RowingRelated

While we're anticipating another good weekend of racing, with data from the Head Of The Charles, the Head of the Schuylkill, and the Princeton Chase already available for rowing hot stove discussions, it's nearly time to get serious again. But before we do that, we'd be remiss if we didn't celebrate some of the best rowing Halloween costumes of the 2013 season. And, never short on banter, Mike Gennaro and his fellow teammates on the U.S. squad brought their A-game to Lake Carnegie this morning. That @Mike_Gennaro is such a hot dog. #Halloween pic.twitter.com/dmN8MKDzXv — Erik Dresser (@erikdresser) October 31, 2013 While Gennaro may be the first-ever hot dog to do pieces in a pair, Grant James was keeping things in order in the bow, though the rowing was a bit, robotic (sorry).

This week's double-feature is thanks to your submissions, and showcases two equally well executed, yet totally different approaches to the recruiting video. In fact, I hesitate to use the term recruiting video, lest it cheapen the efforts of the filmmakers here—from the variety of shots, to the careful editing, to the clear narrative that each video follows, these films are fine pieces of work. In the above video, Chris Mare introduces us to Sagamore Rowing Association in a piece that gives an impression of the variety of boat classes, the skill and technique involved, and the natural beauty of rowing and sculling, all without a single spoken word. Our second feature comes from Julien Rodier and the University of Vermont , where we are shown the full arc of a season of training in seven minutes, thoughtfully narrated and capped off with a great line: "We have our own lives, our own aspirations, our own goals. But when we get in that boat, we are one—one life, one aspira...

Last weekend in Boston saw many records fall, and new stars rise. Indeed, as pointed out by World Rowing , ideal weather conditions and tremendous talent came together to produce no fewer than 20 new course records. Also, given the proliferation of digital video cameras on the water, it was perhaps the most well-documented race in the 49-year history of the event (see above—and thanks to Phil Hoyle of Potomac Boat Club for submitting what is likely the first-ever 'five-seat view' Charles race video). The competition was heavily laden with international stars in our sport, and the men's championship single event was a prime example, featuring newly crowned world champions Kjetil Borch and Nils Jakob Hoff of Norway, defending Olympic champion Mahe Drysdale , U.S. Olympian Tom Paradiso , and several U.S. athletes recently returned from sculling events in Chungju in the form of  John Graves , Ben Dann , and Willy Cowles . Not only did Borch repeat as champion, he crushed ...

The 2013 Head Of The Charles is in the books, and the 49th edition of rowing's 'Fall Classic' had all the drama, close finishes, and great racing that so characterize the event. A great deal of international talent was on display throughout the weekend, with the above crew from Michigan—stroked by 2012 U.S. Olympian Tom Peszek —taking fourth place in the men's alumni eight on Saturday afternoon, just three seconds back of a Cambridge alumni crew (Crabtree) stroked by double Olympic gold medalist Tom James of Great Britain. The Michigan crew donned special uniforms, designed by the late Bill Schnittman , in honor of their fallen Wolverine teammate. The championship events were, as usual, loaded—we'll take a closer look at our favorite moments from the 2013 Charles later this week. In the meantime, you can get caught up on all the action in Boston , and view complete regatta results , via the official website of the Head Of The Charles. Also on tap are more of yo...

Wolf racing the Head Of The Charles (Photo courtesy Igor Belakovskiy ) The Head Of The Charles is looming ever larger this weekend, and the rowing world has already begun to descend upon Boston. The Charles is a fantastic, fun race, and a challenging course. Here, we check in with friend of RR Sean Wolf of Riverside Boat Club and Rowing Illustrated —a man who has spent many morning and evening flying down that famous stretch of river—about what he feels are the most difficult turns on the course, and how to approach them. RR: I’m not calling you old, but you’re one of the ‘venerable’ (old) Charles competitors, so it seemed only right to check in with you on what you feel is the most difficult turn at the Head Of The Charles, and how to handle it. Sean Wolf: [Laughs] It’s a good question. Everyone talks about [John W.]   Weeks Bridge —I always stress to people that it’s not so much about messing up as you begin the turn, it’s how you recover from a mistake. Sometimes peopl...

It's Charles week! In honor of that most famous parade through the heart of Boston, we're taking a look at the hard work that it takes to get there. Maritime Rowing Club's men's masters crew is entered in the men's club eight event for Saturday afternoon, and features 2009 USRowing U23 national teamer Nate Kelly (formerly of Trinity College) in the stroke seat, and former junior and U23 national team oarsman Brendan McEwan (a Georgetown alum) in the six seat. Not only does the above video involve some nifty editing and camera work, it sums of the kind of fall training that every crew headed to Cambridge this weekend will have done in preparation for the biggest rowing event in the U.S. For more information on the Head Of The Charles —now just a few short days away—visit their official website, and for entries and schedules, head over to RegattaCentral . Over the past few days, we've received some pretty outstanding rowing recruiting videos from you, our b...

Thanks to your submissions, we've pieced together the above erg(o) training mix to get you ready to tackle your 10k steady state, interval training, or whatever your assignment may be in style. It's bass-heavy and electronic, adding an element of rhythm. Also, we've left just a little more room for additions, in case there's a favorite of yours that you don't already see included.  While we can discuss the problems and benefits of having music during training (having trained with coaches on both sides of that fence), we hope you enjoy it, and use it (or not) as you see fit.  And yes, we just made you a mixtape.  -RR

The Gauchos have stepped up their game. The 2013 spring season was one for the record books at UCSB, winning the Cal Cup at San Diego Crew Classic , as well as an ACRA victory in the men's lightweight varsity four, while the women's varsity eight took second behind Grand Valley State at ACRAs. The above video is their 2013-2014 recruiting video, and clearly they've gone the extra mile here, too—nicely edited to match the soundtrack, and a variety of camera angles on the water, land training, and a whole montage of coxswain tosses. Hey, it was that kind of season. Last year, we ran our first-ever RRecruiting Video Contest , and we counted down our top five entries en route to crowning an overall winner. While most varsity programs have year-round recruiting programs and a host of resources dedicated to that purpose, the club system renews its search for the next Seth Weil , or Amy Fuller Kearney (herself a former UCSB rower), or Bryan Volpenhein . Have you been puttin...

The above feature comes to us from the prolific rowing filmmaker, Mike Nicholson , and is the latest in a series of rowing documentaries that Nicholson has out together detailing the sport's past and present. Here, finally, we not only get a sense for the other athletes and for the regatta itself, but also for Nicholson's own background—a life that has been closely tied to rowing from an early age. And, to the delight of rowing enthusiasts and historians alike, his passion for filming and documenting our sport goes back almost as far. Even better—his work is posted to his YouTube Channel , available to all for free. Here, we catch up with Mike on his personal background in rowing and as a filmmaker.

Seth Weil had a phenomenal year. Having begun his career as a club oarsman at the University of California, Davis, under head coach Sam Sweitzer , Weil began training in the single shortly after finishing his intercollegiate career, first at his old program, then at GMS , and finally under the tutelage of Carlos Dinares . Then, following roughly a year of training at Lake Samish, an opportunity to attend a training camp at Chula Vista with the U.S. national team arose. Weil immediately made an impression, despite not having rowed as a sweep oarsman in some time, and began to rise through the ranks. With pair partner Henrik Rummel , Weil won the NSR I, and from there earned a seat in what had been deemed the top priority crew for the U.S.: the men's four. Lucerne was the site of the third World Rowing Cup this season, and Weil and the U.S. men's four immediately made an impression , winning the heat and setting themselves up as probable favorites to take gold in the final. An...