Novice Rowers

"One of the unique aspects of rowing is that novices strive to perfect the same motions as Olympic contenders. Few other sports can make this claim. In figure skating, for instance, the novice practices only simple moves. After years of training, the skater then proceeds to the jumps and spins that make up an elite skater's program. But the novice rower, from day one, strives to duplicate a motion that he'll still be doing on the day of the Olympic finals."
- Brad Alan Lewis

If you’re reading this section, odds are you want to know more about this sport and what it’ll mean for you should you choose to pursue it. Well, hopefully we can address both of those concerns. While organized competitive rowing has not always existed, rowing has. Besides swimming, it is probably the simplest method of water propulsion, requiring only something which can float while supporting the human body and a single, flat lever. However, for a long time, rowing, and truly any sort of boating, due to its demanding physical nature, was remanded to slaves or members of the lower classes. It was not a respectable way to spend your time. However, as more and more people became involved, namely in the busy waterways of Venice, its popularity increased and people began to compete in races held during Regattas, or water festivals. The first modern instance of the sport was in 1715, on the River Thames in England. Known as Doggett’s Coat and Badge, it is currently one of the longest running, continuous athletic events in the world. From there it progressed to Oxford and Cambridge University, which held the first University Boat Race in 1829, notable as it was the first intercollegiate sporting event, and continues today. Similarly, the Harvard-Yale Regatta was the first intercollegiate sporting event in the United States, begun in 1852 and running every year thereafter.

That’s fine for history, but what about the sport itself? The sport is primarily one of strength and endurance, from which we produce boat-speed. It requires a great deal of strength to move an oar quickly through water, and it requires a great deal of endurance to be able to do it consistently over an entire race course. As such, training for race day is necessarily intense, and there is truly no off-season during the school year. The fall consists of longer “head races,” about 5000 meters, while the spring races or “sprints” are shorter and only 2000 meters. When not racing, you are on the water and you are rowing. During the winter, you get to experience the pleasure that is an ergometer, which is an indoor rower, and is buckets of fun. Just ask any experienced rower. We practice indoors so that we can do better on the water, and, while erging is not an experience to write home about – other than in complaint – rowing on a river is, and watching the sun come up on the river or the sheer vitality one feels during a race, not to mention winning a race, is difficult to describe and makes all the training worthwhile.

The training is difficult, and it may break you down occasionally. You will work harder for this sport than you have ever had to work before. You will row hundreds of thousands of meters, get up before the sun while your roommate stays in bed, do this six days a week for an entire year, and make sacrifices because “I have crew tomorrow.” The only way you can survive is if you commit yourself to the sport, to the team, to yourself; you must refuse to break that bond no matter how much it hurts. If this sounds good to you, that’s fantastic. We’ll see you tomorrow, and all you’ll need is a reliable alarm clock or three, sneakers, clothing which can get sweaty, and a water bottle. If this is something you’re interested in, talk to a member and see if their enthusiasm can get you involved. Just know that if you commit to us, the team will commit to you in return. And that is certainly not something you’ll find in other sports.

Row hard.