| Back
it Down |
Rowing
backwards. Usually used when landing, pulling into a stakeboat, or
turning around. |
| Backsplash |
The
splash produced by the blade entering the water at the catch while
the blade is moving toward the bow. |
| Blades |
The
wide flat section of the oar at the head of the shaft, also known
as the spoon. This term is often used when referring to the entire
oar. |
| Bow
|
The
forward end of the shell. Also used as the name of the person sitting
nearest to the bow. |
| Bow
Ball |
A
protective covering for the bow, usually a rubber ball. REQUIRED equipment
if you race. |
| Bucket
rigging |
The
rigging of an eight or a four so that riggers 2 and 3 are on the same
side. |
Button
(or collar)
|
A
plastic or metal fitting tightened on the oar to keep the oar from
slipping through the oarlock. |
|
|
| Catch |
The
point of the stroke at which the blade enters the water at the end
of the recovery and is accomplished by an upward motion of the arms
and hands only. The blade of the oar must be fully squared at the
catch. |
| Check |
Any
abrupt deceleration of the shell caused by some uncontrolled motion
within the shell; an interruption in the forward motion of the shell. |
| Cockpit |
The
area is a shell that holds the rowers and houses the seat, the tracks,
and the footstretcher. |
| Coxswain |
The
person who steers the shell and urges the rowers on during practices
and in a race. A knowledgeable coxswain can also serve as a coach
for the rowers and can be the difference between winning and losing
a race. |
| Crab |
A
problem encountered by a rower when his or her oar gets `stuck' in
the water, usually right after the catch or just before the finish,
and is caused by improper squaring or feathering. The momentum of
the shell can overcome the rower's control of the oar. In more extreme
cases the rower can actually be ejected from the shell by the oar.
|
| Crossover |
The
movement of one oar handle over the other during the drive and recovery
in sculling. |
|
|
| Deck |
The
areas outside the cockpit of a boat, usually referred to as the bow
deck and the stern deck. |
| Dive |
A
tendency to try to lean forward, usually in an effort to get extra
reach, at the catch. This sinks the shell into the water by transferring
weight abruptly into the stern. |
| Double
(2x) |
A
double scull, or two person sculling shell. |
| Drive |
That
part of the rowing cycle when the rower applies power to the oar (blade
is in the water). This is a more (or less) blended sequence of applying
power primarily with a leg drive, then the back and finally the arms. |
|
|
| Engine
Room |
The
middle seats in a shell that are usually occupied by the biggest and
strongest rowers. |
|
|
| Feather |
The
act of turning the oar blade from a position perpendicular to the
surface of the water to a position parallel to the water. This is
done in conjunction with the finish. |
| Fin
(or Skeg) |
The
small piece of metal or plastic attached to the bottom of the boat
to help it keep a straight course through the water. |
| Finish
(or Release) |
The
last part of the stroke where the blade is removed from the water.
A sharp downward (and away) motion of the hand which serves to remove
the oar blade from the water and start the rowing cycle. |
Footstretcher
(or stretcher)
|
An
adjustable bracket in a shell to which the rower's feet are secured
in some sort of shoe or clog. |
| Frontstops |
The
stops at the stern end of the tracks. |
|
|
| Gate |
The
small bar that closes the top of the oarlock to prevent the oar from
coming out. |
| German
rigging |
The
rigging of an eight so that riggers 4 and 5 are on the same side while
the others alternate. |
| Grip |
The
rubber or wood part of the oar handle you hold while sculling. |
| Gunwale
(or gunnel, saxboard) |
Top
section on the sides of a shell which runs along the sides of the
cockpit. The riggers are secured to the gunwale with bolts. |
|
|
| Half
Pressure |
The
application of power in a shell such that the rowers are pulling half
as hard as possible. |
| Hang |
Pause
at the catch before dropping the blades into the water. Also the suspension
of one's body weight from the oar handles and the footstretchers. |
| Hatchets
(a.k.a. big blades or choppers or cleavers) |
Oar
blades that have a bigger surface area than the `standard' (Macon)
blades and have a hatchet or meat cleaver shape. The hatchets are
a bit shorter (by about 7 cm) than the standard blades. |
| Head
Race |
A
race against the clock where crews start at 10 second intervals and
chase each other up the course. |
| Heats |
The
initial races to determine who advances to the finals. |
| High |
A
large number of strokes per minute. |
| Hull |
The
exterior part of the shell that sits in the water. |
|
|
| Inboard |
The
distance from the outside of the collar to the tip of the handle. |
| Italian
rigging |
The
rigging of an eight so that bow and stroke riggers are on the same
side, with the others alternating in pairs. |
|
|
| Jumping
the slide |
Another
problem encountered by a rower when the seat becomes derailed from
the track during the rowing cycle. |
|
|
| Keel |
Technically,
the structural member running the length of the boat at the bottom
of the hull. Today, some shells are built without this member so the
term often refers to the center line of the shell. |
|
|
| Layback |
The
amount of backward lean of the rower's body at the end of the finish.
Should not be more than 10-15 degrees past vertical. |
| Loom |
The
part of the oar between the blade and the handle. |
|
|
| Missing
water |
The
rower starts the drive before the catch has been completed (or even
started in some cases). This is also referred to as rowing into the
catch. |
|
|
Oarlock
(or rowlock)
|
A
U-shaped swivel which holds the oar in place. It's mounted at the
end of the rigger and rotates around a metal pin. A gate closes across
the top to keep the oar in. |
| Outboard |
The
distance from the face of the collar to the tip of the blade. |
|
|
| Paddle |
To
row or scull at very light pressure. |
| Piece |
A
period of work performed in a shell. |
| Pin |
The
metal cylinder on which the oarlock swivels. |
| Pinch |
Occurs
when the oar is at too acute an angle to the boat at either the catch
or finish. |
Pitch
|
The
angle between the blade (on the drive when the blade is `squared')
and a line perpendicular to the water's surface. |
| Port |
The
left side of the boat when facing the bow (stroke side in the UK and
Ireland). |
| Power
10 |
A
series of stroke at an increased power level, usually without increasing
the rating. |
| Puddle |
The
swirl of water left by each stroke. |
|
|
| Quad
(4x) |
A
four person sculling shell. |
|
|
| Rating |
The
number of strokes per minute. Also known as stroke rating. |
| Ratio |
The
ratio of the recovery time to the drive time. The recovery time should
always be longer than the drive time. |
| Recovery |
Part of the stroke when the blades are held out of the water while
preparing for the next stroke. |
| Repechage |
The
race after the heat for crews that did not advance to the semifinals
or finals from their heat. |
Rigger
(or outrigger)
|
The
device that connects the oarlock to the shell and is bolted to the
body of the shell. On sweep boats, riggers are typically alternating
from side to the other on adjacent seats, but it is not uncommon to
see two adjacent riggers on the same side. |
| Rigging |
The
adjustment and alteration of accessories (riggers, footstretchers,
oar, etc.) in and on the shell. Examples of rigging adjustments that
can be made are the height of the rigger, location of the footstretchers,
location and height of the oarlocks, location of the button (or collar)
on the oar and the pitch of the blade of the oar. |
| Rudder |
Steering
device at the stern. The rudder in turn is connected to some cables
(tiller ropes) that the coxswain can use to steer the shell. |
| Run |
The
amount of glide achieved by the boat between strokes. |
| Rush |
Sliding
too quickly and abruptly toward the stern. |
|
|
| Scull |
This
term is used interchangeably when referring to one of the oars used
in a sculling shell, the shell itself or to the act of rowing a sculling
shell. |
| Seat |
The
sliding seat that the rower sits on. The term "seat" also
refers to the rowers place in the boat; the convention is to number
the seats from bow to stern, i.e. the rower closest to the front of
the boat is "1-seat" the next, "2-seat", et c.
The 1-seat is also commonly referred to as "bowseat" or
just "bow" while the stern-most (rear) seat is referred
to as "stroke seat" or just "stroke". |
| Set
(set of a boat) |
Shell
sitting on an even keel. Items that can affect the set of the boat
are the rower's posture, hand levels, rigging , timing at the catch
and release, and outside conditions such as the wind.
|
| Settle |
Part
of the race or piece where you decrease the rating from the initial
high rate to a lower rate that is maintained until the final sprint. |
| Shell |
Another
name for a rowing or sculling boat. |
| Shooting
the Slide |
Movement
of the seat toward the bow without moving the oar handle at the same
rate. |
| Single
(1x) |
A
single person sculling shell. |
| Skying |
The
fault of carrying the hands too low during the recovery especially
when a rower dips his or her hands just prior to the catch (i.e. a
sort of winding up). This usually results in the blade being too high
off the water's surface. |
Slide
(or track)
|
The
track on which the seat moves. |
| Slings
(or boat slings, or trestles) |
Collapsible/portable
frames with straps upon which a shell can be placed temporarily. |
| Spacing |
The
distance between successive sets of puddles. |
| Span |
Distance
between the pins on a sculling shell. |
| Spread |
Distance
between the pin and the centerline of the shell. |
| Square
Blades |
Rowing
with oars perpendicular to the surface of the water. |
| Squaring |
A
gradual rolling of the oar blade from a position parallel to the water
to a position (almost) perpendicular to the surface of the water.
This is accomplished during the recovery portion of the rowing cycle
and is done in preparation for the catch. |
| Stakeboat |
Fixture
at the starting line of a sprint race that holds a person who holds
the stern prior to the start of the race. |
| Starboard |
The
right side of the shell when facing the bow (bow side in the UK and
Ireland). |
| Steady
State |
Long,
aerobic piece. |
| Stern
|
The
rear end of the shell |
| Stroke |
A
single cycle of the oar. Also, the rower sitting nearest the stern
(and the coxswain, if there is one). The stroke is responsible for
setting the stroke length and cadence (with the coxswain's gentle
advice). |
| Sweep
Rowing |
Rowing
where each rower has one oar. |
| Swing |
The
layback toward the bow during the drive. In team boats, also refers
to the synchronicity of this movement among the crew. |
|
|
| Tandem
rigging |
Variations
of rigging of sweep boats with adjacent riggers being on the same
side of the boat. |
| Toe |
To
steer a boat by moving one's foot. |
|
|
| Washing
out |
The
fault of rowing the oar out of the water, i.e. the blade comes out
of the water before the drive is finished. |
|
|
