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Frequently asked questions about
rowing:
Q: Some of these programs seem
pretty pricey.
Why so much?
A: Rowing is a seriously
capital-heavy sport.
A new eight oared shell is
nearly $40,000 and the club has
more then 10 of these.
Single shells can be
more the $5,000.
Oars (or blades) are $250
each.
Additionally there are the costs
of renting and maintaining our
boathouse.
So considering all that, we’re a
pretty good deal.
Q: You folks get up real early
for some of these practices!
Couldn’t we do something,
say noon-ish?
A: In rowing, it’s all about the
water. We
row in the rain, snow, and cold,
but we can’t go out when the
wind is up.
Early morning is consistently
the best weather of the day.
Additionally our Junior
crews need to be done with
practice by 6:30 am in order to
get to school on time.
The rest of us need to
get to work (refer to answer to
question 1).
It is all worth it, however,
when you’re on the river in
perfectly flat water, the boat
is moving under you and the sun
is just coming up.
It’s glorious.
Q: How do I get the job where
you sit in the end of the boat
and tell everybody what to do?
A: The coxswain (or cox) is a
very important part of the crew.
They steer the boat and
set the course.
In a race, the strategy
the cox uses in setting the
course and encouraging the crew
can make all the difference in
winning or losing.
The coxswain also
controls getting the boat out of
the boathouse and safely into
the water, not easy when the
boat is over 60 feet long and
weighs a few hundred pounds.
It is a lot harder to
find a good cox then to just get
another rower.
If this is what you are
interested in, we’ll teach you.
Being of smaller stature
is a plus for this job.
Q: Speaking of stature, I’ve got
more of a football players build
then a cyclist or runner.
Will I fit in the boat as
a rower?
A: We haven’t had anybody too
big to fit yet.
Once you learn the
technique, height and weight add
up to power.
The bigger folks with a long
reach can really help move the
boat.
Q: I don’t know if I’d ever be
good enough to be a Master,
where do I take the test?
A: ’Master’ is an age group, not
a skill level.
If you row and are over
21, congratulations, you’re
already a Master.
Q: How come some folks get two
oars but I only have one?
Wouldn’t I be twice as
fast with two?
A: That’s not exactly how that
works. The two main divisions in
rowing are sweep rowing (with
one oar) and sculling (using two
oars).
Beginners learn sweep rowing in
a crew boat with either four or
eight people.
The bigger the boat, the
more stable it is.
A single (always sculled)
is pretty darn tippy. A
two-person boat can be sculled
(called a double) or sweep rowed
(called a pair).
A four-person boat
sculled is a quad.
When it’s sweep rowed, it
is a ‘four’.
An ‘eight’, at least in the US,
is rowed as a sweep boat.
It is pretty hard to turn
over an eight.
Q: Will I have a life jacket
on when I’m rowing?
A: No, it would be too
restrictive to row in.
We ask that you know how
to swim and to sign a release to
that effect.
Our high school crews take a
mandatory swim test.
We take the adults at
their word.
Q: All kidding aside, is this
safe?
A: Safety is our highest
priority.
You may be safer sitting on your
porch, but that wouldn’t be as
much fun.
It’s far safer then road cycling
and a heck of a lot easier on
your knees then running. There
will always be a safety boat out
with you when you are practicing
which has life jackets and a
reach pole on board.
As a beginner, you’ll
spend most of your time
practicing on the mile of water
between our docks and the
Detroit Yacht Club.
You’re more likely to
scrape your knuckles getting the
boat out of the boathouse then
to experience any sort of
on-the-water mishap.
Q: What side of the boat should
I sit on?
A: You don’t actually ‘sit’ on
one side of the boat, everyone
sits in a straight line. You do
row to either the port or
starboard side. In an eight, the
seats are numbered from the bow
(front of the boat) from ‘one’
(also called bow seat) up to
‘eight’ at the stern (called
stroke seat). The odd number
seats row starboard, the even
number seats row port. When you
row starboard, your left hand
turns (or ‘feathers’) the oar.
The right hand pulls the oar
through the stroke. On port it
is the opposite, right hand
turns the oar, left hand pulls
the oar through the stroke.
There is nothing
inherently better about one side
or the other, it’s just a matter
of what feels the most
comfortable to you. At some
point, you will want to learn to
row both sides.
Q: What the heck is the crab I
keep hearing about?
We’re not really talking
about a crustacean here are we?
A: To ‘crab’ means to get your
oar stuck in the water and not
be able to pull it out in time
for the next stroke.
Disconcerting, but not
the end of the world.
It’s going to happen.
A lot.
Don’t worry about it.
Q: What do we do if the weather
is too bad to go on the water?
A: The instructor will have a
workout planned that you will do
on the indoor rowing machines,
the ERG.
Q: Eech.
That doesn’t sound like much
fun. Do I
have to?
A: We don’t lock the doors if
that’s what you mean.
Rowing is the ultimate
team sport.
The shared experience of doing
something together that isn’t
all that much fun is part of
building a team.
It is also a valuable
opportunity to improve your
rowing technique and build
strength and stamina for your on
the water rowing.
Actually, ERGing is a
sport itself.
In the winter the club
attends and even sponsors an ERG
regatta.
Last year DBC Rowing was 6th for
the number of meters ERGed
(almost 17 million) out of more
then 340 clubs worldwide.
Q: OK, I’m sold.
When I get to my first
Learn to Row class, should I
start pulling out boats and oars
and stuff…
A: No, please don’t do that.
Locate the rest of your
learn to row class and introduce
yourself. You’ll be together a
lot. The
boat may be 60 feet long, but
you’ll be sharing it with eight
other folks.
The first couple of sessions
will be spent learning the
terminology of rowing.
This is important so you
can quickly and safely respond
to what the cox tells you to do.
You’ll also work on the
ERG to learn the parts of the
rowing stroke.
Soon, your coach will
take you out in the ‘barge’,
which basically is two boats
mounted together to provide a
stable learning platform.
Before long, you’ll be
going out and practicing in the
regular eight man shells.
Class is not over till
all the boats are returned to
the boathouse and wiped down.
Oars need to be returned
to the proper rack in the oar
room and stowed carefully.
We take good care of our
equipment, for good reason
(refer to the first question
again).
See you on the water.
ROW DETROIT!
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