Glossary
Beat The number of rowing strokes per minute (spm); the number can range from 0 (the crew is sound asleep) to 50+, usually between 16 and 42, depending on the workout. Nothing to do with the power of the stroke, it is a measure of how frequently the crew is putting the oars in and out of the water.
Bow The front of the boat; the end to which the rowers turn their backs. Also the rower in that position.
Bowman An old-fashioned term, no longer used in mixed company (now "bowperson" or "bow"), for the rower who sits nearest the bow of the shell.
Calling seats In a race, coxswains do whatever they can to keep the rowers motivated and fierce. One way is to "call seats" as a crew passes the competition, to indicate to the rowers exactly where they stand. "I’ve got three seat" means that he or she (the coxswain) is level with the competition’s three-seat rower. The coxswain may do this through the boat, calling every one or two seats he or she has urged her crew to pass. Once the coxswain is even with the bowball (the front tip of the boat), he or she may scream "BOWBALL!"
Catch The entrance of the oar blade into the water at the beginning of the stroke.
Coxswain The crewmember who steers the boat, usually from a seat in the stern, but also in modern pairs and fours and some eights, while lying down in the bow. Pronounced cox'n. (In the East, sometimes "coxie.")
Coxbox A small microphone worn by the coxswain enabling the crew to hear the cox; coxes otherwise are in continuous danger of being unheard.
Crab The oar blade gets twisted at an angle and gets caught; this is a stroke that goes bad and when really bad can catapult the rower right out of the boat.
Ergometer (erg.) A stationary rowing machine used for training. It is instrumented to show the power produced.
Erg score The score of any test on the erg machine. It may be in terms of time: the time it took to pull a certain number of meters, or in distance: the number of meters pulled in a certain time or in watts.
Double A sculling boat for two rowers.
Eight A sweep boat for eight rowers always with a cox'n.
Feather To turn the blade over, parallel to the water, at the end of the pull-through, to lessen wind resistance. If feathered underwater a crab will result.
Finish The part of the pull-through or stroke just before the oar is taken from the water.
FISA Federation Internationale des Societes d’Aviron, the international governing body of rowing.
Four A sweep boat for four rowers, with or without a coxswain. (4+ = with a cox'n; 4 - = no cox'n.)
Henley distance The length of the course at Henley-on-Thames: one and five-sixteenths miles; see also Olympic distance, for which it was the model.
Oar Also called the sweep, if pulled by one or more rowers using both hands, or a "scull" if one hand, that the rower pulls through the water to move the boat. About 12 feet long. The section between the end of the handle and the point at which the oar passes through the oarlock is called the inboard of the oar or the scull; the rest, out to the tip of the blade, is called the outboard.
Oarlock A U-shaped swivel of metal or plastic that holds the oar with a "gate" across the top.
Olympic distance Two thousand meters (one and one-quarter miles). The nearest even metric to the Henley.
Outrigger Also called the rigger, a metal or reinforced plastic extension framework used to support the oar.
Pair A sweep boat for two people; a double is a two-person boat where each person has two oars.
Piece A practice usually consists of a warm-up and a workout. The workout is broken down into segments, called "pieces," such as two 30-minute pieces, four 10-minute pieces, or a bunch of 20-stroke pieces.
Power Ten or Twenty A tactical burst of speed for 10 or 20 strokes; frequently accompanied by an increase in the beat.
Port The left side of the shell as one faces the bow.
Puddles The swirls of water left by the stroking oars. The distance between sets of puddles (spacing) is a measure of the boat’s pace when adjusted for different stroke rates..
Pull-through The effort of the stroke.
Quad A boat with four scullers, using 8 oars.
Racing Start The first 20 to 40 strokes of a race, quicker than those of the rest of the race; the first few are also shorter in pull-through.
Rating The number of strokes per minute; the rate of striking or cadence.
Recovery The part of the stroke between the release and the catch during which the oar travels in air and the seat usually returns to the stern end of the slide.
Release The maneuver in which the oar is taken from the water and feathered.
Ratio The balance between the time spent on the recovery and the time spent on the pull through; an effective ratio produces the best results for the power expended and will vary for every crew.
Shell A narrow, light monocoque racing boat.
Scull a) An oar shorter than a sweep; between 9 ft. 6 in. and 10 ft., used for singles, doubles, or quads. b) A monocoque racing boat that is propelled by sculls.
Single A sculling boat for one person.
Starboard The right side of the boat as one faces the bow.
Stern The back of the boat, toward which the rowers face.
Stroke a) The rower nearest the stern, who sets the rhythm and cadence for the crew. b) The complete action of the rowing motion: the catch, pull through (drive), finish, release and feather, and recovery.
Stroke rate The number of strokes per minute.
Sweep. See Oar.
Washing out A blade that comes out of the water during the pull through has been washed out.
