BOW (crosses the finish line first)
RIGGER (bolted into the side of the shell and holds the oars)
OARLOCK
Boat ■■ Oar:
Used to drive the boat forward: rowers do not use paddles.
Number: Rower’s position in the boat that counts up from the bow. The person closest to the bow of the boat is the “bow,” followed by the 2, then 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and finally 8 or “stroke.”
■■ Seat ■■ Novice:
A rower who is new to the sport, and is in it’s the first year of collegiate competition.
■■ Varsity:
The collegiate rower who competes beyond the novice level.
■■ Head
Race: Head races are the traditional fall regatta, in which boats cross the starting line at full speed at roughly 15 second intervals. The course usually involves navigating three miles of river, around bends and under bridges.
■■ Regatta:
Regatta is the name of rowing events in which several crews compete.
■■ Racing
Categories: There are several different events at regattas. Typically, the Varsity 8+ event is the most elite, consisting of a team’s best eight rowers. A program’s overall speed is usually measured by how well its top 8+ finishes at a race.
■■ Shell:
A boat used in the rowing races. It seats nine people for an eight (eight rowers and a coxswain), and five people for a four (four rowers and a coxswain). It ranges in length from 45 feet for a four to 58 feet for an Eight.
Rower closest to the front (or bow) of a multi-person shell, and the first part of the boat to cross the finish line.
■■ Bow:
The triangular shaped metal device that is bolted onto the side of the boat and holds the oars.
■■ Rigger:
Room: Middle rowers in the boat. Generally the biggest and strongest rowers in the boat.
■■ Engine ■■ Blade:
The end of the oar which pulls the boat through the water.
(cox): Person who steers the shell from a seat located in the stern of an 8+ or a lying position in the bow of a 4+. The cox is also the on-the-water coach for the crew.
■■ Coxswain
The rower who sits closest to the stern. The stroke sets the rhythm for the boat; others behind her must follow his/her cadence.
■■ Stroke:
■■ Stern:
The rear of the boat; the direction the rowers are facing.
10: A call for rowers to do 10 of their best, most powerful strokes. It’s a strategy used to pull ahead of a competitor.
■■ Power
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