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Appraising a crew is perhaps the most difficult role that the expert
has to play in sports. However, according to rowing experts, four
major factors determine the run of a shell. These are: timing, form,
power and conditioning.
Naturally, an excellent run, the distance a shell is propelled
by one stroke cycle, is the effect sought by all crew coaches. So
the first thing to perceive is whether a crew makes its shell move,
that is, whether it has a good or a poor run.
Coaches will say that there are a lot of good crews, but many of
them row differently, that is, their form varies. However, they
all agree that the good crews have excellent timing. If the crew's
timing is off, the boat won't run.
Look and see if all eight hit the catch together? That is, do their
blades all enter the water together? Also, watch the bodies of the
crew - see if they all move in unison, or if there is a break. The
former naturally, spells results while a lack of uniformity means
additional check, therefore retarding the run.
All good crews have power and drive, for it takes a certain amount
of horsepower to move a giving weight through water, and of course,
the athletes must be in top physical condition in order to keep
their timing and form and power for the entire race.
Crew coaches look for tall athletes, for they can apply additional
leverage, get a longer reach. However, size is not everything, especially
if the individual doesn't have other prerequisites - timing, form,
power and condition.
Anatomy of Rowing
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Single
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Boat Stats
Length - 8.280 m
Width - 0.280 m
Depth - 0.170 m
Weight - 14.5 kg
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Pair
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Boat Stats
Length - 10.000 m
Width - 0.383 m
Depth - 0.195 m
Weight - 28 kg
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Double
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Boat Stats
Length - 10.000 m
Width - 0.383 m
Depth - 0.195 m
Weight - 28 kg
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Cox/Four
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Boat Stats
Length - 12.900 m
Width - 0.490 m
Depth - 0.250 m
Weight - 59 kg
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Quad/Convertible
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Boat Stats
Length - 12.900 m
Width - 0.484 m
Depth - 0.225 m
Weight - 61 kg
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Eight
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Boat Stats
Length - 17.600 m
Width - 0.590 m
Depth - 0.285 m
Weight - 110 kg
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The Ultimate Sport
The boats for competition were traditionally made from wood, but
are mostly fabricated from carbon fibre and plastic (ie. Kevlar).
Rowing shells are .280 meters to .590 meters wide and 8.280 meters
to 17.600 meters long. A small fin is fitted at the bottom for stability.
A rudder is attached to the fin or the stern (except for sculling
boats). A white ball is attached to the bow (called a bow ball for
safety measure, photofinish). A washboard prevents waves splashing
aboard. Seats are fitted with wheels which slide on runners, or
tracks.
Oars are hollow to reduce weight, attached to the boat by adjustable
out riggers. Size and shape of the oars is unrestricted, the average
length of a sweep oar being 3.81 meters and of a scull being 2.98
meters.
There are six Olympic types of boats, of which three are for sweep-oared
rowing in which the rower uses one oar with both hands and three
are for sculling in which two oars are used, one in each hand.
The sculling boats are single scull, double scull, and quadruple
scull, the sweep oared events are straight pair, straight four and
eight. In the eight there is a coxswain who sits in the stern or
lies in the bow of the boat.
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