A-Z
HEAD RACING
One wonders if one might read of “ tail racing “..... one might not . Racing against the clock , rather than starting abreast of other crews .
LIGHTWEIGHT
Rowing is divided into two categories : rowers that are hungry and rowers that eat everything in sight . The former are lightweights conforming to weight limits in a sport with an exorbitant calorie demand . ‘ Hangry ’ lightweights are to be handled with care .
LOOM
The shaft of the oar - from the spoon to the handle . There will be no witty definition of “ shaft ” so don ’ t bother skipping ahead .
MISSING WATER
Any rower will tell you how much they miss rowing . On further enquiry one will hear recollections of pure and utter agony , unbelievable sacrifice and a general unpleasant depiction of a rower ’ s experience while rowing . Furthermore it is unlikely any rower actually “ misses the water ” of Roodeplaat Dam which is akin to pea soup but smells woefully unswimmable . Missing water is when a rower starts the leg drive before the catch has been completed .
OAR
See Blade . Apparently “ blade ” just sounds cooler .
PADDLE
The feud between paddlers and rowers is observed world over . The term “ paddle ” is only used in rowing to describe rowing with little or no effort at all . One wonders if this term was crafted specifically to demean canoeists and their cheap bumper boats .
PUDDLE
Footprints or little whirlpools in the water made by the oars during a stroke . Fat ergos like to think they make big puddles , but any rower worth their mettle knows that ergos don ’ t float .
RATE
Rowing technique is only ‘ rated by coaches in pursuit of the perfect stroke and rowers who seldom have a realistic outlook of their own ability . Rate is actually the number of strokes per minute being rowed by a crew .
RECOVERY
Rowers will tell you that just one rowing stroke is so physically demanding that it requires a recovery of its own . It ’ s just the sequence of movements between strokes where the oar is extracted from the water and placed for the next stroke .
RELEASE
Some say rowing is rather effective at providing a release . But in technical terms it is part of the stroke cycle when the blade is extracted from the water .
RIGGER
Innocent supporters standing in and around docking areas will know the agony of being struck in the head by a rigger - it only happens once before a wide berth docking areas is learned and observed . Riggers are the aluminum struts attached to the boat and fitted with oarlocks to allow the rowers greater leverage . If this doesn ’ t make sense , just look for the metal parts on the boat in the pictures .
RUN
Nothing to do with ‘ running , particularly seeing as rowers prefer to sit as they exert themselves , this is the term describing the distance the boat moves or glides during one stroke cycle .
SCULL
Incorrectly spelt “ skull ” in many Grade 8 and 9 rowing essays or reports , a scull is a boat propelled using two oars per rower .
SEAT
While innocent enough rowers will tell you that these ‘ seats ’ are incredibly uncomfortable and seemingly moulded with the intention of “ numb bum “ which is a most unpleasant experience . Furthermore , they do not have a backing on which to slouch which would be way more comfortable than collapsing back onto the toes of a crew mate after maximum exertion has been outputted at the end of a race .
SKINNIES
One might be led to believe that rowers are rather a superficial bunch , but skinnies are in fact blades with skinnier shafts than previously manufactured oars .
SPOON
What a rower might wish to continue doing with their pillow or partner when their alarm clock sounds at some completely unreasonable hour to make their way to training or racing . Spoon is also the term for the part of the oar that is covered by the water and off which the boat is propelled by the rower .
STERN
The opposite end to the bow - the rear of the boat . ‘ Stern words ’ are used often in rowing by nasty little coxswains that drive the rowers straight passed hell and into some sort of oblivion . Nasty but talented motivators coxswains are .
STROKE
The rower sitting closest to the stern of the boat who sets the rhythm for the rest of the crew to follow . Ironically , as the only rower with their name in the program , the rest of the crew makes every effort not to stroke the stroke ’ s ego .
SWEEP
Unrelated to the dreadful and timeous task of sweeping the boathouse , this is a style of rowing where each member of the crew has a single oar , and rows on one side of the boat only .
WALKING
It has been established that rowers prefer to sit . But they do aspire to “ walk through ” their opposition which means they are moving faster than the opposition .
YAM
While likely consisting part of a rower ’ s diet , “ yam ” is also a term for exerting great force on the oar handle in the pursuit of great speed .
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