Expert Author Willem Frank
If you want to get fit and stay fit there is no better sport than rowing. To the casual spectator rowing looks only like an upper body sport. Although upper body strength is important, most of the power of the rowing stroke comes from the legs. Rowing is one of the few athletic activities that involve all of the body's major muscle groups. It is a great aerobic workout, in the same vein as cross-country skiing, and has the benefit of being a low-impact sport. As a competitive sport, rowing demands endurance, strength, balance, mental discipline, and the drive to continue when your body is demanding that you stop.
Rowing is a fun, enjoyable sport and is in fact one of the oldest competitive sports. Rowing is suitable for men and women of all ages. Rowing provides a challenge for a team in a crew of two, four or eight rowers, and for an individual in a single scull. Competitive rowing is regarded by exercise physiologists as one of the most physically demanding sports along with cross-country skiing and running. Rowing is also one of the few sports where a novice can become a top class rower within a few years.
There are two main types of rowing:
- Sweep boat rowing. Each rower has one oar held by both hands. The oar extends either
to the starboard side or the port side of the boat. Sweep boats have a rudder for steering.
- Sculling. Each rower has two oars, one in each hand. Most sculls have no rudder and are steered by means of oar movements.
Today's competitive rowing started with races between watermen who ferried passengers in small ferry barges across the river Thames at London. The oldest rowing event, Doggett's Coat and Badge, was first held in London in 1715. Amateur rowing started at Oxford University in 1815 and at Cambridge University a short while later. There were races between New York watermen in the 1750s. The first U.S. collegiate boat clubs were organized at Yale in 1843 and at Harvard the following year.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, was a rower. The first Olympic rowing occurred at the second modern day Olympics at Paris in 1900.
Rowing equipment has evolved over the years with the introduction of outboard riggers in 1840, sliding seats in 1870, and lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and Kevlar in the 1970s.
Rowing is widely popular with clubs all over the world. Join a local club and you will have fun, learn a great sport, and be fit for life.