I. The Club
II.  Practices
III.  The Equipment
IV.  Terms and Commands
V.  Technique
VI.  The Stroke
VII.  Moving Boats Around
VIII.  Safety

This handbook is effectively the bible for the Carleton Crew Club. It contains information on everything from how the club is organized to how to row. It is intended for members and anyone interested in rowing with the club. As rowing is a sport which demands a lot of coaching in the first few weeks, it is important for matters of efficiency and safety to know basic technique and the majority of the technical terms before going out on the water.

1. The Club

Carleton Crew was originally started in the Spring of ’94 by Ed Blair, with two privately owned singles, stored in Stadium, and rowed on the Cannon River. These conditions were far too cramped for a serious program, so practices were moved to the Minnesota Boat Club (MBC) in St. Paul.

The MBC is one of two clubs in the cities, and hosts other rowing programs, including St. John’s University and some serious men’s and women’s crews. The club is located on Navy Island, underneath the Wabasha Bridge in downtown St. Paul. The club rows on a long, wide stretch of the Mississippi, upstream out of the cities. The MBC owns dozens of boats, two 8s and three 4s (straight and coxed) were available for use by the Carleton Crew Club. Dues at the MBC are $130 per person, per season (effectively $260 per person each year).

In 1996, the Mississippi flooded, and shortly thereafter, Ed Blair graduated. That summer, the club was the target of arson. The MBC was rebuilt, but the Carleton Crew Club went into a long period of dormancy.

In 1999, the club was restarted by Stephanie Held and off-water training began that spring. Over the Summer of 2000, Carleton purchased the Spanish Mansion, a used 1976 Pocock Lightweight Women’s 4+. Water practices started in the fall of 2000 on the Zumbro River, through the Rochester Rowing Club (RRC) in Rochester, Minnesota. The President of the RRC, Phil Greippe, agreed to store the Spanish Mansion at the Rochester club, and provided free winter storage. In addition, dues were $30 per person, per season. Over the winter of 2001, the club purchased 4 oars from the RRC, for use with the Spanish Mansion.

2. Practices

Rowing is currently offered half-time (i.e. once a week) in the Spring and Fall terms, weather permitting. As it is nearly an hour’s drive to the club, and a significant amount of time is needed to get the boats in and out of the boathouse, we need at least 3 ½ to 4 hours per practice to get some good time on the water. Coordinating a large group of people at Carleton can be extremely difficult, so this is usually the defining factor on when and how often we can have practices. Furthermore, crew inherently demands a high degree of organization as the coach needs to make sure that there is a coxswain, the right number and mix of rowers, enough boats, etc. For this reason, when you have made a commitment to come rowing, the entire boat is depending on your presence to be able to row.

3. The Equipment

The Spanish Mansion was purchased at an unbelievably low price, so low that if it were damaged, we would not be able to afford replacing it. Also, as Carleton currently owns only one 4+ shell, we will be using shells belonging to another organization. Crew shells are by nature very expensive and very fragile, so it is imperative that we treat them carefully and wisely. All the boats at the club are insured, but the premium is very high, and we will be expected to pay for any damages.

Crew shells come in several shapes and sizes. For the most part, we will be using 4+’s. They’re made to be as light and as fast as possible, and are usually made out of wood, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and aluminum. The hulls are not designed to support a person’s weight, so you must NEVER STEP IN THE BOAT. A typical 8 is roughly 60 feet long, 18 inches wide, and weighs about 250 lbs. A typical 4 is roughly 50 feet long, 18 inches wide, and weighs about 200 lbs. The oars are either made from carbon fiber or wood, are approximately 13 feet long, and weigh about 5 lbs. A new boat can cost anywhere from $15,000-$30,000, and a single oar can cost up to $500. Obviously, this equipment is incredibly expensive, so extreme care must be taken at all times when working around the boats. For information about boat sub-types, please see appendix A.

4. Terms and Commands

Rowing has a language peculiar to itself, and the terminology for rowing can differ from region to region. We will be using terms that are standard in the Eastern United States. The number of terms and commands can be daunting at first, but there are a few necessary terms to know before getting in a boat the first time. The definitions of the words below are in the CrewTalk glossary. Please make sure you know them before your first water practice. See CrewTalk for a more comprehensive list of terms and definitions.

Stern

Bow

Port

Starboard

Stroke

Coxswain

Rating

Handle

Button

Collar

Shaft

Blade

Squared

Feathered

Gunwale

Rigger

Seat

Step Pad

Slide

Foot Stretcher

Oarlock

Row

Hold Water

Let it Run

Weigh ‘Nuff

Set

Catch

Pick Drill

There are two kinds of rowing, Sweep, and Sculling. For the most part, we will only be sweep rowing, which means that you’ll each have one oar and will be rowing in a multi-person boat. For sweep rowing, rowers alternate between ports and starboards. Port oars go out to the right, and starboard oars go out to the left. This is because the rowers are really sitting backwards in the boat.

It is common for a person to feel more comfortable on one side than on the other. This is called your natural side, and it has nothing to do with being a lefty or a righty. When a team is not training for a race, it is possible (and even advisable) to switch sides at every other practice for a more balanced workout (body and mind). This is because when rowing, different arms get different workouts. This has to do with the alignment of the oar with your shoulders, combined with the alignment of the boat. This will be clear once you start rowing in a boat.

When all rowers are moving in perfect synchronization, the boat ‘sings’. This refers to a certain feeling in the boat, where everything is perfect and the boat almost flies. It is purely addictive. In order to achieve this synchronization, seats 1-7 must follow the stroke. The stroke is the last seat, in the stern of the boat, but everyone faces towards that seat because you’re all sitting backwards. The timing of the stroke is crucial to a good boat, especially in races and drills.

The most important position of leadership inside the boat is the coxswain (pronounced "cox-in"), or cox for short. The cox steers the boat, motivates the rowers, corrects the rowers on their technique, and calls out commands for the rowers to follow. Almost always, a cox will give a command "in two…" An example of this is: "in two strokes, we’ll weigh ‘nuff."

The chain of command in a boat goes Coach, Cox, Rowers. Coxing is pretty much a thankless job, but it is an essential one (the cox is the only one who can see where the boat is going!) Coxes deserve respect and gratitude from rowers. Personal problems between a rower and a coxswain should be left on shore, as disrespecting a cox’s authority puts your life in jeopardy as well as everyone else’s.

 

5. Technique

Squared Blade The blade of the oar is perpendicular to the water

Catch The beginning of the stroke, when your body is at the farthest forward position, ready to start the drive

Drive The Part of the stroke when you’re pushing your legs down and pulling the oar through the water to move the boat

Finish The end of the stroke, when your body is at the furthest layback position, ready to start the recovery

Feather The blade of the oar is parallel to the water

Recovery When combined with the drive, this completes the stroke cycle. You are pushing the oar away from you when the blade is above the water. This is a slow, controlled motion, and should last three times ( this is the 3:1 ratio) as long as the drive.

Set Up Crew shells are very tippy, and do flip. The oars are what balance the boat. Therefore, each person has to hold the handle of the oar at the same height ("handle height!!") to properly balance or "set" the boat. This can be very challenging… if even one person has his or her oar handle too high or too low on any one part of the stroke, the set can be thrown off. However, it is a balancing act: if one oar is two inches too high, and another two inches too low, then things balance out. A good set is accomplished by proper technique and being in touch with your teammates.

"Catching a Crab" This happens when you feather the oar while the blade is still under water and the boat is in motion. The water flowing over the blade will pull the blade forwards with great force, shoving the handle towards your body/face (lie down fast!). There is a possibility of being thrown into the water, or even flipping the boat. Because the whole boat has to stop for a rower to recover from a crab, it is a certainty that catching multiple crabs will piss off your coach, cox, and fellow rowers. Try not to do this.

Check it down/Hold water A command called by the cox to stop or slow down the boat. Square your blade and dig it into the water. In emergencies you will need to do this fast and hard.

Spinning the Boat A command to turn the boat around. Because shells are so long, it is best to turn them on a point, or spin them. This is done with the commands "Ports to back, starboards to row…and spin!" Ports rotate their blades around, and square them at the finish. At the "spin" command, they slowly push the handles out. While the ports are doing this, starboards feather their oars and move the blades along the surface of the water, by pushing the handles out from their chests in time with the ports. Then the starboards take a row stroke, while the ports feather their oars and move the blades forward along the surface of the water by bringing the handles in towards their bodies in time with the starboards. Ports and starboards alternate taking strokes until the boat is turned around.

4. The Stroke

Rowing is like golf, tennis, skiing, or swimming in that it is supposed to be a simple, fluid motion, but can be broken down into several technical steps. The fluidity is where it’s at, but you have to get the bits and pieces down to be an efficient rower.

1. The Catch. Legs are flexed (knees up, shins perpendicular to the water), the body is leaning forwards, the chest about a hands-width away from the knees, arms extended, reaching towards the gunwale, and the blade is squared and buried in the water.
2. The Drive. Bring the knees down first, keeping your body angle and arms forward and extended. Then lean back until your back and your legs make a 100° angle, keeping your arms extended. Now bring your arms in quickly until the backs of your hands are almost touching your shirt. The handle should come in towards your body at about your solar plexus. The blade should be buried under water along with about one foot of the handle. More or less is considered "skying" or "burying" and is poor technique (i.e. not very effective).
3. The Finish. Push down about two inches on the handle, so that the blade clears the water, and turn the handle with your inside hand so that the blade is feathered. (Although you don’t move your arms until the "recovery," in a fluid stroke, quickly moving the arms away from the body makes for a better finish, and the oar will come out of the water that much easier.)
4. The Recovery. Extend the arms, and lean the body forward. Do not bend your knees until your hands have passed over them. When your legs are about 2/3 of the way bent, begin to square your blade (again, using your inside hand) and prepare for the next catch. Bending your legs on the way up is called the "slide," and is a slow, controlled movement. During the recovery, the blade is feathered and about 1-2" off the water.

Note: During the drive and the recovery, the handle should move as if it is on a flat, steady surface. The handle should draw a box in front of you with a height of 1-2" and a length equal to your reach.

VII. Getting boats in and out of the water

Boats are expensive and fragile, and should be treated with great care. They are also very heavy, so moving them from the racks to the water and back is a delicate process. Three major rules to follow when doing this are as follows:

1. NEVER let go of the boat
2. NEVER stand inside or under a rigger
3. Pay attention to the cox, coach, boat (bow, stern, riggers), footing, etc., etc.

When we move a boat out, the chain of commands is more or less:

And UP, and OUT at the waist

Up to the shoulders, and UP!

Walk it towards the ___ (depends what direction we need to go)

Weigh ‘Nuff

Up and over the heads, and UP!

Toe the edge of the dock

Get an inside hand-hold

Roll it into the water- Down to the waist, and OUT, and IN

The last one is probably the most dangerous because it is an awkward movement, it is hard to hold the boat out like that, and if the boat hits the edge of the dock on the way into the water… bad news.

 

8. Safety

First of all, you must know how to swim. It is not possible to wear life jackets in the boats, but someone should be nearby in a launch to save you if you end up in the drink. Eights almost never flip, 4’s only occasionally. Doubles and singles flip all the time, but we won’t be using those. The shells are pretty stable with the oars out. Never, ever pull your oar in or take it out of the rigger while on the water.

In the event that a boat does tip over, the coxswain is in charge, and he or she will tell the rowers to "buddy up." This command means that 1 and 2 seats are buddies, as are 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7, stroke, and the cox. Buddies should arrange themselves on opposite sides of the overturned shell, near the bow and stern, and grasp each other’s hands/wrists across the hull. The most important thing to remember, is to STAY WITH THE BOAT. Because of endorphins, rowers may not recognize how exhausted they are in the middle of a practice, and try to swim to shore. In addition, the water is usually chilly enough to quickly induce cramping in warm muscles. This increases the time it takes for a launch to find all the rowers, and puts your life in jeopardy if you fatigue or cramp unexpectedly.

If you are ejected from your seat while the boat is still moving (catching a really bad crab could do this), SWIM DOWN towards the riverbed. This is to protect your body from the passing oars and skegs. When you swim back up, tred water, or do a deadman’s float until the launch comes to get you. In addition, the coxswain should back the shell slowly towards you, so a fellow crew member can hand you your oar, to use as a flotation device.