RowingRelated

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? At Marin Rowing Association, Culture is Key

2024-10-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hands in after training My alarm goes off—it’s 4:22am. It’s been a while since I did this. Immediately, I think back to a college dorm room, rolling out of bed and running down the steps to carpool caravan to Marina Del Rey. Not this time, though. It’s a Tuesday in late September, and I’m heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Greenbrae, California, where I’ll meet with the Marin

The Complete Guide to Rowing Machine Benefits: Why Indoor Rowing Is Perfect for (Virtually) Everyone

2024-02-13T11:27:00.000-08:00

Updated 2026 — with links to our full Rowing Machine Reviews. The rowing machine (or ergometer) has evolved significantly over decades, but its core purpose remains unchanged: bringing the comprehensive

RR Interview: Nick Trojan's New Feature on Yale Men's Rowing

2023-05-03T13:25:00.008-07:00

Nick Trojan's latest feature documentary is twice as long as his previous work—but leaves you wanting more, just the same. There’s a new feature in Nick Trojan’s series, taking an inside look at top-tier college rowing programs in the US. This time, Trojan focused his project on Yale and the legendary coach Steve Gladstone, blending outstanding camerawork with one of rowing’s most compelling

RR Interview: The Inspiration Behind ‘The Rowing Podcast’, and the Future of Olympic Sport in the US, with Matt Rung

2020-08-13T23:43:00.001-07:00

Rung coaching with Washington at the IRA National ChampionshipsIRA champion with Cornell Lightweights, and former First Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Washington, Matt Rung has an impressive track record in rowing. But it wasn’t until recently that he decided to add podcasting to his resume. Earlier this year, Rung started The Rowing Podcast, which offers in-depth, personal

Thank You, Ed

2020-04-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

Like many of you in the rowing community, particularly here in the US and Canada, I was shocked to hear of the passing of Ed Winchester, Canadian Olympian and longtime Editor-in-Chief of Rowing News. I had the great pleasure of working directly with Ed for years as a writer for the magazine, and I'm not sure how I can properly express my gratitude, other than to say that when I was a nobody, he

The Oxford and Cambridge Lightweight Boat Races, 2020

2020-03-17T00:18:00.002-07:00

The Lightweight Boat Races, 2020 (Illustration: RR) This year has been, well, a tough one so far. But, if this was to be the only time Oxford and Cambridge matched up against one another on the Tideway in 2020, at least it was a great show. The above race was a historic event for women's lightweight rowing, as it marked the first time the women's lightweight match between Cambridge and

California Challenge Cup 2020 to be Biggest Yet, Cal Men's Rowing Headlining Again

2020-02-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

The 2020 California Challenge Cup will continue a growing tradition, but with modifications to the format that the hosts hope will increase its impact, now and into the future. While the origins of the race (formerly known as the UC Challenge Cup) can be traced back to UC Irvine Men's Rowing founder, Duvall Hecht, the modern incarnation of the regatta has aspirations of scaling to involve every

Inside Cal Rowing: Nick Trojan's New Feature Film on the Golden Bears

2020-02-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last year around this time, USRowing athlete-turned-filmmaker Nick Trojan released his first in a series documenting some of the most storied rowing programs in the country, offering a window into Harvard Crew. Now, he's releasing the second in that series—this one on the program at Cal, where Canadian Olympian and Cal grad Scott Frandsen has taken the reins as head coach. Here, we catch up

ACE Series, Part 12: Putting a Bow On It, But Not Bowing Out

2018-07-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Photo: Hannah Wagner Photography So, as it turned out, I bought a $4,000 teddy bear for my daughter—the price tag said £25 but all the extra lessons added a bit of markup. We lost on Henley Wednesday, for those just checking in. We drew Cork Boat Club in the first round; based on strong results at the Metropolitan Regatta, Cork Regatta, and individual international achievements they were

ACE Series, Part 11: Henley Royal Regatta Begins with a Draw

2018-07-02T10:31:00.003-07:00

Photo: Hannah Wagner The Henley Royal Regatta draw took place Saturday afternoon, in a room with no air conditioning. Fate and the stewards smiled upon some crews, and seemed to laugh at others (Cornell vs. Syracuse in the Temple Challenge Cup on day one—one assumes that had St. Joe’s or Drexel come this year, they’d have gotten Temple first). Not many things in life are decided by a

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 10: The Boys in the Boat

2018-06-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

It's go time (Photo: Hannah Wagner) Being in the right place at the right time doesn't feel so good when it's only because someone else was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That's a circuitous way of saying that your author, the 'super-sub,' is now about to cross the ocean. Not as a spectator, but as a replacement rowing in the big show. The short version is that Spencer blew his back

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 9: The Schuylkill Navy Regatta

2018-06-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

At home with Potomac Boat Club (Photo: PBC/Flickr) I still have nightmares about the East Park Canoe House. Just past the Strawberry Mansion bridge over the Schuylkill River race course, the Spanish Mission-style building, completed in 1914, is where you typically park and launch from at the smaller Philadelphia regattas, like Saturday's Schuylkill Navy Regatta. The end of its first century

The Gladstone Mentality: The Legendary Rowing Coach on Leading Yale to a Second Straight IRA Championship, in His Own Words

2018-06-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Yale on the podium at the 2018 IRA Regatta (Photo © Joel Furtek) He's the winningest coach at the IRA Regatta in the modern era. He's coached multiple world champions and Olympic medalists. And, Steve Gladstone may be the only coach—in any sport—to win national championships with three different schools (four, if you include the 'de facto' titles he won with the Harvard Lightweights across

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 8: The Role of the Super-Sub

2018-06-12T13:02:00.001-07:00

PBC launching at Henley Royal Regatta (Photo: Penelope Wrenn-Jungbluth) Ah, the role of the "super-sub." Since it's more of a footnote to the Sydney win that didn't happen, the men's eight at the world championships in 1999 doesn't get discussed nearly as often as it should—on this side of the pond, at least. The video is riveting (watch it below), and the tensions builds perfectly in

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 7: What's Masters Rowing Really About, Anyway?

2018-06-06T15:49:00.001-07:00

Crushing the erg with PBC (Photo: Hannah Wagner Photography) My first time racing after college was a blowout. We got up at the start and just walked away, a reasonably solid four that had been moving well together and didn’t see much in the competition to worry about. After 1,000 meters, it was over. But like, actually over. The race was only 1,000 meters long. The whole "masters" thing is

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 6: Boarding House Blues

2018-05-30T16:06:00.003-07:00

Training with PBC (Photo: Potomac Boat Club/Flickr) Eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman used to say that tilapia 'thins the skin.' To look truly shredded before a bodybuilding competition, Coleman was saying you need to have a low body-fat percentage and be effectively dehydrated. The low-fat, high-protein, low-water tilapia is a superfood for this purpose. For the same outcome, Mr.

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 5: A Fine Rowing-Work-Life Balance

2018-05-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

Training with PBC at Rivanna Reservoir (Photo: Andrew Neils) Matt Miller, I think about you sitting in class in business school from time to time. Do your classmates know they're sitting next to a guy that pulled a 5:40 2k? Over 10,000 athletes competed at the Rio games, but that 5:40—that's really rarified air (yes, yes, I know about Joshua Dunkley-Smith). And that was in the Rio build-up,

University Rowing: Who's Faster, Washington or Oxford Brookes?

2018-05-21T11:16:00.001-07:00

Washington training on the Montlake Cut (Photo: RR) The 2018 Windermere Cup showcased two of the world's top teams in men's university rowing, and the final did not disappoint. While the Huskies took a lead of roughly a length early on their home course, Brookes never let go. Coming into the last 250 meters, it looked as if Brookes might have the change of speed to just edge Washington, but

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 4: Ergos in the Ballroom

2018-05-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

Potomac Boat Club training on Rivanna Reservoir (Photo: Andrew Neils) Your erg room used to have a piano in it (probably). You realize that there weren't always ergs there, don't you? And if your erg room used to have a piano in it, then somewhere in your boathouse are old black-and-white photos of formal parties in the building (picture the July 4th Ball from The Shining). And if this is

American Club Rowing Experience, Part 3: Rogues, Rivalries, and Traditions

2018-05-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Potomac Boat Club training in Virginia (Photo: Andrew Neils) The Boston Marathon had a long tradition of tolerating "bandits," or runners sneaking into the race, bib-less, without having paid. They had to crack down eventually of course, but I assume it was seen as in keeping with the amateur roots of the event and the local traditions involved—let those lovable rogues have their fun! I

The American Club Rowing Experience, Part 2: What Makes Henley Royal Regatta So Special?

2018-05-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of our series with Potomac Boat Club (Photo: Jordan Sandberg) The following is the second installment of our series on American Club Rowing, with Peter Clements of Potomac Boat Club. Here, Clements discusses what makes Henley Royal Regatta such an important experience for a club, or even elite rower. Why Henley Royal Regatta? Racing at Henley is running the Belmont Stakes, Preakness,

RowingRelated and Potomac Boat Club Present: The American Club Rowing Experience, a Series

2018-04-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

The American Club Rowing Experience (Photo: Lauren Schumer) The following is the first in a new series on the experience of post-collegiate club rowing in the United States, one of the more under-appreciated—and yet perhaps the most historically significant—forms of American rowing. The series will examine a number of different factors, from balancing 'real life' with a rowing career, to

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

2018-04-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

The top 10 best rowing coaches, including guess who (Photo © Iain Weir / Rowing Photography) It's time for the third and final part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. These coaches not only command respect based on performance, but have also shown the ability to adapt to new circumstances, build dynasties, and ultimately help shape the trajectory of

Featured Video: Row360 Editor Benedict Tufnell's Favorite, 'Gold Fever'

2018-03-29T14:57:00.004-07:00

It's an old one, but still so watchable. In August, 2000, the BBC aired a three-part documentary series named Gold Fever on primetime TV in the UK. The episodes followed the British coxless four crew of Steve Redgrave (who had at that point won four consecutive Olympic gold medals), Mathew Pinsent, Tim Foster, and James Cracknell through the highs and lows of four years training in the run-up to

Erg Monster: 8 Questions with World Indoor Rowing Record Holder for 2k, Josh Dunkley-Smith

2018-03-27T10:19:00.002-07:00

JDS in his element (Photo © Tristan Shipsides) Before he decided to pursue a world record off the water, Australian Josh Dunkley-Smith had already earned two Olympic silver medals in one of the slickest crews to grace the rowing course, the Australian men's four—really, an institution in our sport. It's not as though he didn't know he had an engine, but, as he says below, it wasn't until