Rowing Terms

Equipment Terminology

Blades- The wide, flat secton of the oar at the head of the shaft,
also known as the spoon. This term is most often used  when referring to the entire oar.

Hatchets-These are a relatively new design of oar blades. They  have a bigger surface area than the "standard" blades  and have a hatchet shape.

Scull- This means either when referring to one of the oars used in a sculling shell, the shell itself or the act of rowing a  sculling shell.

Foot Strecher- An adjustable bracket in a shell that the rower's feet are attached to by some sort of shoe.

Rigger- The device that connects the oarlock to the shell and is     bolted to the body of the shell

Oarlock- A U- Which holds the oar in place. It is mounted at the end of the rigger and rotates around a metal pin. A latch closes across the top to keep the oar in

Button- A plastic or metal fitting tightened to the oar to keep the oar from from slipping out of the oarlock.

Slide- The track on which the seat moves

Gunwale-The top section on the sides of a shell which runs along  the sides of the crew section where the rower's are located. The riggers are secured to the gunwale with bolts.

Rudder- The steering device at the stern. the rudder in turn is        connected to cables that the coxswain can use to steer the shell.   
Fin- A small fin located along the stern section of the hull. This       helps to stabilize the shell in holding a true course when  rowing.

Rowing Cycle Terms

Starting witht he rower at "rest" and legs fully extended with the oar blades fully immersed in the water perpendicular to the water's surface.

Release-A sharp downward (and away) motion of the hand which serves to remove the oar blade from the water and start the rowing cycle

Feathering-The act of turning the oar blade form a position perpendicular to the surface of the water to a position parallel to the water. This is done at the same time as the release.

Recovery-Part of the rowing cycle from the release to and including where the oar blade enters the water.

Squaring- A Gradual rolling of the oar blade form a position parallel to the water to a position almost perpendicluar to the surface of the water. This is done during the recovery and in preperation for the catch.

Catch- The point of the rowing cycle at which the blade enters the water at the end of the recovery and is accomplished by an upward motion of the arms only. The blade must be fully squared at the catch.

Drive- That part of the rowing cycle when the rower appplys power to the oar. This is a more or less blended sequence of applying power primarily with a leg drive, the the back and finally the arms.

Finish- The last part of the drive before the release where the power is mainly coming from the back and arms.

Layback-The amount of backward lean of the rower's body at the end of the finish.

Now we start again with the realease and...

Other Terms of Interest

Bow- the forward end of the shell. Also used as the name of the person sitting nearest to the bow.

Stern-the rear end of the shell

Port-The left side of the boat when facing the bow.

Starboard-The right side of the shell when facing the bow

Coxwain-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 cand be the difference between winning and losing a race.

The Stroke- The rower sitting nearest the stern. The stroke is resposible for setting the stroke length and rate.

Ratio- The ratio of the recovery time to the drive time. The recovery time should always be longer than the drive time.

Rating-The number of strokes per minute.