So what are the origins of the sport and what happens in the world of rowing today?

A Brief History

The development of rowing as a sport
Throughout the 18th and 19th century, rowing regattas became popular as spectator events. By the mid 19th century, many clubs and competitions existed. Races were held for men and women.

1715: The Doggett's Coat and Badge Race, the oldest rowing contest in the world, was first held on the River Thames and has been held annually ever since.
1829: The first University Boat Race was held between Oxford and Cambridge
1839: Henley-on-Thames hosted its first Regatta
1852: The two most famous American universities Yale and Harvard held their first university race
1892: The International Rowing Federation, FISA, was founded
1900: Rowing was formally adopted as an Olympic Sport

Rowing Today

Oarsmen and Crews
In the 19th century crews of 8, 10, or 12 members were popular. In the 20th century crews of 2, 4, or 8 are most common. You can even row on your own in a single scull. Some teams have a coxswain, others don't.

There are eight classes of boat. Five are for sweep-oared rowing (the rower uses one oar), three are for sculling (the rower uses two oars). The classes are:

• Single Sculls
• Double Sculls
• Pair-oars without coxswain
• Pair-oars with coxswain
• Quadruple Sculls
• Four-oars without coxswain
• Four-oars with coxswain
• Eight-oars with coxswain

Oarsmen

Oarsmen are grouped according to age. These are:

• Juniors (men and women)
  A rower or coxswain is classed as a Junior until 31st December of the year in which he reaches the age of 18.
• Seniors B (men and women)
  A rower is classed as Senior B until 31st December of the year in which he reaches the age of 22.
• Seniors A (men and women)
  A rower aged 22 and over.
• Masters (men and women and mixed)
  A rower is classed as a Masters rower from the beginning of the year during which he reaches the age of 27.

In addition to these age categories, a lightweight category for men and women is recognised by FISA (the international governing body). For this, the average weight of a men's crew (excluding coxswain) must not exceed 70 kg. and individual oarsman must not weigh more than 72.5kg.

Competitive Rowing

Races and Events
Competitive rowing events usually take place on rivers or lakes, over a range of distances. Races are held in their own right (such as the University Boat Race) or as part of a larger competition (such as in the Olympics) or in a regatta (a number of rowing events held over several days).

Some traditional races have a set course. For example, the University Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge always takes place on the Thames between Putney and Mortlake. The distance is 4 miles 374 yds (6.779km.) International regattas and competitions have events that are held on standard, straight courses between 1,000 and 2,000 metres but it is not essential that courses are straight. Non-standard courses for sprints may be shorter. Head of the River courses for rowing eights are usually longer.

The longest annual rowing race is the Tour du Lac Leman in Geneva for coxed fours. The five man crew take turns as cox over the 99 miles (160 km) course.

Races and Events for Juniors
For juniors, there are a number of races organised by individual clubs or schools. At national level, the Schools Head of the River on the Thames is a popular event. The course is from Mortlake to Putney (it is the reverse of the Boat Race course).

Other junior events include the National Championships, the National Schools Regatta and the World Junior Rowing Championships.

Regattas
A regatta is a sporting event consisting of a number of boat races. There are regattas at local, national, international and Olympic level.

Officials

Officials at an event include:

• the starter of the races
• the judge at the start, who makes sure it a fair start
• an umpire during the course of the race
• judges at the finish, one of whom is the senior judge

Winners

The winner in a race is the oarsman whose bow is first to cross the finish line, provided the boats start in line with each other. In other races, the judge checks the time taken by each crew (or single scull) to cover the course, to make sure the winner and runners up are placed in the proper order.

Governing Bodies
The Amateur Rowing Association of Great Britain is the governing body for the sport in the UK with more than 500 affiliated clubs. The ARA run a Proficiency Award Scheme for young rowers in Watermanship Skills. Some of the components for the scheme can be done outside on the water, but some can be done inside during the winter on indoor rowing machines with flywheels. [See Get Started: Clubs for more details]

FISA is responsible for the sport at international level. 103 national associations and federations are affiliated to FISA.
[For addresses of the governing bodies see Information: Organisations]