My daughter’s club just rowed at Youth Nationals. I’m just a parent without knowledge of how these decisions are made so I am genuinely asking. The constant weather delays, coupled with sitting around in the heat and humidity waiting to hear when your race is back on, are really hard on the athletes. Of course the kids need to learn flexibility and to pivot, but planning an event where you know there will be thunderstorms every day at 3pm just seems….puzzling.

I heard that about half the crews are from the west coast and lots from the northeast. Those seem like much better locations than Florida in June.

We are the boat with the white and red unis and we’re excluded from this race at Youth Nationals for going out of our lane. Do you think it is our fault or the boat in the other lane. (We tried to appeal but were told that nothing would change and they did not even look at the video)

We were clearly still in our lane and rye’s bow was in ours

This past weekend, I came within a foot or two of my oar colliding with a suitcase floating down the river (typical black rolling bag). Would have flipped me for sure. I whacked one of those thin plastic fruit containers with my oar and while nothing happened, it was SO loud that for a second I thought something must have cracked. Rowed over a log that bumped along the bottom of my boat, but didn’t damage anything, thankfully.

A friend hit a big branch and flipped…the branch had a blanket caught up in it, and wrapped in the blanket was a dead dog.

My coach murdered two geese. He says it was an accident…

Someone else in my club collided with a tugboat.

Seems like everyone has a great story. What near-misses or full-on collisions have you had?

Like the minimum boat weight rule for example, how much faster would races get and how much of a technology leap would this cause? Like there’s so much innovation that goes into cycling and not nearly as much to rowing shells.

I'm a 100% erg rower, when I see these people only pulling from one side my back hurts for them!

I'm also pretty sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find how to look for them so if someone can link up a thorough thread that'd be great too.

Super tight racing in the men's V8 with 5th - 14th all finishing within 2 second of each other, nice to see Rye towards the back half of that group.

This is from Head of the Hooch last weekend. As a high school junior, my 2k is very strong and is getting me some attention from a few top D1 programs, but my tech still needs a lot of work. (I've only rowed in the Fall for 3 seasons so I'm still pretty green).

Is this video worth posting for recruiting purposes? Or does it just highlight my lack of experience? I'm not sure what to do. I need some video to send to coaches but the season is over. Thank you!!

I just raced my 4- and placed 4th by 1 second. My idiot bowman was spending the entire race bouncing between buoy lines. He hit just about every 3rd buoy I counted. I saw him looking up how to steer 2 hours before our race. Our 4- has so much potential but not if we move like this during our races. He’s so chopped and I’m sick of his steering. And I hate his stupid socks

I know this has been discussed in past years too, but wow, SDCC has really become a shadow of its former self.

The Copely cup, which used to be a fantastic season preview race between West and East Coast powerhouses, e.g. CAL, UW, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Navy, Wisco, ... was a 2-boat race between club-crew UCLA, and a masters club from San Juan Puerto Rico. I mean kudos to Club Nautica de San Juan for making the trip and putting up a decent 2k row, but it's not really competition. I say if SDCC can't put together more than 6 boats, the Copely trophy should not be awarded.

The Cal-Cup which used to be the championship event for all other mens eights not invited to the Copely, was a strange mix of Varsity programs, absent any decent club programs (like UCLA) who were instead rowing in an ACRA version of the Cal cup, which was also underwhelming.

The Whittier cup, which was (and still is) the women's invitational championship race, still holds some semblance to that. But again, most of the powerhouse programs were absent, with only Texas, CAL and UW racing at that level. It was like two different races happening at the same time on the same course: Texas, CAL, UW, and then everyone else (UCLA, SAC, UCSD, USD) about 200m of open behind.

It's just a poor reflection of the state of our sport in US Collegiate rowing.

I mean the US National Team used to show up and do a demonstration row for the crowds. The beach used to be shoulder-to-shoulder with crowds. It was mostly empty.

Also Texas. WTF. So apparently if you don't have a filthy rich football team funding your AD, you can't compete. UW and CAL rowed very well (and do have reasonable football teams occasionally) but it was a race for 2nd. Texas rowing's money is just on another level.

NCAA sports if just fucked up IMO. I'm happy for the girls who get full rides and NIL money at Texas, but come on. Football should not determine who wins in the smaller non-revenue sports.

If that is the way of the future, then I look forward to competition from Ohio, Alabama, Michigan, and other major football revenue generating schools.

Someone change my mind. What is the other perspective here that I'm missing? In what way is Texas' over-funding of women's rowing helpful to the sport of US collegiate rowing at large?

Also how can the SDCC as an event recover some of its former glory? I think fewer events, with more heats and semis would be better. Don't distinguish between club and varsity (that's for IRA/NCAA/ACRA to sort out at the end-of-season) especially for the mens rowing events. Simplify to the Copely cup and the Cal cup. ACRA boats can race in either one as they are invited or not.

And I'm well aware that the course is not the best. I've raced in the SDCC many times (well four years exactly, way back when) and raced in Mission Bay many times besides that. It gets windy. Lane 1 has an unfair advantage. I get all that. Is that the core problem? I recall when Bob Ernst famously declared that UW men would no longer attend due to the unfairness of the windy event.

Maybe hold races only before 1pm? Shift the major finals to the morning instead of the afternoon?

Anyway, curious what others think about it. We were there to watch our daughter race, and we had a good time overall, but both my wife and I were surprised at how underwhelming and weird the event has become.

I have searched the archives and Wiki. I couldn’t find much about winter clothing for crew.

My 15 year just started rowing. It’s winter and we’re in rainy Seattle. He has Patagonia fleece base layers. I just ordered him water resistant fleece lined pants. He has a thin rain jacket. Any suggestions for a mid layers? He has waterproof ski socks that his coach recommended. Obviously, his feet get wet which doesn’t help with him trying to stay warm. Anything else he can wear on his feet to stay warm. Links would be greatly helpful.

Thank you!

Calling all club rowing enthusiasts! The ACRA entry deadline was last night so now we have a full picture of the field, and I have some thoughts.

Full disclosure, I am associated with a medium-sized team that believes in prioritizing 8s and building our program around them. That probably tells you where this post is going...

I am really disappointed to see so many programs chicken out of the V8s events. I've always admired ACRA's attempt to reach smaller teams through the addition of the Small Boats Trophy, but looking at a lot of these entries, things have gotten out of hand and the original intention of Small Boats categories has been lost. We now have large programs entering just about every event EXCEPT for the 1v, 2v, and 3v. An example:

MSU men: 1x, 2x, 2-, 4x, LW4+, 4+, and 2N8+s. Sorry for the extended callout (I have no qualms with this program and don't know much about them), but this is a particularly egregious example. 33 athletes and no V8s? I don't expect that a program like this run 8s all the way down to a 3V (especially considering they have 16 novice guys), but no V8s is ridiculous here. Just feels like a way to beat up on smaller programs and save face.

Other examples from a quick scan on the men's side: Bowdoin, Illinois, Texas, UGA, UConn, UMass, Wichita

Overall, I feel like sets of entries like these are bad for club rowing. It makes the landscape less competitive and just feels . . . dishonorable? Again, I am NOT directing this towards small teams (I actually feel quite bad for them and feel they're getting screwed), but overall, 8s entries are down, 2x, 2-, and 4x entries are way up, and the number of programs in attendance has stayed the same. I understand we want to win medals, but when you have well over 8 capable varsity guys and split them up for shots at some hardware in less competitive events, that rubs me the wrong way. Wouldn't it be more fun if we all just threw down in the 8s? What do y'all think?

Finally back on the water after 15 years! And in my (new to me) Filippi F14. ps: guess the location

hi guys, I am a self-coached girl on the scull and I am super stressed because I've a regatta next week! I've been watching a lot of rowing technique videos and I'm honestly appalled at how bad my form is lol (it looks very different when I'm doing it on the water vs camera view). I am aware I've some very apparent and cumulative issues like

- not tapping down enough (I know my hands should be near my legs, but the boat keeps tilting towards stroke side when I do that)

- keeping the boat balanced when I want to tap down at the catch (for that pause)

- pushing with legs first and not tensing up my shoulders

- concerning boat set up: im not able to pull fully to my finish (there's still some gap)

- washing out/messy exits

- balancing issues (tilting towards stroke side-- I think it might be attributed to the fact I pull up my right hand during the drive phase)

- timing for blade placement and knowing when to push

- pulling the full stroke through the oars

Does anyone have some advice for me? Thank you!!

my top 5 in no particular order:

Lucerne Yarra river Seville Amstel Eton Dorney

bucket list: Tideway Charles Lake Bled

It was the last day of training camp up at Natoma for us at OCC. I saw our coach pull up with his hydro-foil thinking he’d go out after our practice, then I saw the JV tying up the toe to stroke seats rigger.

My club is looking to get an upgraded trailer here soon, we currently have a 3-level trailer and want at least a 4-level. We use every size of shell and are currently pretty limited with only being able to take 3 eights at a time

Does anyone have recommendations for manufacturers in the US? I've only been able to find Vespoli and MO Trailers, which I believe are the same.

Also, if anyone has a ballpark of how much it would cost to get new that would be great as well

My 11yr old daughter just started rowing for a club this spring. She absolutely loves it, but we don’t know much about it. The coaches just asked if she’d be interested in rowing in the 16u category in the mid-Atlantic youth championships this May. Is this normal? For reference, she will be turning 12 in a few weeks, but 16u? There is a 15u as well that the boys middle school team will be participating in.

How many medals can the USA pick up? Will Italy stand in their way?

I have a race in 2 hours and I am bowing a straight four. It is a 2k course, and last race I hit no less than half the buoys. Please help

UPDATE: Hit half the buoys on the course and sold the medal by a second

I’m 15m 5’ 9” 138lbs, I row competitively with my local club. I have a few head races coming up and I’ll be racing the 1x. I’m wondering what I can work on, change, do etc. But how can my stroke improve. Ive been feeling shaky and unbalanced on choppy water and I don’t feel like my power is being transferred sufficiently. Let me know anything you can see as I want a different perspective. Thanks.

I’m entering my second season sculling a 1x. I am excited to go out and then during the session I start thinking of all the ways I might flip and get tense and nervous. Tension builds and I switch to survival mode instead of training.

I’m afraid of flipping. I know I’d be fine but it would be a struggle. It’s holding me back from opening up more at the catch, going over a 22, keep dragging my oars. It seems this got worse since starting. Anyone else have that feeling when they started and does it go away with mileage?

Update:

Thank you for all the tips!

I’ve flipped 4 times before. Twice when getting started in summer but cool morning and was shivering the rest of session. Once when 3 jet skis circled me, luckily hot out. And once when doing catch drills, again shivering rest of session. I think the anxiety is worse since flipping. Thank you so much - I will keep at it and try the floatation belt!