Any Rowers Out There?

AlexTrickle

AlexTrickle

AlexTrickle

Associate
Joined
30 Jul 2007
Posts
996
Location
Surrey
Calling any and all rowers/scullers. Lets do what rowers do best... talk about rowing!

I'll introduce myself:

Alex, 21, been rowing for two and a half years so basically since I started uni! I do sweep oar with my college; Van Mildert Boat Club, and then I scull for Tyne United Rowing Club.

I either sit as stroke or at bow as I am a technical rower as opposed to one your powerhouses.

Next competition I'm at is York Spring Regatta on the 1st of May if anyone else in the north will be there?

Want to hear your rowing stories :)
 
Hi :)

I've been rowing/sculling for nearly 7 years now (started when I got to senior school). I do it with the school boat club, hopefully keep it up at some level when I get to uni (Durham). At the moment, pretty much all water time is focused on the eight, which is chosen from the very best rowers in the lower and upper sixth (there are 9 of us :o ). I have recently sat at bow, 4, and 5 off the top of my head (I generally do both sides, but I prefer stroke side).

The 8 has the monopoly on training and team spirit at the moment, but if I'm honest I prefer sculling, 4x- or single. Once school finishes and we've finished competing I'll probably just go out in singles during the summer - it's just extremely pleasant going up and down the river at my own pace in summer time, with a warm sun and nice bits of woodland.

That brings me onto the river I row on - the Aire... We only have around 600m to train on, which is fairly limiting, but it is a pleasant area. The river is reasonably wide enough for 2 boats, but has a few trees sticking out, and one tree lying in the water, so you have to be vigilant! (that's without all the 2nd year boats zig-zagging across the whole river! (thankfully only during one of our 2 weekly sessions))

I don't think my club is going to York, but we don't do an awful lot of forward planning, so may be there anyway. Getting to Henley is the target for our 8, but tbh I think we'd be extremely lucky to pre qualify (Me + another guy have an exam on the qualification round date). As it is, just rowing together and having the team spirit has been great, it really kept rowing enjoyable, whether we actually do well or not.

Recent rowing story: Out in a 4- last week, decided to do a piece on the way down, bow man (our captain) was rowing too hard and not steering enough...
We rowed full power into the earthy root complex of the tree that was lying in the river. After the initial shock of 'we're not moving anymore' (the stop really was very sudden!) we had to push the boat out of the hole it had knocked, after which we could see the rather large (long and thin) hole along the side. The coach was at a regatta with the 5th years at the time, so he was just sent a picture message. I'm just glad that it wasn't me steering - I often lose concentration when bow in coxless boats, so it could easily have been me apologising to everyone... I thought about joking about it with bow man, but he was looking a bit upset, so I just gave him a pat on the back... Other than the little accident, we had a great outing!

Other stuff we did... 24 hour indoor row a little while ago, and Boston marathon 2 years ago... It's stuff like that that really builds team spirit.
 
Which college are you going to at Durham? One of my best friends at Van Mildert (Durham) went to BGS; his name is Nick Young if you know him?

Also I entirely empaphise with your bow man in the 4-, much the same thing happened whilst I was bow of a 4x- last week. Had a really strong tailwind and we were doing pressure pyramids and I completely underestimated how quick we were going and so the bend in the bank came sooner than I hoped...
 
I'll be at Collingwood. And yes I do know Nick Young (aka stickman), mainly from his CCF days, when he (eventually) got me marching properly.

I hate that feeling of looking round only to discover that the bank's somehow crept up on me... Luckily I'm usually slow enough that there's time for evasive manoeuvring.

I think we might be going to Durham City regatta in May, I imagine most college boat clubs enter?
 
I'm one! Only took it up in '09, and still going strong, not sure what I'm going to do about it when I graduate this summer! Last term our eight was training 9 times a week (land+water), so very close knit group.

Whilst we do some regatta/side by side racing, the Cam is so narrow for most of its length our big races are lent and may bumps (known as torpids/eights to the darker blues), essentially you have to hit the eight in front before the one behind hits you. Brilliant fun, and quite dangerous, several boats were written off last term.

Dare we start a 2k time thread?

EDIT: I posted a video of one of the Queens' college novice boats last year catching an ejector crab in this subfourm's videos thread - skip to 1:50ish for crab, ejection and then smack on the head.
 
Last edited:
vertica said:
I'm one! Only took it up in '09, and still going strong, not sure what I'm going to do about it when I graduate this summer! Last term our eight was training 9 times a week (land+water), so very close knit group.

Whilst we do some regatta/side by side racing, the Cam is so narrow for most of its length our big races are lent and may bumps (known as torpids/eights to the darker blues), essentially you have to hit the eight in front before the one behind hits you. Brilliant fun, and quite dangerous, several boats were written off last term.

Dare we start a 2k time thread?

EDIT: I posted a video of one of the Queens' college novice boats last year catching an ejector crab in this subfourm's videos thread - skip to 1:50ish for crab, ejection and then smack on the head.
Click to expand...

Are you from Queens then? Do you know Jacob Brubert who I think is bow of their/your first eight?

Also no 2K thread, mine are shocking atm barely sub 7!
 
GreatAuk said:
I'll be at Collingwood. And yes I do know Nick Young (aka stickman), mainly from his CCF days, when he (eventually) got me marching properly.

I hate that feeling of looking round only to discover that the bank's somehow crept up on me... Luckily I'm usually slow enough that there's time for evasive manoeuvring.

I think we might be going to Durham City regatta in May, I imagine most college boat clubs enter?
Click to expand...

Also yer the colleges will be out in force for one of our two home regattas. Collingwood have quite a lot of mens fours atm so expect to see them a lot in the novice and im3 fours categories.
 
Rowed at Oxford and did a few regattas, but I injured my knee cycling and had to stop in my final year. Ashamed to say I haven't kept up with it now I'm more busy, but I'd like to take up skulling when I've got a bit more time in the future. I do miss being out on the water a lot :(. I've done some kayaking, but it didn't really appeal to me greatly - a bit like trying to haul a tank through the water in comparison to a skull or a 4/8.
 
I scull for my school and scull mainly in a double (well, since the start of this year). I sit at bow but when I go into crew boats I go stroke. I do row as well, but have not trained rowing as we do not have enough skilled rowers in my boat house.
 
Family member is a world class start Coach in manchester.

You gotta be 6"4 + for men and 5"10+ for females.

That is all.
 
I have been a lurker on these forums for years - but this thread has finally made me want to post to my fellow rowers!

Started rowing about 7 years ago after I found I had a natural talent on the erg at the gym, carried on at university (Liverpool) and now row for Runcorn from time to time as a bit of a mercenary for pure fun. (Cannot be doing with commitment required at top clubs!)

I did ok at the British indoors last year open heavyweight even though I had a bad cold on the day that took about 9 secs off my time :(
 
Guitarman0 said:
So, national schools regatta this weekend. Anyone entered? I am for the J16 double sculls :)
Click to expand...

We entered for the 1st 8's... and had just about our worst thrashing ever...

I think there were several contributing factors:
We weren't that prepared mentally (I was late, as were 2 others, and people hadn't come down on a minibus together like usual, so everything was just a bit rushed and felt unprepared).
Also, our school gym has been locked when teachers aren't around since Christmas, and this has majorly impacted our training, as previously we might have been after school together most week nights.
It was windy, and we were in the outside lane, which got the biggest waves, and the river we train on is flat as a millpond, so we really aren't used to the windy, very wavy conditions that Nottingham always seems to have. I think this affected our techniques quite a lot, and made getting the rate up and the power in more difficult.
Also, on the river conditions: our river only has 5/600 m we can row on, so going for 2000m is a big change for us, especially as we aren't getting many ergs in at the moment with no gym.

Even though the race was a big loss, and a bit disappointing, I think we were all pleased with how the race went, accounting for the conditions. Hopefully plenty of lessons to take away so we'll be better next time. (oh wait, most of the 8 are going to uni next year :p)
 
Learnt to row 7 years ago, a knee injury has stopped me rowing or sculling so I now coach a lot... Mainly coach women but some mens crews as well.
 
I rowed for three years, while I was an undergraduate (Cambridge).

Was good fun - I got fitter than I ever had been in my life, went to a good few regattas (did head of the river twice as well). I was in the college 1st VIII for most of it (Clare college), and it was great to be rowing against other colleges so frequently. We even won "blades" during summer bumps in my second year :D

The downsides were that most of our rowers learned their craft while they were at School (private school of course if they had a boathouse), and so a lot of them looked down on us scummy comprehensive school roughtypes who had dared to impinge upon their sport. But most of the lads were great, and you get used to the "us and them" of it over time.

I thought about continuing rowing after Uni, but I just didn't have the motivation to spend 20hrs+ a week training for just a couple of races per year. I liked the 'frequent competition at all levels' aspect to it at Cambridge, and bumps etc. I didn't much fancy the same training for a couple of regattas and a head race each year.

6:28 was my best 2k time on the ergs - these days I doubt I could do much under 8 mins :p I'm sure there are plenty here who have done better, but at the time I was so proud of breaking 6:30 :)
 
6:28 - not too shabby at all :cool:

I know what you mean about the seriousness of some clubs - I did a stint at Nottingham after uni getting up at 6:00 am on a weekend - WHY OH WHY?! (so they could have two outings and spend an hour in between eating cakes!!)

That is precisely the reason I row for Runcorn, they let me in the top crew and it is totally relaxed - okay I might not win Henley but we came 100th at HORR and that was with about ~8hours practice over the entire head season.
 
I rowed a bit at oxford, but after a knee injury I now coach. Seem to log about 35+ hrs a week coaching, and my crews have had some reasonable results.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom