RowingRelated

In light of our recent opinion piece on the chatter surrounding USRowing in the wake of Rio's results, there has been a lot of back-and-forth about what 'coaching' means, and about how that relates to the athletes, and the wider culture of a team. While our position in the opinion piece was founded on the idea that the athletes were 'bought in' and executing the program as laid out by the coaches to the best of their abilities, U.S. national team veteran Mike Gennaro believes that some doubts crept in along the way, creating cracks in the team-wide trust that later became rifts.

Looking back on Rio Hard as it may be to believe, the Rio Olympics are now done and dusted. Four years of preparation, four years of early mornings, four years of squeezing in an extra session on your ‘off’ day to help pave the way to the podium. It either worked, or it didn’t. One thing is certain — we’re all better for it. But Rio, in many ways, was a dichotomy—in other words, it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. Here’s what I mean.

What does the future of Olympic rowing look like? As if the Rio Olympics, now less than six months away, didn’t present enough challenges for FISA, it has become increasingly clear that much will change in international rowing after the last medals are awarded at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas.

The Canadian lightweight men's four, training video (Screen capture) This week's featured video comes to us from the Canadian national team, and offers two minutes of pure rowing zen.

The junior women's eight from the Netherlands training on Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Photo courtesy Erik Mus) The World Rowing Junior Championships are set to kick off this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and despite the less-than-ideal water conditions (a situation that is a developing concern for the upcoming Olympic Games as well—of that, more later), the world's best high school rowers are keeping a sunny disposition and gearing up for a week full of racing.

#500daystogo = 500 days to row (Photo: B. Kitch) Today marks 500 days to go until the Rio 2016 Olympics, and the social interwebs are alive with anticipation. That goes for the rowing world, too. Yesterday, Fitness First  (UK) released the below video, featuring 2012 Olympic champion Helen Glover , alongside two of her Team GB peers, 2012 silver medalist swimmer Michael Jamieson and Olympic champion in Taekwando, Jade Jones .

Cristo Redentor, Rio (Illustration: B. Kitch) While there may still be just under two years until the Games begin in Rio, the Canadian and British rowing teams have made the trip already to explore the venue (and, most importantly, take some pretty kick-ass photos of one of the world's most beautiful cities). While they've not been out on the water, even the land training has come with some amazing views. And, what better way to visualize yourself on the start line than to actually go see it, before the main event?

This week's video comes to us thanks to Mike Modlin's YouTube Channel , and gives us an inside look at last weekend's West Coast Fall Speed Order, hosted by California Rowing Club on the Oakland Estuary. The East Coast , Midwest and West Coast Speed Orders are all in the books for 2012, and there were a number of notable new faces in the mix with a view toward Rio 2016, including a healthy number of under-23 veterans looking to make the next step in their international rowing careers. Interestingly, two of the three Speed Orders saw lightweight scullers win the men's heavyweight single, with John Grave s taking East Coast honors, and RR interviewee  Nick Trojan doing work on the West Coast. For complete results from the East Coast , Midwest and West Coast Speed Orders, visit the official website of USRowing. Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated [at] gmail [dot] com, send us your suggestion via Twitter ( twit...

'London Old and New' (Illustration: B. Kitch) We're all going through it–that feeling of post-Olympics blues. There's no denying it, nor can you deny that this was one of the best sporting spectacles of the modern era. Case in point: it was the most-watched sporting event in U.S. history , according to NBC. What was it that made it so great? From a rowing perspective, I have a few thoughts on the matter. Time and Place The sport of rowing, as we know it, has its roots on the Thames, in London. The Doggett's Coat and Badge race, which dates back to 1715, is contested over a 4 mile, 5 furlong course running from London Bridge (not to be confused with Tower Bridge) to Cadogian Pier. The contestants are Thames Watermen, who, before the proliferation of river crossings in London, were the main source of transportation across the Thames. The racing shells? Originally, these were the very boats used to take passengers from one side of the river to the other. Also...