RR Interview: Fergus Scholes, Publisher of Row360 and Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge Champion

Photo courtesy of Row360
Henley Royal Regatta seemed like the perfect place and time to launch a new rowing magazine, and Row360 Publisher Fergus Scholes did not miss the chance. Scholes, who hatched the idea of creating a global rowing magazine while racing across the ocean last year during the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, has a long history in the sport, having started at the age of 13. His team, the Atlantic Polo Team, crossed the 3,000 mile course from the Canary Islands to Antigua in 48 days and seven minutes, winning their class and finishing second overall. Now, Scholes has embarked on an entirely different kind of challenge, but with the same patience and determination.

RR: What inspired you to create Row360? What separates it from existing rowing journalism, and how do you see it developing over the coming months and years?

Fergus Scholes: I was fortunate enough to row the Atlantic at the beginning of the year. Forty eight days and three thousand miles gives you some time to think a little, and I decided heading back to my regular desk job, where I had been working in finance, just wasn't what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Rowing is a sport I have always loved since starting as a school boy at the age of 13 at Canford, Dorset, and if I could find a way to make a living somehow in this niche, that would be awesome.



We are trying hard to differentiate ourselves from existing rowing magazines, and the feedback we have received makes me believe we are on our way to achieving this. The international focus is particularly important for us, so this is a big differentiator from existing rowing publications. We are working hard on our second issue already, and successive issues, and are looking forward to producing a magazine long into the future.

RR: What inspired the name?

FS: We were originally looking at more conventional names, but I had a little 'eureka' moment with Row360, and we decided to go for it. I like this one because it is unique and removes any ambiguity over identity. The 360 denotes full circle of content in rowing, in particular the global aspect to the content.

RR: What were some of the immediate challenges that presented themselves when trying to build a worldwide print magazine? Can you describe the current process?

FS: Distribution is certainly a a challenge in a worldwide magazine. This is particularly expensive in countries like Australia and New Zealand. So to start with, we have split our printing—some is carried out in the UK, and some in the USA to mitigate some of these prohibitive transportation costs.

RR: Taking a look at the premier issue, what notes did you want to hit to set the tone for the series?

FS: Truly global, fresh and interesting articles with a real quality feel, and loads and loads of content. All 116 pages of issue No. 1 are available for everyone to see online here: http://www.epubxmag.com/t/137003

RR: The contributors and featured athletes include some very impressive and well-known names in the rowing world—how did you go about building such a talented pool of writers from the outset?

FS: The truth is, it was not difficult. We just identified whom we wanted to write for us, and approached them! People in the rowing community are very approachable and enthusiastic about things which benefit the sport.

RR: For those who want to subscribe, what are the best ways to learn more and get in touch with Row360?

FS: Our website at www.row-360.com is now live, and there you can find more information on how to subscribe. Any story ideas or feedback can go to editorial@row-360.com, or my email address is fergus@row-360.com. To get in touch on Twitter, follow us at @row360, or find us on Facebook.

Thanks very much to Fergus for taking the time to do the interview! Having launched the magazine in the U.S. at USRowing Club Nationals, Scholes is now in St. Catharines, Ontario at the 132nd Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. You can read a review of the first issue by our friends at Hear the Boat Sing here.

-RR

Trending posts this month

"I Row Crew" — Rowing in 'The Social Network'

Image
Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b
Read more

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? At Marin Rowing Association, Culture is Key

Image
Hands in after training  My alarm goes off—it’s 4:22am.  It’s been a while since I did this. Immediately, I think back to a college dorm room, rolling out of bed and running down the steps to carpool caravan to Marina Del Rey.  Not this time, though. It’s a Tuesday in late September, and I’m heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Greenbrae, California, where I’ll meet with the Marin Rowing Men’s Masters squad. Fortunately, it’s an unusually warm morning—and when I roll in, the boathouse is already buzzing with activity.  Launch time: 5:10. Heading out into the Bay before dawn The Marin Rowing Association program has both men’s and women’s masters boats competing to win at every event they attend. In the fall, that can only mean one thing: The Head Of The Charles .  The boat that Coach Rodrigo Rodrigues and I spend most of our time with is the Grand Masters eight—average age 60+. But that’s just one of five crews that launched with us that morning. Everyone’s up before 4:30am. So, wh
Read more

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

Image
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.
Read more

Video Of The Week: Holland Beker 2013

Image
This week's video comes to us from the Bosbaan, where the 2013 Holland Beker saw truly elite, international competition over the weekend. Perhaps the most outstanding racing came in the women's single, where the A Final closely mirrored a world championship or Olympic final in recent years—the lineup included two-time Olympic champ Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus, Kim Crow of Australia, New Zealand's Emma Twigg , reigning Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova of the Czech Republic, another two-time Olympic champion (albeit in the women's eight) in Eleanor Logan , and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist (also in the eight) Chantal Achterberg of Holland.  As it turned out, the final was a wire-to-wire victory for Kim Crow, who looks to be on top form and may be the athlete to beat in this event for the foreseeable future, holding off both Karsten and Twigg in the closing stretch, with Knapkova finishing fourth. Elle Logan had another solid race in a great field, finishing just ove
Read more

So, are Naked Rowing Calendars a Thing Now?

Image
Warwick rowers are all in again this year (Photo courtesy of Warwick Boat Club)  The phenomenon started four years ago with the Warwick Rowing men's squad. Then, the following year, the Warwick women's team joined the fray. Now, Newcastle University's men and women are back on the naked calendar train. So, the question is, have rowing and naked calendars become a thing? The above video features the 2014-2015 Warwick women's squad—the third edition of the calendar , and, from the looks of it, the raciest. However, perhaps not so racy as that of the 2014-2015 Warwick men (see below). But raciness aside, all four of these teams have chosen worthy charities and have gone "the full monty" to make sure that those causes have received considerable contributions. The Warwick women contribute to Macmillan Cancer Support —a cause for which Warwick reports it has donated some £5,000. The Warwick men? Sport Allies —a charity that combats homophobia in spor
Read more