Even though the history of rowing may date back millennia, the modern version of the sport was largely borne out of England, in the inaugural Oxford-Cambridge boat race in 1829. As Peter A Derow says, by the 1870s, the traditional thick trousers and greased thwarts were replaced by wheeled seats that greatly lengthened the effective stroke. A number of developments in rowing equipment that are seen today can be tracked back to this period time, including bow balls for safety, foot stretcher steering, swivel oarlocks, various blade shapes and indoor rowing machines
Peter A Derow sheds light on advances seen in rowing boat design and technology over decades
In the infancy of rowing, racing hulls used to be made of wood as it is fairly lightweight and buoyant. Wooden hulls used to be a mainstay at rowing competitions until around the 1970s. Gradually, composite materials started being used instead of wood. Composite materials allowed people to craft vessels both stronger and lighter than their wooden counterparts. Hulls were made using fiberglass in the early days of that transition, but with time the use of carbon fiber became more common as it provided increased strength while reducing the weight of the shell.
Traditionally, coxswains were forced to depend on the strength of their lungs and vocal cords in order to project commands amidst churning waters, clunking oarlocks and grunting rowers. With time, it became common to strap a cone megaphone to the coxswain’s head, so that their hands stay free for steering and holding a stopwatch. Today electronic voice amplification system for coxswains is available that allows them to effectively communicate with the team and perform their responsibility.
Earlier, oars used to feature tulip blades. It is a type of blade that had large scoopers which allowed rowers to grip onto the water. But it was not possible to put much load on these oars, and hence, rowers would not also get much grip in the water as well. With time, blades have become fatter and shorter. Modern-day oars allow rowers to grip onto water with ease.
As Peter A Derow says, in the last decade or so, personalization of rowing equipment has especially become pretty common. Today rowers can get customizable footplates, seats, and oar grips made that are tailored to their specific body dimensions and preferences. These customized equipment help enhance comfort and efficiency on the boat.
The integration of advanced analytics into rowing technology is becoming increasingly commonplace with time, as they provide both rowers and coaches with an unprecedented view of performance metrics. Today rowers can find platforms that efficiently dissect every rowing session into actionable insights by tracking progress over time. These platforms might even be able to highlight areas for improvement for the rowers. This granular analysis is available for on-water training, with devices capable of capturing detailed metrics from rowing sessions. By gaining a better understanding of the nuances of their technique rowers can make more precise adjustments to their training. This can ultimately lead to considerable improvements in speed, endurance, and efficiency.
