Regatta Viewer's Guide

There are 2 different event types:

1. Sculling

  • Athletes with two oars - one in each hand- are scullers
  • Three Sculling Events
    • Single - 1x (one person)
    • Double - 2x (two people)
    • Quad - 4x (four people)

2. Sweep Rowing

  • Athletes with only one oar
  • Coxswain (a person who steers the boat and be the on-the-water coach)
    • Boats may or may not have a coxswain
      • Those without a coxswain, one of the rowers steers by moving the rudder with his/her foot
  • Different Sweep Rowing Events
    • Pairs with a coxswain (2+)
    • Pairs without a coxswain (2-)
    • Fours with a coxswain (4+)
    • Fours without a coxswain (4-)
    • Eight (8+): always carries a coxswain
  • Athletes are identified by their seat on the boat
    • Seat No. 1: athlete in bow and the person who crosses the finish line first
    • Seat No. 2: person in front of the bow then No. 3 through No. 7
    • Seat No. 8: Also known as the stroke, who must be a strong rower with excellent technique since the stroke sets the rhythm and number of strokes per minute the rest of the crew must follow

Categories (Applies to both Sculling and Sweep Rowing)

1. Open Weight

  • Rower of any weight can enter this category
  • Average woman in an open race is about 6 feet tall
  • Average man in an open race is about 6 feet 6 inches tall

2. Lightweight

  • Men: cannot weigh more than 160 pounds
    • Average weight in the entire boat cannot exceed 155 pounds
  • Women: cannot weight more than 130 pounds
    • Average weight in the entire boat cannot exceed 125 pounds
  • Lightweights row in the same events as the open weight athletes, excepts that other than the men's lightweight eight, they do not carry coxswains
  • There is no lightweight 2+ or 4+

The Race

The race begins with all boats aligned at the start, in the lanes they have been assigned. Individuals in each lane hold the stern f each boat steady while an official, known as the aligner, ensures that each boat is even with the others and squarely facing the course.

Each crew is allowed one false start, any more than that and they are disqualified.

The race will be restarted if there is equipment breakage (an oar snapping) within the first 100 meters.

The rowers are allowed to leave their lanes without penalty, so long as they do not interfere with anyone else's opportunity to win.

An official follows the crews to ensure safety and fairness.

Race Watching Tips

  • Look for:
    • Continuous, fluid motion of the rowers. The rowing motion shouldn't have an obvious beginning or end.
    • Synchronization
    • Clean catches of the oarblades. If you see a lot of splashing, the oars are not entering the water correctly
    • Even oarblade feathering. When the blades are brought our of the water, they should all move horizontally close to the water and at the same height.
    • The most consistent speed.
  • General Tips
    • Race times can vary depending on the course and the weather. Tailwinds improve times, white headwinds and crosswinds will hamper them.
    • Crews are identified by their oarblade design.

    *Information derived from the "Viewer's Guide" on USRowing's website*