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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 rowing as a sport. Honestly, it would be easy to extend this series into 10 more posts... But we wouldn't do that to you. As we've said before, the hope is that the following may serve to educate and spark discussion, as both an appreciation of history and of the coaching craft. Also note: As we stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, there are few women in this list, but that is a reflection of a general underrepresentation of women in the head coaching ranks in our sport—and indeed (as has been well documented ) a growing number of NCAA sports in the United States. ...

Germany races Great Britain for the Grand Challenge Cup (Screen capture) This week's video comes to us from the banks of the Thames River, and looks back at the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta last July.

The issues facing refugees across Europe are staggering. Political unrest and war have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, seeking safety for themselves and for their families. That's why this small group of student rowers at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany is trying to make a big difference.

The men's sweep Great Eight training on the Charles (Photo: Sean Wolf) With the 50th Head Of The Charles Regatta looming ever larger on the horizon, the athletes and coaches have already begun to show up and start preparing for the main event. Earlier today, resident Charles' expert Sean Wolf of Rowing Illustrated captured several photos of the men's sweepers Great Eight—a crew that we highlighted in our Champ Eight piece recently, and which consists of Joshua Dunkley-Smith (AUS), Olivier Siegelaar (NED), Hamish Bond (NZL), Richard Schmidt (GER), Conlin McCabe (CAN), Henrik Rummel (USA), Francesco Fossi (ITA), and Jacob Barsoe (DEN), with Jack Carlson (USA) at coxswain. Looking at the photo, it appears that the above lineup has stuck, for now at least. Let the pre-race banter continue!

This week's video ought to get you ready for racing—the newly launched Rowing Champions League takes the sport to the heart of Berlin on the River Spree, where crews battle it out over a short 350m course in tournament fashion. The event featured an impressive list of international entries, with teams from 10 European nations participating (and Olympians in the midst of the action—check out London 2012 gold medalist Kristof Wilke sitting in the four seat of the Crefelder Rowing Club eight at 1:36 ). While it may be the polar opposite of the long (and often winding) head racing season, what it lacks in slow-twitch muscle fibers it makes up for in raw intensity. And, you can learn more about the physics of the event thanks to this post from Rowing in Motion —a rowing telemetry system that was on board with the winning crew. And there was much jubilation. To the winner go the spoils (Photo courtesy of Rowing Champions League) Have a submission for 'Video Of The Week?...

This week's video comes to us courtesy of the Long Beach Junior men's squad, and details their training leading up to their victory in the eight at the 2014 USRowing youth national championships. Despite winning both the heavyweight four and pair at Southwest Regionals, the LBJC coaching staff and athletes elected to bring the eight (which had finished a distant third in their region, some nine seconds off the pace). Evidently, they were onto something. From the get-go at nationals, it was clear that LBJC had found an extra gear in the eight, posting one of the fastest times of the regatta in the heat (and this with a 10-second lead and no need to push). (For a complete recap from the 2014 youth national championships, plus race video clips, see our race coverage here .) Now, LBJC athletes Luke Khoury and Allen Reitz are representing the U.S. in the JM2- in Hamburg, while Izak Epstein is racing in the JM4-. The junior men's pair has a field of 26 crews and a very hi...

December 2012 issue of Rowing Magazine With midsummer approaching Down Under, a wave of retirements in the international rowing community has already drastically changed the landscape for the 2013 season, with the most recent announcement coming from Rowing Australia: four-time Olympic medalist Drew Ginn has decided to trade in his oar for a megaphone , and will be taking on a new role as joint head coach of the Aussie national team, alongside long-time coach Chris O'Brien . Not long ago, Kiwi Olympic bronze medalist Juliette Haigh announced her retirement from international rowing, as did Kiwi Matthew Trott , and it appears that Mahé Drysdale may be on the verge of calling it quits as well, after winning his first Olympic gold medal in London. Here in the U.S., Luke McGee and Bryan Volpenhein will be the new duo in charge of the U.S. men's team, as we've already discussed , while the DRV (Deutscher Ruderverband) will have to move on without the architect of their...

Today marks the final day of the 2012 RoRys, and the time to celebrate the best performances and most outstanding athletes on the international rowing circuit in an Olympic year. It was a fantastic Olympic Rowing Regatta–indeed, given the amount of history that was made and records that were broken, it may have been the best one to date. And so, without further ado, we present to you the 2012 RoRy winners at the elite level: RoRy for 'Programme' of the Year Great Britain, Jurgen Grobler, David Tanner Last year's winners, and deserving winners in 2012, the home team at the London Olympics performed better than any GB Olympic Rowing Team in history, collecting nine medals in total, four of them gold. With the likes of Heather Stanning and Helen Glover in the women's pair, Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins in the double, an excellent lightweight program (indeed, all GB lightweight boats scored silver or better at Eton Dorney), and a heavyweight showdown in the me...

Flag outside the venue at Eton Dorney (Photo: B. Kitch) The first day of finals at Eton Dorney was nothing short of amazing, with one of the closest men's eight races on record -- truly one for the ages. Add to that the first ever Olympic gold medal for the GB women's rowing team, a bronze medal for the U.S. women's quad, and two outstanding performances from the US crews in the men's eight and women's pair events, and you've got yourself what might be described as a 'cracking' day at Dorney Lake. On the schedule for today are the finals of the men's double, lightweight men's four, and women's eight -- an event with another winning streak on the line. The Germans showed that they are, indeed, just that much better in the men's eight yesterday, responding to what was a huge challenge from the home team in the final 500m, with the tremendous roar of the grandstand to urge the GB crew toward gold. Having spoken with several members of t...

The German men's eight has been nothing short of dominant for the past four years–controlled, smooth, and efficient, the crew has set the standard for speed since Beijing. That winning streak will see its greatest challenge at Eton-Dorney this week and the next, as the DRV (Deutscher Ruderverband) look to put an exclamation point on an outstanding quadrennium. Can anyone beat them? If anyone's going to do it, then the challenger will have to match the speed of the German eight in the second 500m. Obviously, the Germans know how to get off the line–they've gone wire-to-wire a number of times over the past four years en route to victory, often posting times faster than 1:20 in the first 500m. But, looking over the data from the past three seasons, as well as the World Rowing Cups this year, it's more often the second 500m where they stake their claim and build their margin over the field. The fact is, everyone has a slower second 500m than first 500m, but the differen...

The 2012 C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints took place yesterday in Boston, with a number of international rowers turning in podium-topping performances. So, indeed, what better time than now to talk about the erg? The German men's eight has a series of videos entitled, Deutschlandachter: Unser Weg Nach London (Our Journey to London) on the Rudern TV YouTube Channel , and the most recent chapter (embedded above), covers some aspects of winter training. It helps to know a bit of German, but the video is interesting from a purely rowing perspective as well, allowing a rare glimpse at splits during a steady state workout, and showing the consistent technical approach that characterizes this generation of German rowing (with upright posture at the release, and a relaxed rotation out of bow followed by a uniform slide–stylistically it looks quite similar to that of the new-look Australian men's four ). Want to suggest the next 'Video of the Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated ...