The Art of Rowing - Terminology Explained!
As a newcomer to rowing it is easy to be put off by the extensive technical terms and jargon. We have put together a list of terms (by no means exhaustive) to help you at least sound like an expert! (Our sincere thanks go to Ewoud Dronkert of the Utrecht Student Rowing Club who provided the animations from his web site)
Basic Crew Layouts
Scull - One person with two oars
Coxless Pair - two people with one oar each Double - two people with two oars each Coxed Pair - two people with one oar each and a cox
Coxless Four - four people with one oar each Coxed Four - four people with one oar each and a cox Front-coxed Four - four people with one oar each and a cox in the bow Eight - eight people with one oar each and a cox
The Rowers
Ambidextrous (UK) A rower who can row both on stroke side and bow side. (US) A rower who can row both on the starboard and port sides of the boat.
Bow (or bow seat) The rower closest to the front or bow of a multi-person shell. In coxless boats, often the person who keeps an eye on the water behind him to avoid accidents.
Bowside (UK) Any sweep rower who rows with the oar on the Bowside (the right or starboard side) of the boat.
Cox The oar-less crew-member, usually included, who is responsible for steering and race strategy. The coxswain either sits in the stern or lies in the bows of the boat.
Ejector Seat Seat 3 in an 8-person boat, often regarded as having the least responsibility.
Engine room The middle rowers in the boat. In an 8-person shell, these are generally seats 5, 6, and 3 and 4 to a lesser degree. They are generally the biggest and strongest rowers.
Heavyweight A rower who weighs more than the restrictions for lightweight rowing. Often referred to as Open weight.
Lightweight A rower whose weight allows him or her to be eligible to compete in lightweight rowing events.
Novices Rowers who are rowing for the first season, or (in the UK) a rower who has not won a regatta.
Sculler A rower who rows with two oars, one in each hand.
Seat number A rower's position in the boat counting up from the bow. In an eight, the person closest to the bow of the boat is "bow," the next is 2, followed by 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and finally 8 or "stroke." In certain countries the seats are numbered the opposite way, from stroke up to bow.
Stroke (Seat) The rower closest to the stern of the boat, responsible for the stroke rate and rhythm.
Strokeside (UK) Any sweep rower who rows with the oar on the Strokeside (the left or port side) of the boat.
Sweep A rower who rows with one oar (in both hands).
Equipment and Parts of the BoatBackstay a brace which is part of the rigger of sweep rowing boats, which extends toward the bow from the top of the pin.Backstop The stop mechanism on the seat slides which prevents the rower's seat from falling off the sliding tracks at the back end (towards the boat's bow) of the slide tracks. Also, in the UK, the sliding seat position closest to the boat's bow. As a command, it instructs the crew to adopt this position. (The US calls this seat position the "back end").Blade The spoon or hatchet/cleaver shaped end of the oar. Also used to refer to the entire oar.Bowloader When a coxswain is placed in a seat partially enclosed in the bow of the shell.Bow The front section of a shell.Bow ball An essential small, soft ball no smaller than 4 cm diameter securely attached to a rowing or sculling boat's bow. Primarily intended for safety but also useful in deciding which boat crossed the finish line first in very close races.Bow number A card holding the number assigned to the boat for a race.Bow rigged(UK) Term describing the person stroking the boat has their oar on the Bowside (Starboard or right side) rather than the typical Strokeside of the boat.Bowside (UK) The Starboard or right side of a boat. Derives from the tradition of having the bow rower's oar be on the starboard or right side of the boat.Canvas The deck of the bow and stern of the boat, which were traditionally made from canvasCleaver blade Modern oar blades that have a more rectangular hatchet-shape. (also hatchet blade)Collar / Button A wide plastic ring placed around the sleeve of an oar. The button stops the oar from slipping through the oarlock.Cox boxPortable voice amplifier; may also optionally incorporate digital readouts displaying stroke rate, boat speed and times.Empacher Slot A UK term for the clip at the on the top of the bow for holding racing number plates.[1][2]Ergometer (also ergo or erg) An indoor rowing machine.Fin Thin piece of flat metal or plastic that helps stabilize the shell in the water.Footplate The piece of the boat to which the rower's feet are attached, either by tying their actual shoes in, or (more often) by putting their feet into a permanently-attached pair of shoes. Foot stretcher An adjustable footplate which allows the rower to easily adjust his or her physical position relative to the slide and the oarlock. The footplate can be moved (or "stretched") either closer to or farther away from the slide frontstops. Frontstop The stop mechanism on the seat slides which prevents the rower's seat from falling off the sliding tracks at the front end (towards the boat's stern) of the slide tracks. Also, in the UK, the sliding seat position closest to the boat's stern. As a command, it instructs the crew to adopt this position. (The US calls this seat position the "front end")Gate (UK) Bar across the top of rowlock, secured with a nut, which prevents the oar from coming out of the rowlock.Handle The part of the oar that the rowers hold and pull with during the stroke.Hatchet blade Modern oar blades that have a more rectangular hatchet-shape. (also cleaver blade)Hull The actual body of the shell.Inboard The length of the oar shaft measured from the button to the handle.LaunchA motorboat used by rowing instructors, coaches or umpires. Lines The ropes held by the coxswain to control the rudder.Loom The part of the oar between the blade and the handle.Macon blade Traditional U-shaped oar blade. Oar A slender pole which is attached to a boat at the Oarlock. One end of the pole, called the "handle," is gripped by the rower, the other end has a "blade," which is placed in the water during the propulsive phase of the stroke. The blade portion of the oar is similar to a razor blade or a piece of paper: Essentially two-dimensional, the third dimension is very thin, although it should be noted that there is a very important element to the third dimension of the blade, namely that it is curved into a sort of hydrofoil, which helps provide much of the thrust.Oarlock The rectangular lock at the end of the rigger which physically attaches the oar to the boat. The oarlock also allows the rower to rotate the oar blade between the "square" and "feather" positions.Outboard The length of the oar shaft measured from the button to the tip of the blade.Pin The vertical metal rod on which the rowlock rotates.Pogies/Poagies A type of mitten with holes on each end, which allow the rower to grip the oar with bare hands while also warming the hands, used frequently by rowers in colder climates.Rigger A "Rigger" is the rowing slang name for an Outrigger. It is a projection from the side (gunwale) of a racing shell. The oarlock is attached to the far end of the rigger away from the boat. The rigger allows the racing shell to be narrow thereby decreasing drag, while at the same time placing the oarlock at a point that optimize leverage of the oar. There are several styles of riggers, but they are most often a triangle frame, with two points attached to the boat, and the third point being where the oarlock is placed. Rigging is also used to describe whether a boat is stroked by a port or starboard (i.e. port-rigged, starboard-rigged). With sweep rowing, riggers typically alternate sides, though it is not uncommon to see two adjacent seats rigged on the same side of the boat.Roller The wheels upon which the seat slide travels along its track.Rudder Adjacent to the skeg and used by the coxswain (or in some coxless boats, by a rower using a "toe") to steer the boat via attached cables. Extra-large rudders are used on narrower and/or bendier rivers.Saxboard The sides and top edge of a boat, which the riggers attach.Scull (a) An oar made to be used in a sculling boat where each rower has two oars, one per hand (b) A boat (shell) that is propelled using sculling oars, e.g., a "single scull," is a one-person boat where the rower has two oars.Seat Molded seat mounted on wheels, single action or double action. Single action is fixed bearing wheel, double action is wheel on axle that rolls on track and rolls on horns of seat. A secondary meaning of location in the shell]], the bow seat is one, and is numbered upward to the stroke seat (8, in an 8 man shell). Thirdly can mean a competitive advantage in a race, to lead a competitor by a seat is to be in front of them by the length of a single rower's section of a shell.Seating Seating positions in a racing shell are generally numbered from the bow to the stern in English-speaking countries, unlike many non-English-speaking countries which count from the Stroke forward. Generally the forwardmost rower is called the "Bow" and the aftmost rower the "Stroke", regardless of the number of rowers in the boat, with all other seats simply being numbered. So for instance the crew of an eight (with coxswain) would number off from the bow: "Bow", "Two", "Three", "Four", "Five", "Six", "Seven", "Stroke", whereas a four (with or without coxswain) or a quad would number off: "Bow", "Two", "Three", "Stroke".Shell The boat used for racing.Shoulder Load bearing supports that mount rigger and attach to keel of boat.Slides (or tracks) Hollow rails upon which a rower or sculler's sliding seat will roll. Older shells might be convex rails with double wheels.Spoon blade Traditional U-shaped oar blade. (also Macon blade)Starting gate A structure at the starting line of the race. The shell is “backed” into the starting gate. Once in the gates a mechanism, or person lying on the starting gate, holds the stern of the shell.Stern The rear section of a shell.Stretcher A slang abbreviation for Foot Stretchers.Strokeside (UK) The port or left side of the boat (even if the boat is bow rigged). Derives from the tradition of having the stroke rower's oar be on the port or left side of the boat.Swivel Term for the rowlock/oarlock. Often referred as gate due to the securing bar/gate at its top.Toe In some boats without a coxswain, a rower may be able to control the rudder and steer the boat by changing the direction his foot points. This is called "toeing a boat." And the mechanism is called a "toe."Top-Nut The nut which screws onto the top of the pin holding the Rowlock in place.Trestles Folding, portable temporary boat holders. Two are required to hold a boat.
Boat classes
Abbreviations used for different boat classes in competitions.
WeightL, LWT or Lt:Lightweight rowingIf not present the crew is open weightAge ▪ J: Junior (for competitions in the UK: under 18 on Sept 1st in the school year they are competing, International competition: under 18 on Jan 1st in year of competition, Henley: under 19 on first day of regatta) ▪ B: Senior B (Under 23 years of age) ▪ Masters: over 27, includes a letter designation for the average age of the crew: ▪ A - 27–35 years of age ▪ B - 36–42 years of age ▪ C - 43–49 years of age ▪ D - 50–54 years of age ▪ E - 55–59 years of age, and so forth. ▪ If none of these abbreviations are present the crew is Senior AGender ▪ M: Men's ▪ W: Women's ▪ Mixed: Equal numbers of either gender (excluding coxswain)Crew Size ▪ 1, 2, 4, 8: The number of rowers in the crew. It is common to use Roman numerals, especially when referring to an VIII.Discipline ▪ x: Sculling boat ▪ If not present then the boat is sweep-oarCoxwain ▪ +: Coxed ▪ -: Coxless ▪ If not present then the boat is coxless, except for an eight.Examples ▪ M8+ = Men's eight ▪ W4- = Women's coxless four (or "straight four") ▪ LM2- = Lightweight men's coxless pair ▪ BM1x = Men's single sculls under age 23 ▪ JW4x = Junior women's quad ▪ Masters WC2x = Masters women's double sculls with average crew age between 43-49 ▪ Mixed Masters 8+ = Eight with 4 women and 4 men as rowers and a coxswain of either gender
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