Gonzaga College High School Crew Crew Terminology & Tips 2016-2017

For the Rowers:

A Few Tips…

For practice – compression shorts, socks, t-shirt/ tank, hat, UV sunglasses (very helpful to protect their eyes from the glare on the water), sunscreen, and a refillable water bottle. A protein or healthy snack in their gym bag is always a good idea!

Blisters – Please view this information as parent-to-parent suggestions. For medical advice, consult your family physician.

• Hold wet tea bags over blisters. The tannic acid in the tea serves as an anesthetic and a skin hardener. Early in the season, rowers should check their hands after every practice and apply tea bags to any spot that seems irritated.

• Pop blisters only “in opposite direction of the searing force”, i.e. usually closer to your fingertips. This will reduce the risk of the blister tearing. If the blister does tear, let the top layer dry, apply tea bags and then protect with tape and/or a liquid bandage (New Skin, for example)

• Any blister that has milky white pus or worse – radiating red streaks –is a sign of infection and needs medical attention.

• Some acne medication may soften skin and cause rowers to blister more easily.

Cold Weather Gear Rowers’ clothing needs to be form-fitting enough that it will not catch on the oars or the wheels of the seat. It also must stretch to accommodate rowers’ movements. During the first months of the spring season, rowers must dress for cold weather. • Inner Layer – The layer closest to the skin should be lightweight, snug-fitting, and able to wick perspiration. Look for undershirts made of synthetics, such as polypropylene or acrylic, designed for this purpose. Avoid cotton, which absorbs moisture. To keep legs and the lower torso warm, use tights or wicking long underwear bottoms (Brand names - Under Armor, Cool Max – not cotton) or thin fleece pants.

• Middle Layer – This is the insulation layer, which should also wick moisture and provide warmth. Wool or fleece are good choices.

• Outer Layer – This layer shields from wind and snow. A light nylon jacket might be enough.

• Hats - are very important! Tightly knit wool on the outside and fleece on the inside.

For the Parents:

The Mission of the Gonzaga Crew Booster Club: Enable the rowers to row, the coaches to coach and to fully support a world-class high school rowing team, while making life long friendships within the Gonzaga Crew family.

Role of the Parents: Gonzaga crew cannot function without the active involvement of parents, and throughout the season there are many different volunteer opportunities. Each family is expected to volunteer for at least one job or event throughout the season. Regattas have many jobs. There are no jobs that require experience or special knowledge of the sport – all jobs can be learned.

Watching the Regattas In terms of the visuals, crew provides one of the most beautiful scholastic competitions, but watching a regatta can be frustrating - you spend the first third of the race wondering if you are watching the right race and the second third trying to figure out the location of your rower. Hint: when watching the races at the beginning – look for the purple and white oars.

NOTE: You will hear the chant “Eagles Fly High!” during the races, traditionally this chant is always started by a Gonzaga Alum or current rower.

Bring binoculars, sunscreen, umbrella, a jacket and a folding chair – the weather can change quickly so it is best to be prepared. Rain boots can also be a huge help if it has been raining prior to the event.

At most regattas our Gonzaga tent up will be set-up with food and drinks. It is important that you try to sign-up to bring food/drinks/dessert to the regattas, through Sign-up Genius. It takes all of us working together to make the regattas a success! We rely heavily on volunteerism and it is expected that each family contribute in some way. Note: Sign-up Genius is sent out on Sunday evening before the next regatta.

The chair of Sign-up Genius is Laura Brockwell questions can be sent directly to her (see the school directory for her email).

For Freshman Parents: It is important to note that not all of the rowers will row at the Stotesbury Regatta and at SRAA Nationals. As the season progresses, the coach will decide who will be rowing, as well as alternates for these regattas. Please note there is an extra charge for attending these regattas as they are out of town and the boys stay in a hotel near the race.

Should you miss an event, races are recorded by Frank Vasquez and are posted on his YouTube channel - Gonzaga High School Crew 2016-2017

Rowing Terminology

Like many sports, rowing has a language all its own…

Most crew events at the High School level are match races over a distance of 1500 meters or 0.94 miles. Match racing is when boats race side-by-side on a straight, or straight as possible, course. The boats line up side-by-side and when ready, are given the commands ATTENTION…ROW. Each crew is allowed one false start, two results in a disqualification. If within the first 100 meters there is a legitimate equipment breakage (i.e., an oar snaps in two) or another serious problem, the race will be stopped and restarted with repaired equipment.

The stroke rate (the number of rowing strokes per minute) is high at the start – often 45-50 strokes per minute. The crew will “settle” into the body of the race and drop their rating back – 30-40. However, the higher stroke rate is not always indicative of speed. A strong, technically talented crew may be able to cover more water faster than a less capable crew rowing a high stroke rate.

The coach and the way the race is going determine when the crew will “sprint.” The first boat to reach the finish line is the winner.

In head races, the boats do not race next to each other but are racing the clock. In a head race there is a running start, where rowing begins before the starting line and rowers are moving when they cross the start.

Rower Position (Seats in the boat)

Athletes are identified by their position in the boat. The athlete sitting in the bow, the part of the boat that crosses the finish line first, is the bow seat, or #1 seat. The person in front of the bow is #2, the # 3 and so on. The rower closest to the stern, that crosses the finish line last, is known as the stroke. The stroke of the boat must be a strong rower with excellent technique, as the stroke is the person who sets the rhythm of the boat for the rest of the rowers. The coxswain (in front of the stroke) will often call for groups to row according to their place in the boat i.e., “bow pair”, “stern four”. See graphic below.

The Boat (shell) Rowing boats are called shells, and are made of lightweight carbon fiber. The smallest boat on the water is a single which is only 27-30 feet long, a foot wide and approximately 30 lbs. Eights are the largest shells at 60 feet in length and a little over 200 lbs.

There are two types of shells used in rowing. In sweep rowing, each rower uses only one oar. Sweep boats have two, four or eight rowers. Each boat may or may not include a coxswain, the on-board captain who steers the boat and controls the tempo.

In sculling, the rower uses two oars. Sculling boats have one, two or four rowers.

Shell Terms:

Seat: on wheels that allow forward and back movement of the rower

Tracks: guides in which the seat wheels roll (also called slides)

5 Foot Stretcher: adjustable plate to which the shoes are attached, allowing adjustment for length

Foot Pad: space between the front of the tracks and is the only place you step when entering the boat

Rigger: metal or composite “arm” attached to the exterior of the boat that holds the oar

Oarlock: “U” shaped plastic part in which the oar is placed

Gate: screw-down rod that keeps the oar from coming out of the oarlock

Stroke Terms:

Catch: the beginning of the rowing stroke where the oar blade is set in the water

Drive: the part of the stroke where the blade is pulled through the water

Finish: portion of the rowing stroke when the blade comes out of the water at the end for the pull-through

Release: pushing down on the handle to raise the blade out of the water at the end of the stroke to begin the recovery

Recovery: relaxation part of the stroke when the oar blade is out of the water (between the finish of the stroke and the next catch)

Feathering: rotating the oar in the oarlock with the inside hand so that the blade is parallel to the water

Leg Drive: pushing with the legs against the foot stretchers on the drive

Rushing the Slide: coming up the slide to the catch too fast causing one’s weight to be thrown toward the stern causing the boat to check (slow down)

Missing Water: not getting the blade into the water soon enough causing one to miss part of the beginning of the stroke (sometimes called rowing into the water)

Run: the distance the boat moves after the release while the rower is on the recovery

Puddles: made when the blade is released from the water

6 Other Terms:

Catching a Crab: Trapping the oar in the water so that it’s difficult to remove, usually because the oar blade is at the wrong angle. This action can slow the boat momentarily and, in extreme cases, cause the rower to be thrown from the boat (an ejector crab). Catching a crab is a BAD thing!

Erg: Device that replicates the movements involved in rowing. Erg has negative connotations: it was rumored to be used during the Cold War as an interrogation technique, now outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

Power 10: Ten strokes at full power without an increase in the number of strokes per minute, usually for the purpose of passing or gaining on another boat. Likewise, a “power 5” or “power 20”.

Pull-Through: Portion of the rowing stroke from the catch to the finish, thus the propulsive part of the stroke when the oar is in the water.

Rate or Rating: Number of strokes being rowed per minute, which can vary from 23-24 during practice to more than 50 at the finish of a race.

Set: (as in “set the boat”) the balance of the boat, which is affected by elements such as the rower’s body position, timing of individual strokes, and other factors.

Shooting Your Slide: When the rower’s seat moves toward the bow faster than his shoulders.

Track Bite: Cut on a rower’s leg caused by repeatedly scraping the sharp edges of the track (slide) beside the seat as it moves during the stroke.

Bucket Rig: A rigging arrangement of an eight or four, where riggers two and three are on the same side of the boat.