RowingRelated

Three new videos via Drew Ginn – The Australian men's four, shown training in the video above (yet another beautiful example of Australian rowing technique), took silver in London in one of the most highly anticipated and dramatic finals of the Olympic Regatta – a drama heightened by their performance on the World Cup circuit. If they were nervous, however, it sure didn't show. Given the interviews below, Aussie phenom Drew Ginn might just have a bright future as a sports journo, to back up one of the most impressive rowing resumes in the world. Here, we get a (humorous) inside look at just what it takes to race at the elite level, following the final at the second World Rowing Cup in Lucerne/Luzern, Switzerland. I'm not sure whether James Chapman is a medical man, but he certainly seems to be well aware of the 'Latin' terminology for post-race fatigue. His boat mate, Will Lockwood , also throws around some decent banter, and proves that, even at the elite ...

As we start to think about winter, it's time to enjoy the last few weeks of on-the-water training – while plenty of water is currently headed toward the Eastern Seaboard, as 'Frankenstorm' Sandy arrives (stay safe over there everyone!), the indoor season is nearly upon us. So, here's another great look solid sculling from Rowing New Zealand , once again matched with a bass-heavy, dubstep mix. Plain and simple, this is a bad ass training video. Watch the bodies and legs move together, the hands flow around the turn, and the run of the boat, undisturbed by the recovery as the athletes slide forward to the catch, particularly in the stern pair. And, let it be a reminder for all those about to head indoors – appreciate your time on the water, and be ready to take lessons learned outdoors to your indoor training this winter, further ingraining the right progression into your muscle memory so that you can make a smooth transition back to the water next spring. The Head of...

Keeping an eye on the Charles (Photo: © B. Kitch) The 2012 edition of the Head Of The Charles was up there with the most stacked (in terms of Olympians on the course) and most dramatic (in terms of collisions) regattas to date. As we indicated last week, the field in the women's championship eight event was perhaps deeper than ever, with no less than five boats full of Olympians – the USRowing entry, The Netherlands, Canada, the 'Great Eight' (racing as Cambridge Boat Club), and London Rowing Club (made up of GB athletes). The men's champ eight showcased a Washington crew that has Canadian standout (and 2012 Olympic silver medalist) Conlin McCabe holding down the engine room – the Huskies are, once again, looking like a dominant force in collegiate rowing for the 2012-2013 season. Let's take a look at how our picks turned out in Boston. Women's Champ Single As we predicted, defending champ Gevvie Stone was duking it out with a fellow Olympian for the top...

This week's video comes to us fresh from the Charles 'Rivah,' posted last Friday as Radcliffe's preview for the weekend of racing in Boston. When all was said and done, the Black and White had edged the Canadian women's eight from the 2012 Olympic Games by just over one second to take seventh place overall in the women's championship eight. The 2012 Head Of The Charles was fraught with controversy this year in both the men's and women's champ eight events, which saw both 'Great Eights' fall to domestic crews. In the heavily stacked women's event, USRowing's 2012 Olympic medalist combination edged the Cambridge Boat Club women's 'Great Eight' on a penalty, while the men's champ eight event saw a collision between race leaders Washington and another USRowing crew (with three onboard from the 2012 boat) nearly result in a second-straight victory for Harvard . However, after a thorough review, the penalty that had been ...

Home stretch! (Photo: B. Kitch) The 48th Head Of The Charles is set to begin Saturday in Boston, MA, and it is arguably the best-ever in terms of sheer numbers of Olympians and national team athletes racing and attending the regatta. In addition to a large contingent of U.S. Olympians, there will be athletes from the British, Dutch, Canadian, Slovenian, Norwegian, New Zealand and Australian national rowing federations on hand, among others. Given the huge number of events at the Charles, one must needs be selective in making picks – as usual, opinions to follow! Women's Champ Single We see this as a showdown between local favorite Gevvie Stone (last year's Charles champ), and Olympic champion Mirka Knapkova . While Kim Crow is arguably the best athlete in women's rowing right now, we're wondering if her competitors experience and familiarity with the Charles course will prove too much for Crow this go around. We're also looking for strong performances from...

As we'd hoped, CRC head coach Bernhard Stomporowski has released a video with images and interviews from the California Rowing Club men's eight's experience of the 2012 Red Bull XRow, from Zug to Lucerne, Switzerland. Listening to the interviews, it certainly sounds grueling, but in many ways a great race to kick off fall training, and a complete departure from the norm. Speaking of fall training and racing, the Head Of The Charles kicks off this weekend in Boston, and, as you might have imagined, we're ready to shoot our mouths off about who's going to win. Picks and predictions coming up tomorrow on RR! -RR

This week's video comes to us from Down Under, and features a tour of the new course for the third annual Australian Boat Race – a head-to-head race between Melbourne University and Sydney University Boat Clubs, which alternates between the Yarra and Sydney Harbour – set to take place on November 4, 2012. The rivalry enjoyed by these two universities, and cities, is clear in the video included below, with highlights, interviews, and footage from inside the boats from the first-ever Aussie Boat Race from 2010. This year, the Australian Boat Race will be broadcast for the first time to some 420 million viewers across Southeast Asia, and the crews will feature multiple Olympians and national team members. Thanks very much to Michael of the Organising Committee for getting in touch, and we look forward to seeing how this year's race turns out! (As a former disciple of Paul Reedy , I've got to back MUBC!) Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot u...

Two years ago today, RowingRelated began with a Statement of Purpose . Since that time, we've tried to adhere to those guiding principles and provide the most accurate coverage and informed opinion pieces we can, in an effort to create a resource for rowers and help move our sport forward – and quite a journey it has been. The above video includes clips from interviews, races, travel and other boathouse banter accumulated over that time, and we're looking forward to much, much more. Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way – and a special thanks to the RR Editorial Staff and the RR International Research Department  for all your hard work. Special thanks also goes to everyone at Rowing Magazine for the fantastic opportunity to work together and continue push coverage of the sport to the next level. Whether you're submitting research, written work, or simply reading and enjoying what we're doing, you're helping us to grow, and it is greatly appreci...

This week's video comes to us from Die Schweiz, and features highlights of last weekend's Red Bull XRow – an event that includes 19 kilometers of rowing and 7km of running (all while carrying the boat and oars). As we mentioned previously, a crew from California Rowing Club headed over to compete in the event – though it was their first XRow, the crew performed very well, placing sixth overall in a field of 17. This year, the home team took top honors, successfully defending their title from 2011. The Swiss crew was led by 2012 Olympians Mario Gyr and André Vonarburg , who, along with their teammates, edged two German crews (one of which, the Frankfurter RG Germania All-Stars, included Marcel Hacker ) into second and third place. For more on the event, check out the official website of the Red Bull XRow . Note for RR mobile readers: please follow the link above to view the video. Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelate...

The Zurich City Sprints, which featured 450m races across all boat classes, were a success despite the weather, and another example of FISA's continuing efforts to bring rowing to a wider community. Innovative rowing races in Europe (last year's Golden Blades in St. Petersburg , the Red Bull XRow, and others) and the U.S. (the OG&E NightSprints is a good example) are helping to make the sport more accessible, and the event in Zurich was certainly no exception. The 2012 Red Bull XRow  (watch last year's event here ) is coming up this weekend, and will feature a crew from California Rowing Club that includes multiple athletes with national team experience, stroked by Grand Challenge Cup winner Brandon Shald , with two-time Olympian Olivier Siegelaar in the seven seat. Also making the trip are recent Harvard alum and former team captain Michael DiSanto , and Alan Kush of Virginia's 2011 ACRA champion varsity eight. Good luck to CRC in what looks to be one of th...

USRowing and Rowing Canada Aviron are at a turning point, with both programs in search of coaching and leadership following the Olympic Games. While RCA's issues are more to do with the polarizing effect of Mike Spracklen , USRowing has only itself to blame. In USRowing's case, there appears to be a continuing shift in favor of bureaucracy and away from what makes boats go fast. This is especially troubling considering the comparatively limited budget of USRowing in the international rowing sphere. As most in the rowing community expected, USRowing parted ways with Tim McLaren immediately following the 2012 Olympics. Let's face it – bronze medal at the Games aside (the product of the head coach becoming the men's four coach), it was not a successful Olympic cycle. However, instead of making a new men's head coach priority Number One, USRowing hired Curtis Jordan as the new high performance director. The problem is, USRowing already had a high performance directo...

This week's video comes to us from The Oklahoman's website, NewsOK, and features clips and interviews from around the course during the four-day Oklahoma Regatta Festival, which began on Thursday with the OG&E NightSprints (500m races under the lights) and finished Sunday with the distance races. During the festival, there was a rare public appearance from USRowing CEO Glenn Merry , as well as Harvard alums and 2012 Olympic gold medalists Esther Lofgren , and Caryn Davies , who attended the regatta festival to sign autographs and celebrate the sport. The festival takes full advantage of the Devon Boathouse's event space, which provides a great view of the course as well as ample facilities for the athletes – it's a very cool building, as I found out first hand last season while attending the 2011 regatta (follow the link for a Devon boathouse tour with Henley Grand Challenge Cup champion Ryan Monaghan ). [Note for mobile users: Please follow this link to vie...