RowingRelated

The 2012 RRoad Trip has come to a close, and while it included very little in the way of rowing, sometimes getting out for a trail run, hiking up a dormant volcano (or two), and sleeping under the stars is just the thing to get you ready for a new season on the water. After heading up to Seattle and camping on the Olympic Peninsula, we wound our way back down through Oregon via Bend, Crater Lake, and Klamath Falls. Crater Lake is truly one of those natural phenomena that must be seen in person to be properly appreciated–the scale is mind-blowing, and the pure azure blue of the water is unmatched in my experience. Also, at an elevation of more than 8,000 feet at the highest point, the hiking available at Crater Lake provides for some sneaky training while on vacation. Check out the gallery of photos above for a look at the trip, and get ready for the 2012-2013 season! Note for RR mobile readers: Apologies that the Flickr photo slideshow doesn't load in our mobile template, bu...

This week's video comes to us from Adam Freeman-Pask , who has put together what is an artistic training montage with the GB lightweight men's four. The video appears to have been shot during the final pre-Olympic training camp in Varese, Italy, where the crew of Peter Chambers , Rob Williams , Richard Chambers , and Chris Bartley put the finishing touches on their preparation before their silver medal performance at Eton Dorney. You can catch more of Adam Freeman-Pask's work, which we have featured here on RR in the past, on his YouTube Channel , where he, like Natalie Dell, has posted a video made up of clips from the athletes' perspective at the London 2012 Closing Ceremony . 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 ( twitter.com/rowingrelated ), or get in touch via our Facebook page . -RR

Cooling down after the heat (Photo: B. Kitch) Following the Games in London, two-time Olympian David Banks of the 2012 U.S. men's eight was kind enough to share his thoughts on this year's team, the racing in Lucerne and Eton, and just what it means to compete at the Olympics. Having begun his rowing career at Stanford, Banks has been involved with the U.S. national team since 2008, where he has consistently been lauded by his peers as the ideal teammate–positive, hard-working, and without complaint–and possesses one of the best power-to-weight ratios on the squad. For now, Banks is reflecting on London, but hasn't ruled out Rio. RR: From the outside, everything I've heard about the athletes in the men's eight is that it was an outstanding group, really supportive of one another–blue-collar, hard workers. How were the team dynamics? David Banks: This group was an amazing group to be apart of and to work with. All nine guys in the boat but also everyone in th...

Our Video Of The Week this week is Natalie Dell's fantastic, behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be an athlete at the 2012 Olympic Games, following her bronze medal performance in the U.S. women's quad (along with Megan Kalmoe, Adrienne Martelli, and Kara Kohler). Not only does the above video give the outside world a peek at what some might call the 'glamorous side' of an Olympic athlete's experience, it also shows Dell's understanding of and appreciation for the opportunities before her. Dell began rowing as a club athlete at Penn State, before earning her stripes in sculling and breaking into the senior national team in 2010, when she took fifth in the quad in Karapiro. Since then, Dell has been on the podium at both the 2011 world championships in Bled (silver) and in Eton Dorney. You can learn more about Natalie on the Facebook fan page dedicated to her. Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelated...

Cross-training for rowing success Every now and then, athletes and coaches write in to RR about particular training issues or goals. And, we're here to answer your questions. Here's a recent example of a question from one of our readers: I'm a personal trainer and have a client I will be working with that is a rower. I will be working specifically with him on running to help increase his endurance for rowing. I certainly want this to complement his rowing and have been researching what training would be beneficial (hill repeats, track work, steps etc). His shortest distance is 2k and longest being a 5k. I would love some suggestions on what running workouts would be the most beneficial. If you have any suggestions or can point me in the direction of material that would be a helpful guide that would be great. I know you are the experts in rowing and would love some advice. Thank you! -M From the RR Editorial Staff:  I would say that in order to have the most success ...

'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...

Whatever your take on FISA's decision to include Niger's Hamadou Djibo Issaka in the 2012 Olympic Rowing Regatta, the move highlighted FISA's continuing efforts to make rowing (and sculling) a more global affair. While the likes of Sir Steve Redgrave publicly criticized the decision , Issaka became a fan favorite at Eton Dorney, receiving some of the largest ovations at the regatta outside of those reserved for athletes representing the home country. In keeping with that sentiment, and as someone interested in the international development of our sport, I couldn't help but find the above video fascinating. Shot at the 2011 African Olympic Qualification Regatta in Alexandria, Egypt, the video shows the A Final of the men's single. The class of this field is clearly Nour El-Din Mohamed of Egypt (listed on the FISA website as Nour El Din Hassanein), who would go on to a 20th place finish in London, while James Fraser-Mackenzie of Zimbabwe, in his first Olympics...

While the Games are ongoing, the rowing came to a close last Saturday, and I've since returned from London following a day or two about town. The experience was both exhausting and extremely gratifying–putting together online coverage and the feature for the Rowing News Olympic edition was a daunting task, but one from which I learned a tremendous amount, and I'm proud of the magazine piece that was the result of eight days at the racecourse in Eton. It was a tremendously successful Olympic Rowing Regatta, featuring one of the deepest fields ever (and very close racing as a result), some fantastic storylines, and a great number of the biggest names in our sport–Ebbesen, Ginn, Karsten, Searle, to name a few–in what may well have been their final Olympic Games. A huge thank you goes to FISA, the organizers, and the volunteers who helped to make it such a spectacle; from the standpoint of both a rowing journo and a fan, it was both impressive and enjoyable. Also, the weather ...

This week's (slightly delayed) video comes to us from The Guardian (UK), with all the drama and action from the men's coxless four final at Eton Dorney, Lego style. Yes, rowing in the United Kingdom is enough of a mainstream sport that it inspires Lego-based reenactments, especially for their flagship crew. From start to finish, this is startlingly accurate, from the hairstyles, to the uniforms, to the eyewear–the one thing I'm not quite sure about is why Andy Triggs Hodge appears to have a pencil mustache. Outside of that, however, it's right on. No mustaches detected. The race was an outstanding battle between Australia and Great Britain–from the bank, it looked like the GB crew's style, while not necessarily as smooth and relaxed as that of the Aussies, translated better to a sprint, and allowed them to simply chuck it all in and race it to the line–the Aussie near-pause at the release, while it is a beautiful, clean style, seemed to hold them back just...

Apologies to RR readers, as I have been so busy putting together content for RowingNews.com , the RN eNewsletter, and the next Rowing News mag that I'm afraid I've been a bit remiss here! Much to report -- here are a few quick hits and impressions from the past few days at Dorney Lake: -The volunteers and London 2012 folks around the course have been fantastic, as have the military on hand for security. To a man (or woman), they have been courteous and cheerful, and the greeters in elevated chairs at the gates have been throwing around some top-notch banter as well. A big thank you from a rowing journo! -The course itself as an Olympic venue is outstanding -- great views of the racing from the grandstands, the two 'jumbo trons' combined with the fantastic overhead camera, and the attendance (there have been 25,000+ spectators there each day) have combined to make for one hell of an Olympic experience! Also, the dulcet tones of FISA's Robert Treharne Jones ha...

Flag outside the venue at Eton Dorney (Photo: B. Kitch) The first day of finals at Eton Dorney was nothing short of amazing, with one of the closest men's eight races on record -- truly one for the ages. Add to that the first ever Olympic gold medal for the GB women's rowing team, a bronze medal for the U.S. women's quad, and two outstanding performances from the US crews in the men's eight and women's pair events, and you've got yourself what might be described as a 'cracking' day at Dorney Lake. On the schedule for today are the finals of the men's double, lightweight men's four, and women's eight -- an event with another winning streak on the line. The Germans showed that they are, indeed, just that much better in the men's eight yesterday, responding to what was a huge challenge from the home team in the final 500m, with the tremendous roar of the grandstand to urge the GB crew toward gold. Having spoken with several members of t...