The Head of the Charles Regatta is the largest rowing competition in the world. It takes place next weekend, October 20th and 21st. I’ve always admired the sport ever since seeing the shells out on the Charles as I rode the Red Line from Cambridge to Boston. It always looked so peaceful and graceful.
A year ago I signed up to row in our local maritime school. I was in my mid 40s and gravity, a sedentary job, and stress from my husband’s cancer diagnosis brought me to the docks. I felt out of shape, my arms were flabby and I knew if I didn’t have time set aside for myself I would find myself in a rut. I didn’t expect to be good or to enjoy it much. I just wanted to spend time in nature.
Rowing is enjoying resurgence, particularly among women in my age group. I knew none of that when I showed up that first morning in the worst clothes imaginable to row. I’m now closing in on the end of my 4th session rowing and I am totally enamored of the sport for a variety of reasons.
Got a Happy Story is a community gathering every Friday night where we share stories large and small that have put a smile on our face. It is a time to acknowledge the joy and wonder we experience. The Happy Story diary exists as a way to anchor the community in hope and comfort while we do the hard work of taking back our country. Everyone and all sorts of stories and pictures are welcome. May we find joy and strength here.
Rowing is a total body sport requiring stamina, balance and flexibility. One thing that sets rowing apart from other sports is that you don’t have full use of your lungs. "Physiologists claim that rowing a 2,000-meter race - equivalent to 1.25 miles - is equal to playing back-to-back basketball games." The US Rowing Association:
Rowing is a total body workout. Rowing only looks like an upper body sport. Although upper body strength is important, the strength of the rowing stroke comes from the legs. Rowing is one of the few athletic activities that involves all of the body’s major muscle groups. It is a great aerobic workout, in the same vein as cross-country skiing, and is a low-impact sport on the joints...Rowing looks graceful, elegant and sometimes effortless when it is done well. Don’t be fooled...The sport demands endurance, strength, balance, mental discipline, and an ability to continue on when your body is demanding that you stop...
The crew that’s making it look easy is most likely the one doing the best job...Teamwork is number one. Rowing isn’t a great sport for athletes looking for MVP status. It is, however, teamwork’s best teacher. The athlete trying to stand out in an eight will only make the boat slower. The crew made up of individuals willing to sacrifice their personal goals for the team will be on the medal stand together. Winning teammates successfully match their desire, talent and bladework with one another.
Connie, Lynn, Aggie and Ellen entering the catch
In the "catch" position, the start of the stroke, one is sitting with legs bent forward, chest against the thighs, and arms fully extended in the forward position. The legs are the power behind the stroke. The part of the stroke called "the drive" has one pushing off with the legs until the seat slides back to legs fully extended and pulling the oars through the water. The "finish" position has one sitting with legs fully extended; upper body extended back at an angle, hands in at the chest and oars out of the water. Moving from the "finish" to the "catch" is known as "the recovery." The "catch" and the "finish" are unstable positions and require a lot of balance.
Aggie, Lynn, Rich and Ellen in the finish position
Here’s a stick figure vid of the stroke. It’s too long but in the first few seconds you get a sense of the stroke.
At our school we start out in Hudsons with four rowers and a coxswain to steer. Because the boat is traveling backward it is helpful to have someone steering so that beginner rowers can concentrate on the stroke. They’re heavy boats weighing over 200 pounds so the extra person is also helpful lifting the boat. Experienced rowers move up to quads where the person in the bow seat steers with a string connected to their toe and the rudder. The boat is rowing blind because everyone is facing in the opposite direction than the boat moves. The cox, or bow seat, is constantly looking behind to steer away from boats, buoys and other obstacles.
Much less often we row in singles or doubles. Part of the fun of rowing is the other women in the boat. Each boat tends to develop its own personality. I’ve rowed in boats we’ve dubbed, the mature women’s boat, the lawyers’ boat, the chit chat boat, and the athletic boat. The times I tend to row on my own are when I either want to work on my technique, build a body memory for certain positioning, or enjoy nature.
Sloppy technique, distracted by soberdad
Better technique,focused on the race and staying together
So far I’ve been in one minor race and I’d like to do more. Most of the major races have boats rowing sweep. Sweep is using just one oar per rower. So a boat with 8 rowers has 4 rowing port, right, and 4 rowing starboard, left. This is a vid of an incredible pep talk for the Canadian national team. Most of the boats are rowing sweep but you can see a few sculling—2 oars.
Why do I like rowing? There is nothing like endorphins on the water. I love rowing into the sunrise. Here are a few other reasons.
Osprey
Great Blue Heron
In honor of National Coming Out Day yesterday, here’s a clip that I can’t embed from a gay rowing movie that came out last year.
