Rowing Coach Tip on Crew Selection Using Ergo Scores
Comparing ergo scores of athletes whose body weights have a large variance is one of those difficult biannual tasks for coaches. Power vs. weight ratio is an important consideration in coaches' selection criteria for crews. A larger athlete is reasonably able to produce more power on a rowing machine. But when a larger athlete sits in a single scull in the water, racing a lighter athlete, the larger athlete produces more drag due to the level at which the scull sinks into
Free Electronic Logbook for Rowing
If you still use the 'classic' pen and paper to sign out boats at your rowing club, you're a bit behind the times. Why not make life a little easier for you and your members, a little more organised, and save a few trees while you're at it. We've discovered a free electronic logbook for rowing (take a peek). EFA - The free logbook program It's pretty easy. The device is called EFA, and can be used on a boathouse computer -
Shell Condition Checklist
Regularly checking your rowing and sculling shells are, well, a hassle, but a necessity of rowing club management. But don't fret, we've found you something that will make it a little bit easier. George D. Kirschbaum, Jr. - a coxswain and writer of many years has done one more favor for his fellow rowers across the internet. He's provided a thorough shell condition checklist that covers: Hull/skin Riggers Internals Equipment When to check: Now the key to avoiding long term damage is to regularly
Cheat Sheet for Rigging Ratios – Shhhhh
Rigging isn't an art, it's a science. Today we're sharing a great website we found that lists tables giving the spread for oar length and inboard. It's all calculated for you, and included is the rough equation if you'd like to do the work yourself. We suggest you print this cheat sheet out and post it around your rowing club. Let's make everyone's lives a little bit easier. Get the rigging ratios The author sets out the ratios for sweep oars Hatchets Big 25/52s Non-smoothie For oar
Keep it Clean – The Art of Caring for Oar & Scull Handle Grips
Get a handle on it - A clean one, that is Keeping your handles clean and smooth are essential to keeping your hands in good shape. Because without your hands, you're really not much of a rower, are you? It's time to make cleaning and checking your handles a habit. This is best practice at any rowing club. First let's talk clean. After each outing, wash your handles with detergent to remove grease or a sticky film. Use a textured cloth to
Race Plans for Coaches
As a boat club manager you need to support every member of your club, this includes the coaches. Create a platform for sharing knowledge among coaches to help them excel at what they do, creating happy members, and a well stocked club. You can start by printing out the blog post we've included below and pass it around to your coaches to start a conversation, invite them to take turns sharing a similar article once a week. This week's article is
In Case of Emergency: Points for your Boat Club
Emergencies - the dreaded creeping potential of having numerous humans doing, well, just about anything together in a "perfect storm". Couple it with water, weather, and large objects, and you have yourself a situation that can end up in any of a number of unpleasant ways (uh-oh!). As a boat club manager, there are heaps of things you can do to mitigate injury, but what can you do to prepare for it? Here's a little checklist (and breathe easier). Know the
How can you fit more boats into your boat house?
When it comes to dealing with large, heavy objects (boats) and numerous people (club members), safety and strategic planning for space optimization are of the utmost concern. That's why we paid special attention to an interesting question we received from a boat club manager in the UK, who simply wondered, how can you fit more boats into your boat house? Douglas Lumsden had the following suggestion: Designing the racking for the singles at an 'offset' on either side of the vertical
Towing Boats Doesn’t Have to Be a Pain: Get the Checklist
Towing a boat trailer is a fact of life for us rowers - particularly, if you're a coach, a dragon boater, a volunteer driver, or a boat club manager. There are lots of tips for how to do it successfully - a main one being know your length and clearance, proceed with caution, and make sure your boathouse has insurance! (Speaking of which, here's a great podcast on what insurance to get for your boat club). Here is a link to a great safety
Resources for Dragon Boating
Dragon Boating is unique among the sports we 'paddlers' involve ourselves in. For instance, a single dragon boat carries enough people for two soccer teams - compare that to your single scull! Below we have some helpful articles for boat club managers about dragon boating, from safety protocol to stretching, teamwork and finances. Safety First Dragon boating is unique and therefore carries its own safety guidelines. Your own guidelines should be related to your club specifically, your location - waterways and the