIAN FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010
Rowing for dummies
It takes more than pulling on an oar to win a regatta. The Saratogian explains the components of an eight boat. Crews like this will contest the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s National Championships today and tomorrow at Fish Creek on Saratoga Lake.
ENGINE ROOM BO W PAIR
ften overlooked, the middle four seats in a he bow pair resides in the front of the
O traditional eight boat are called the
“engine room” or “power plant,” as they supply the brawn to rocket a racing shell toward T racing shell, making them the first to cross through the finish line, but also putting them in charge of keeping the boat the finish line. in balance for its best performance. “You generally put people in there who are “I want them to be more technical,” skilled, but are also known as being strong on Saratoga Rowing Association girls varsity the oar,” Saratoga Rowing Association girls var- coach Eric Catalano said. “There is a lot of sity coach Eric Catalano said. “All you want control in the bow. How they carry their them to think about is pulling. You want to sim- hands can set the boat.” plify it as much as possible.” It’s also challenging to maintain balance “My favorite is racing in the middle of the as the boat races up the water. boat,” SRA engine room rower Thora Olsen said. “In general, the coach puts the two peo- “You feel the people moving in front of you and ple that he or she thinks would help set the behind you so it just feels like you’re going fast.” boat most,” said Caroline Blackington, half While not considered a specific “pair” in the of the bow pair in the Saratoga Rowing boat, the engine room has their own form of Association Girls’ Junior Eight boat. “The bonding and relying on each other. bow pair is more technical, so most of the “At practice, we joke about it because the mid- time it’s up to us to hold down, rush, and set dle never sits out (during rowing drills),” Brown the boat, balance it.” said. “When someone isn’t here, we miss them, While challenging, it’s not impossible. we miss the power, and you have a rhythm with “It’s not that hard,” Jill Perkins, the other the eight girls.” half of the bow pair, said. “Once you’ve rowed that long, you get used to it and watch the person in front of you and every- one follows each other.” The bow pair also has a line on their com- petitors, and any lead the boat may or may not have. “You can see out of the corner of your eye where they are and if you’re in front,” Perkins said. “That’s even better because you don’t even have to look out to see them.” But, to avoid distraction, the rowers are taught only to look ahead. “You sort of go with the mentality of STROKE PAIR blacking out, separating your mind from your body,” Blackington said. “Your mind he two rowers immediately in front of blanks out and your body does all the work.”
T the coxswain are called the stroke
pair. This is the rhythm section of a boat, set- ting the pace for how fast the crew will place and remove their oars from the water. “They need to be dynamic,” Saratoga Rowing Association girls varsity coach Eric Catalano said. “Not just the catch and the finish, but they need to know how to acceler- ate and how it will translate back through the boat.” “I like how we have a little more control over the race,” SRA girls junior eight stroke seat rower Lizzy Fitzhenry said. “If every- one’s not together, it’s really, really hard.” The stroke pair helps dictate when a boat needs to pass its competitors in adjacent lanes. “When you get your leg drives together it just feels really strong and powerful,” Fitzhenry said. “You can feel the rhythm and it’s great.” Catalano looks for a type of rower to place as a stroke pair. “You have to find a really good racer,” Catalano said. “The racing is what counts. In the end though, you have to have all the pieces. RIGGING & OARS “At the high school level you can have a stroke seat help you win races,” Catalano he rigging and oars play an important role said. “But in the Olympic final you need all eight to be like rock stars.” T within any racing shell; they move the boat forward and keep it upright. Without oars, the shell’s contents — namely the rowers — will wind up in the water. “One of the major pieces of rigging is load and angles; they are tied together,” Saratoga Row- ing Association girls varsity coach Eric Catalano said. “An oar acts like a lever — not like a see- saw, but more like a pry bar. “When you place a blade in the water you pull COXSWAIN on the handle and the boat actually moves past that point,” Catalano explained. “The shorter oss, signal caller, and captain of the ship are all your end (oar handle) the heavier and harder it
B names for a coxswain — the athlete who sits in
the racing shell and calls out rhythms, encour- aging the rest of the crew to pull harder than their is going to be to pull past that point.” He notes that the principle is the same as that which means it’s easier to loosen a bolt with a competitors. bigger wrench than a small one. “A good coxswain is a coach whose most important According to Catalano, coaches will often use job is steering the boat,” Saratoga Rowing Association a standard set of measurements for each class girls varsity coach Eric Catalano said. “Off the water, of rowers — with rowers of different ages using they are a center point for the boat. They get water for different length oars. the crew, look after the rowers, is their advocate and a “It’s the safer thing to do,” Catalano said. coach’s eyes and ears.” “But, there is speed to be found in the right Saratoga girls junior eight coxswain Isabel Price is arrangement for your crew.” back with a headset after injuring her back over the winter. Oars “I miss an oar, but this is the second best thing,” she said. “I motivate, correct the rowers during practice Oars range in length from 11.5 to 12.5 feet, and and steer straight. I like motivating them and seeing get attached to the rigging when on the water. them win, just being part of the team.” Changing the rigging can make the rowers “If I need to be relaxed and calm I can adjust my more comfortable, and is done utilizing a special voice for that. If I have to motivate it up I can do that system on each shell. too,” Price said. “I know what they like and what they “They can still obtain the same rating don’t like. Sometimes I mention things, more what (strokes per minute), but add a level of comfort, they like, not what they don’t like.” said coach Eric Catalano But a coxswain is more than just a motivational In addition, different sized and shaped blades speaker. “They can multitask,” Catalano said. “They run all OTHER TYPES OF SHELLS effect how the boat moves. “The more surface area on the blade, the these practices, get the teams on and off the water and hile the long eight boats represent the highest level of coordi- heavier the load, so you don’t need a longer translate what I say.” W nation among a crew, spectators on Fish Creek at Saratoga Lake today and Saturday will also see athletes in four person (quad), two-person (double), and single boats. oar,” Catalano said. “The length of the oar helps with balance.” He said the balance is similar to a pole used While the eight boats use sweep oars, with each athletes pulling on by a tight rope walker. Capsuls by Stan Hudy. Photo by Eric Jenks. one oar, quads are set up with either sweep oars or sculling oars, in “Without the oars the boats will flip, the same Design by Andrew J. Bernstein and Erin McNamee. which each athlete pulls on two oars. Doubles and singles always use with the tightrope walker,” Catalano said.