Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Where RIT Crew Began
RIT crew is still a fairly new team. Founded in 1993 by Jim Bodenstedt and a group of dedicated individuals. A crew is probably the most expensive team to put together. You need a boat, enough oars, enough rowers, a coxswain, and a coach. Of course a place to put the boat and oars is preferable. And usually you need a dock, or some shallow still water. And don't forget a motorized boat for the coach. There are a lot of expenses as you can see. But the dedicated individuals that started the RIT crew raised the money. They went out every weekend on Sunday, after all the parties, and collected cans. Most of the time the owners of the cans were too hung over to realize they were being robbed of their trash. This went on for months, load after load of smelly cans in the back of Jim Bodenstedt's little Subaru, until they had enough money to buy a boat. It wasn't the best boat. It was another team's used boat that they were getting rid of, but it was a boat. It was properly named the 5 Cent Return. The "Return" as it is called today buy the team is the heaviest boat RIT owns. It is never used for races anymore, because they have better faster boats. But every year in the fall Jim takes the novice rowers out in the Return. It has a wide hull making it easy to balance or set in the water. It is a "clunker". A boat that way too old to be used for anything other than practice. But its sentimental value to RIT crew makes it irreplaceable. Today RIT crew is one of the most competitive teams in New York. Proving so this year by having their two women's boats win, their varsity men get third, and novice men place fourth at the New York State Championships.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Christmas Carols with Rowing Lyrics
Jingle Bells
Running through the streets, getting a workout in
We train hard during break, because we want to win;
Fans on ergos sing, making spirits bright
O what fun it is to ride and sing an erging song tonight.
Chorus
Jingle bells, jingle bells, sweating all the way!
Oh what fun it is to pull an ergpiece every day!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, sweating all the way!
Oh what fun is to pull an erg piece every day!
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Weigh nuff now merry gentlemen let your shells all run
We've finished all our seat races, I still don't know who won
At an even dozen now, I guess our workouts done
oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy....
We Three Kings
We three kids from Prep school are
trying to tie a pair on a car
ropes all knotted randomly clotted
we aren't going very far
Oh Oh..
stern goes leftward, bow goes right
car goes straight with all it's might
portside leaning, different meaning
gives the coach an awful fright
Various authors from Row2k
Running through the streets, getting a workout in
We train hard during break, because we want to win;
Fans on ergos sing, making spirits bright
O what fun it is to ride and sing an erging song tonight.
Chorus
Jingle bells, jingle bells, sweating all the way!
Oh what fun it is to pull an ergpiece every day!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, sweating all the way!
Oh what fun is to pull an erg piece every day!
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Weigh nuff now merry gentlemen let your shells all run
We've finished all our seat races, I still don't know who won
At an even dozen now, I guess our workouts done
oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy....
We Three Kings
We three kids from Prep school are
trying to tie a pair on a car
ropes all knotted randomly clotted
we aren't going very far
Oh Oh..
stern goes leftward, bow goes right
car goes straight with all it's might
portside leaning, different meaning
gives the coach an awful fright
Various authors from Row2k
If Your Rowing in Texas While Dick Cheny is Hunting What Boat Should You Row?
1. An Empacher - bright yellow so Dick Cheney doesn't shoot you.
2. A Resolute - sleek black carbon fiber so that if Dick Cheney shoots you, he'll think it's classified and keep it a secret.
3. A Hudson - so that if Dick Cheney shoots you, he can claim you were on Canadian property and detain you at Guantanamo till after the election.
4. A WinTech - since the new models have self-bailers and Dick Cheney seems to have a problem with leaks.
:-) all in good fun. This is how the brain entertains itself during a 25K erg piece.
Anybody have any others they want to post?
Marc Monplaisir
Nereid Boat Club, USA
2. A Resolute - sleek black carbon fiber so that if Dick Cheney shoots you, he'll think it's classified and keep it a secret.
3. A Hudson - so that if Dick Cheney shoots you, he can claim you were on Canadian property and detain you at Guantanamo till after the election.
4. A WinTech - since the new models have self-bailers and Dick Cheney seems to have a problem with leaks.
:-) all in good fun. This is how the brain entertains itself during a 25K erg piece.
Anybody have any others they want to post?
Marc Monplaisir
Nereid Boat Club, USA
10 Reasons Why Rowing is Better than Sex
Rowers are fond of many various t-shirts sayings. Changing slogans like Dunkin' Doughnuts to Funkin' Rownuts and IHop to IRow. One very popular t-shirt lists the top ten reasons why rowing is better than sex. And here they are:
10. You can row with minors and not get arrested
9. You don’t have to worry about where your oar has been before
8. Two words “Cox Box”
7. You can row with up to seven people at a time
6. Your oar will never give you an S.T.D. (except crabs)
5. Female rowers give Head races a new name
4. Let’s face it, it’s hot
3. In rowing there is a coach to tell you what you did wrong
2. After a good hard row everyone is satisfied
1. In rowing the catch is aggressive, the hands are quick, the slide smooth, the drive powerful, and the oar is always hard.
10. You can row with minors and not get arrested
9. You don’t have to worry about where your oar has been before
8. Two words “Cox Box”
7. You can row with up to seven people at a time
6. Your oar will never give you an S.T.D. (except crabs)
5. Female rowers give Head races a new name
4. Let’s face it, it’s hot
3. In rowing there is a coach to tell you what you did wrong
2. After a good hard row everyone is satisfied
1. In rowing the catch is aggressive, the hands are quick, the slide smooth, the drive powerful, and the oar is always hard.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Rowing Terms
I understand that rowing terms are not universal. Crabs to most of the world are an animal, and to a rower they are totally different. Below is a glossary of rowing terms.
Beat: Number of strokes per minute
Blade: Flat surface of the oar, usually painted with the schools colors
Bow: Forward section of the shell
Catch: Point of the stroke where the oar enters the water.
Coxswain: Member on the team that sits stationary facing forward. The coxswain steers the boat, calls the beat, and plans the race. Usually a small person around 120lbs.
Crab: Upsetting action caused by the blade turning in the water making it difficult or impossible to remove from the water. Can hit the oarsman in the chest or face causing them to be ejected from the boat.
Drive: Part of the stroke between the catch and release when the rower is applying pressure against the oar.
Feathering: Turning the blade parallel to the water during the recovery, cuts down on the air resistance.
Finish: The last part of the stroke before the blade is released from the water.
Keel: Center line of the shell running from bow to stern.
Missing Water: Faulty catch when the oar is not fully set under water.
Racing Start: First few strokes of a race. Usually short and fast.
Beat: Number of strokes per minute
Blade: Flat surface of the oar, usually painted with the schools colors
Bow: Forward section of the shell
Catch: Point of the stroke where the oar enters the water.
Coxswain: Member on the team that sits stationary facing forward. The coxswain steers the boat, calls the beat, and plans the race. Usually a small person around 120lbs.
Crab: Upsetting action caused by the blade turning in the water making it difficult or impossible to remove from the water. Can hit the oarsman in the chest or face causing them to be ejected from the boat.
Drive: Part of the stroke between the catch and release when the rower is applying pressure against the oar.
Feathering: Turning the blade parallel to the water during the recovery, cuts down on the air resistance.
Finish: The last part of the stroke before the blade is released from the water.
Keel: Center line of the shell running from bow to stern.
Missing Water: Faulty catch when the oar is not fully set under water.
Racing Start: First few strokes of a race. Usually short and fast.
