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Glossary and General Information The motion is so fluid, so smooth and so seemingly effortless that the agony on the athletes face near the end seems out of place. The last 500 meters of the race are excruciating. The energy is all gone. The muscles are burning. The body is well into oxygen debt. But the mental discipline remains, and the athletes continue, straining to synchronize each motion, and mentally counting the strokes to the finish... Sculls and Shells: Rowing boats with each person having two oars are called sculls. So, all sculls are shells, but not vice versa. Originally made of wood, the newer boats - especially those used in competition - are made of carbon fiber or honeycombed fiberglass. Singles are 27' long; eights 58'. Width varies - competitive singles are as narrow as 10 inches across, recreational boats are considerably less tippy at 20-25" in width. Oars: Oars not only move the boat through the water but act as balancers. The shaft section of the blade varies in length somewhat, but sweep rowers' oars are longer (12'-13') than scullers' oars (9-1/2'-10'). Sweep our blades are larger than sculling blades, but the curved blade shape is the same. The Stroke: The whole body is involved in moving a shell through the water. Basically the stroke is made up of four parts: Catch, Drive, Finish and Recovery. As the stroke begins, the rower is coiled forward on the sliding seat, with knees bent and arms outstretched. At the catch, he drops the oar blade vertically into the water. At the beginning of the drive, the body position doesn't change - all the work being done by the legs. Then, as the upper body begins to uncoil, the arms begin their work, drawing the oar blades through the water. Continuing the drive, the rower moves his hands quickly into his body, which by this time is in a "layback" position - about the same angle as sitting in a comfortable living room chair.
For additional information, please click here for Contacts and Links for the Wichita Rowing Association. |
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