#RowersWakeUpEarly Photo Contest: The 20 Finalists and Overall Winner Announced
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#rowerswakeupearly Instagram contest
Thanks to everyone who submitted photos to our Instagram contest! We were blown away by the quality of the submissions from all over the world, and we struggled to narrow them down to a final 20, with our overall winner to become the RR Facebook cover photo for the month of April. Selection criteria included overall composition and image quality (resolution). And so, without further ado, the finalists are...
A photo posted by Scott Del Vecchio (@scottdelvecchio) on
Congrats to all the finalists, and thank you so much for all your submissions! This was the toughest contest yet for us to judge—there are some very fine rowing photographers out there—and we feel lucky to get a chance to enjoy your work. Stay tuned for more Instagram contests in the near future, and in the meantime, we recommend taking a look through the hashtag #rowerswakeupearly—you'll see why we had such a difficult time narrowing it down!
Matt Miller (right) training with the U.S. men's eight (Screen capture) World Rowing Cup II is just around the corner, and the U.S. men's eight is gearing up to head over to Europe for their first international competition of this pre-Olympic year. And, thanks to the work of Mike Gennaro and Matt Miller , we've got an inside (read: banter-laden) look at just who these guys are donning the red, white, and blue in the big boat this season.
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 full-body training experience from water to land. Today, with immersive workout experiences available through streaming platforms and integrated displays, the gap between indoor rowing and on-water training has narrowed substantially. Of course, it's never going to be a 1:1 feeling from the dock to the boat, and rowers (typically with not-great ergs) are apt to point out that "ergs don't float." But the value of rowing machines for fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and beginners alike is undeniable. Table of Contents: Essential Rowing Machine Benefits Lesser-Known Rowing Machine Benefits How to Incorporate Rowing Into Your Fitness Routine Best Rowing Machines for Home Use (2026) Rowing Machine Workouts by Fitness Level Frequently Asked Ques...
Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b...
Obvious, right? As we get into the swing of winter training, we begin the the most grueling period of preparation as we aim to peak in late in the spring, or early summer. Lots of mileage must be logged in order to build the aerobic foundation that will allow us go as fast as possible during the racing season. In the midst of all this, it is acceptable, and even good, to appreciate the difficulty of the work that you are doing and to understand the commitment and drive it takes to succeed as an athlete. But don't be captain obvious. Everyone knows it's hard . We don't have to constantly talk about how hard it is. This includes talking to teammates as well as your inner monologue. The more negative we become regarding what is simply the required level of training to succeed in our sport, the more it is going to make that training difficult to accomplish. I believe there can be a significant benefit to treating the 'daily training grind' as no big deal—just doi...
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 Rowing Men’s Masters squad. Fortunately, it’s an unusually warm morning—and when I roll in, the boathouse is already buzzing with activity. Launch time: 5:10. Heading out into the Bay before dawn The Marin Rowing Association program has both men’s and women’s masters boats competing to win at every event they attend. In the fall, that can only mean one thing: The Head Of The Charles . The boat that Coach Rodrigo Rodrigues and I spend most of our time with is the Grand Masters eight—average age 60+. But that’s just one of five crews that launched with us that morning. Everyone’s ...