RowingRelated

The RowingRelated Top 30 (Photo: Al Ubrickson, courtesy of the Ulbrickson Family Collection) It's time for the second part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. Selecting and ranking these outstanding examples of leadership in the launch is no small task, and, as we said last week, it's not a perfect system—yet. But 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 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. 20. Al Ulbrickson The man, the myth, the legend, who guided The Boys in the Boat to Olympic glory in Berlin at the 1936 Games. Ulbrickson was a special kind of talent, in that he understood—and us...

This week's video comes to us from Kent School Boat Club, and documents their recent Florida training camp, which evidently featured some changeable weather, plenty of hard strokes, and a solid dose of off-the-water banter.

Mike Teti and Cal at Crew Classic, 2013 (Photo: B. Kitch) Talk to former U.S. Olympic rowing coach and current Cal men's head coach Mike Teti about drills, and you'll understand that it's about addressing specific problems in a methodical way. "Instead of saying what are my favorite drills, it's more what do I think the limiting technical factor of a given group is," he explains. "So we'll do a series of exercises that will help fix that problem. That's the approach that I take." He continues: "That said, for specific problems there are certain exercises that I think are really useful. You could say they're favorites [within that context]." The faster the boat class, the more the catch and the front end of the rowing stroke becomes paramount. If you're looking to work on the front end of the stroke, there are a few such favorites that Teti often uses with his crews. 1. Pause at Gunwale Pauses, in general, tap into ...

This week, we're taking a look back to 1979 and the wisdom of Harry Parker , through this training film. The first 45 minutes of the above are shot in Hanover, New Hampshire. Interviewer Bill Stowe —an Olympic champion himself, having rowed on the 1964 Vesper crew that won in Tokyo, and 2011 USRowing Jack Kelly Award winner —spends an afternoon with Parker, during the preliminary phase of training for the U.S. men's eight that summer. Stowe asks thoughtful questions, and Parker gives typically thoughtful answers, as the two discuss workouts and rowing technique, as compared to previous U.S. crews as well as other rowing federations. It also includes raw audio from the launch. The crew shown, from bow to stern, is Bill Purdy, John Biglow, Charlie Altekruse, Mike Hess, Tom Woodman, Otto Stekle, Chip Lubsen, and Bruce Ibbetson, with coxswain Bob Jaugstetter. The last nine minutes of the video come from Parker's 1983 sculling camp on the Charles, with athletes Bruce Beall,...

The original sketch for the RR logo design (Photo: B. Kitch) Amidst the flurry of activity leading up to the 50th Head Of The Charles Regatta , RowingRelated turned four over the weekend. I wanted to take a second to acknowledge that, and say thanks. When I first began this site on October 11, 2010, I had no idea the places it would take me, or how much it would grow—not only has it kept me connected to the sport I love, but, more importantly, it has kept me connected to the people who love rowing. Here are a few things that stood out to us, going back through four years of rowing journalism, banter, and just generally good times: Our first 'picks and predictions' post —from the 2010 Head Of The Charles, no less.  The first interview we ever produced—thanks again to Silas Stafford . Our first-ever series, in six parts: "What Makes the Great Ones Great?" A look back at the first two years at RowingRelated: The time that the Boat Race stopped .   I...

Newell Boathouse (Photo: B. Kitch) The 50th Head Of The Charles Regatta is just a few days away. I find I can't think of that without thinking of Harry Parker , who coached for more than half a century on that very river, and whose name became virtually synonymous with Harvard Crew. Going through some archives recently, I ran across this short audio interview that I did with Parker, when still a very green reporter, just after the 2011 Head Of The Charles—the beginning of his 50th year at the helm. It followed a morning training session on the launch with him, and I was keen to learn more about his experience of change in the sport over his long and decorated career. Listening to it again, I found that it continues to be revelatory and inspiring. I hope you feel the same way, too.

DiSanto (fourth from left) and the Harvard crew (Photo courtesy Mike DiSanto) Last weekend, the 2014 Gallagher Great Race took over the Waikato River, and pitted local favorite Waikato University against a Harvard crew in the men's eight race for the Harry Mahon Memorial Cup. While Harvard managed an early lead, a clash led to an ejection in the Waikato boat; the race was restarted, and following the restart, the hometown crew got the better of the Crimson. Strangely, it wasn't the first time that a Harvard entry had faced a penalty and a restart in the Gallagher Great Race, as, controversially, the race was stopped and restarted in 2007 (that time, the Waikato crew made a successful protest saying that the leading Harvard crew had impeded their progress , resulting in a restart and another Waikato win). Here, Mike DiSanto brings us up to speed on what went down in New Zealand. RR: The last time that Harvard visited for the Gallagher Great Race in 2007, there was a cont...

This week's first video comes to us from Big Red, who are prepping for this weekend's showdown in Worcester to determine the fastest crews in the East. Cornell enters the racing as the fifth-ranked varsity eight in a field that has seen some changes over the last 12 months, with Charley Butt taking the helm at Harvard (No. 2) following the loss of Harry Parker, and Yale making good on early-season potential to claim a No. 1 seed. The top of the field is likely to be very tightly packed, with Brown and Princeton not far off the top two crews—will we see a new heavyweight champion crowned on Lake Quinsigamond?

Without a doubt one of the most influential coaches in the history of our sport, Harry Parker was honored in the most fitting way in August, when members of Crimson crews ranging from the 1960s to the 2000s came together in Boston for the Harry Parker Memorial Row . Olympians like Charlie Hamlin , Tiff Wood , Adam Holland , and Malcolm Howard (among many others) were on hand, spread out among the roughly 50 crews that promenaded down the Charles past Newell Boathouse, where a banner that read simply, "Thank You, Harry," stretched across the building's crimson façade above the boat bay doors. While it marked a sad occasion, the event itself was a tremendous tribute to a legend in his own time, and one whose coaching resume may never be equalled. Our pick for No. 2 moment in rowing this year is coming up tomorrow! You can read more about the Harry Parker Memorial Row and further tributes to the legendary Harvard coach via the official website of the Crimson . -RR

The fall racing season has drawn, in large part, to an end, and as we move into that ' long, dark, tea-time of the soul ' that is winter training, it's time to take a look back at the best performances of ' Michaelmas term .' There has been a great deal of change in collegiate rowing this season, with the passing of legendary coach Harry Parker and the subsequent appointment of long-time Harvard Lightweight coach Charley Butt to the position of Bolles-Parker Head Coach for Harvard Men's Heavyweight Crew , and a host of new talent rising to the intercollegiate ranks after stellar junior careers. The fall also saw a handful of young programs challenging perennial contenders, no shortage of speed at the international level, and the first opportunities for rivals to lock horns (but hopefully not oars) on the water, setting the stage for what will surely be an epic spring season. Let's take a look, shall we?

We're on to the next level of the 2013 RoRys, and there's a great deal to celebrate from the world of intercollegiate rowing this season. It was a season characterized by dynasties further adding to their incredible legacies, as well as of newcomers making a name for themselves at the highest level. And so, after much deliberation, and without further ado, the winners of the 2013 RoRys at the intercollegiate level are... RoRys for Programs of the year University of Washington Men Despite losing one of the best coaches in the collegiate ranks—newly appointed USRowing men's coach Luke McGee—in the middle of the season, the Huskies of Washington showed that they were by no means ready to loosen their vise-grip on the Ten Eyck Trophy. Head coach Mike Callahan and assistant coach Rick Gherst not only stayed the course and pushed their athletes to achieve at the highest level, but also they did it while training new Husky coaches, who stepped up in the absence of McGee. Hav...

Saturday morning marked the Harry Parker Memorial Row in Boston, with crews from the 1960s on through to the 2000s, and names like 1968 Olympian Charlie Hamlin , the ' Rude and Smooth ' crews of the 1970s (for some footage of this group at Red Top in 1971, see this video ), the legendary Tiff Wood , further Olympians Adam Holland , Chris Swan , and Peter Sharis (whose daughter, Elizabeth , has been making quite a name for herself in the junior rowing ranks over the last few years, including back-to-back silver medal finishes at youth nationals in the JW1x), double Olympian Pat Todd , 2005 world champion Michael Blomquist , double Olympic medalist Malcolm Howard , and many, many others worthy of mention.

The final day of this year's Henley Royal Regatta featured some outstanding match-ups, as well as blistering times, as some of the best crews in the world laid it all on the line for those coveted little red boxes. And, as is the case every year at Henley-on-Thames, there were a number of extremely close contests—tremendous battles that saw crews hang on to narrow margins, or walk through early leaders to edge opponents at the line. Let's take a look, shall we? As we expected, the final of the women's single pitted defending Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova against standout Kiwi sculler Emma Twigg . This time, Knapkova, who finished fourth just back of Twigg at the Holland Beker Regatta the previous weekend, walked away to victory—the Czech sculler equaled the course record for the event, despite winning by the verdict, 'Easily.' Quite an impressive result for Knapkova, and one that will no doubt get the attention of Holland Beker champion Kim Crow of Australia...

The Stewards' (Photo: B. Kitch) You've been waiting patiently, and now, they're finally here: our picks and predictions for the 2013 Henley Royal Regatta! The draw is out, and the racing begins tomorrow—here are our thoughts on the top crews to look out for this week on the Thames. Open Events In contrast to the commonly held order of events, we are going to start with the single sculls competitions that look likely to provide some of the highlights of this year’s events.  The adage that ‘styles make fights’ looks appropriate here, as we are lucky to have the fast starting Bozhilov, the smoothness of Julian Bahain from the French M2x, the legendary figure of Luka Spik, the high rating Joe Sullivan from the Olympic Champion NZ M2x—and that is before even mentioning two of the three Olympic medallists from London in the form of Mahe Drysdale and Alan Campbell!  The racing in this event from Friday onwards should not be missed…  The prospective final between Mirka Kna...

Coaching in the rain, October 2011 The above photo is a screenshot from an as yet unpublished short film I've been planning to edit for some time. It comes from a cold, rainy morning in Boston, following the Head Of The Charles in 2011, when Harry Parker and Bill Manning were gracious enough to allow me to ride in the launch during their training sessions. A rain drop obscures the crew in the middle ground, just in front of the port pontoon of the launch. In many ways, this image speaks volumes about the man, and the legend. Already battling illness, Parker was unflinching and, to my eye, seemingly completely unaffected by the cold temperatures and wet weather. Not only that, but the joy that he took in coaching and helping athletes to refine and perfect their craft was, as ever, evident, even on a slow, steady state day recovering from the excitement of the previous weekend. I didn't know Harry Parker well. In fact, I hesitate even to say that I knew him. I might have ...

This week's video comes to us from the U.S. version of the Thames River, which, fittingly, is host to the Harvard-Yale Regatta —America's most venerable intercollegiate competition. The Crimson lead the series by a significant margin, with 95 wins to Yale's 54 in the varsity eight event, and, most notably, Harvard's Harry Parker has been at the helm for some 45 of those victories (his personal record being 44-7 in the event, including victories in 13 of the last 14 seasons). The video includes a bit of history, as commentators Charlie Hamlin (Harvard alum & Olympian in the men's four in 1968) and Andy Card (Yale's varsity lightweight men's coach) provide some background on the coaching and the event. If history's not your thing, you can skip forward to the beginning of the four-mile race at roughly 12:45. Things have been quite hectic over the past few days, with article deadlines to meet for ROWING Magazine —look for a lengthy upcoming featur...

It has been a very tough day in the U.S. The events at the Boston Marathon were shocking to the whole community, and were particularly sensitive for the running and rowing world stateside—so much of rowing's history in the United States is tied to the city of Boston, and so many rowers were involved in one way or another in the marathon today, as they have always been. While the awful events of the day are not to be forgotten, so too must the examples of heroism and camaraderie be remembered—all you need to do is take a closer look at the videos and images from today, and see the number of people running into the devastation , risking their own safety to help others. Reports of Marathon Runners that crossed finish line and continued to run to Mass General Hospital to give blood to victims #PrayforBoston — NBC Sports Network (@NBCSN) April 15, 2013 So, today we're celebrating Boston. The above video, featuring the 2012 Harvard men's varsity eight, is not fancy. It has n...

Cal and Washington at the 2012 Pac-12 Championships (Photo: B. Kitch)  IRA Men 1. Washington Our top pick for 2013 is Washington. The Huskies are stacked, feature an Olympic silver medalist in Conlin McCabe , and recently showed that (despite their relative youth) they are nails, walking away from Cambridge on the Boat Race course (for more on that crew, click here ). At this point in time, UW boasts the best program top to bottom—they are loaded and will be hard to beat in any event. Still, there are new challenges for Washington: the departure of Luke McGee and the new freshman rule may make the frosh event an interesting one this year. 2. California If anyone is going to upset Washington in the varsity eight this year, Cal might just be the one to do it—the Golden Bears have great top-end speed. Led by a strong Serbian talent in Jovan Jovanovic (a sophomore who stroked the eight in the fall and is a Serbian U23 and junior national team member), fellow Serbians Igo...