RowingRelated

2013-03 Boat Race Selection - Images by Iain Weir The 2013 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was everything that the Boat Race should be—hard fought, closely contested, and fairly won. Oxford , led by two-time Olympic medalist Malcolm Howard at stroke, showed that they had the grit and determination to gut out a close race despite being heavy favorites, which is a testament to their mental toughness. While the focus is always on the winning crew, Cambridge showed equal tenacity, if not boat speed, on the Tideway today, and a real star emerged from the Light Blue crew. His name? Henry Fieldman . The Oxford start was, as widely predicted, very good, and saw the Dark Blues have an almost immediate advantage. However, the same crafty coxing that saw his GB crew to victory at the E.ON Hanse Cup in 2010 were in evidence early and often, as Fieldman steered a brilliant line through Hammersmith, tucking into the Oxford blades just slightly and disrupting them just enough to keep his CUB...

As if you weren't already foaming at the mouth with anticipation for the 2013  Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race this weekend, we've got two videos from the other side of the Irish sea to further whet your appetite. The Dublin Boat Races are Ireland's take on the Oxbridge event, matching University College Dublin against arch rival  Trinity College on the Liffey. The 2013 event saw the favorites from UCD make good on their potential, winning both the varsity men's event (the Gannon Cup ), and the varsity women's race (the Corcoran Cup ), defending their 2012 titles in both cases. Not only do the crews deserve kudos for two hard fought match races, but the filmmaker, Markus Schröder , has earned himself some recognition as well—clearly, you risked life and limb to shoot these videos, and for that, Markus, we salute you! It might not be the cinematographic equivalent of Steven Spielberg, but it gives a fantastic sense for being there along the crowded banks, fo...

This week's (admittedly a bit silly, but certainly very appropriate) video comes to us from Merrie Englande, where the Henley Boat Races are in the books, and the Oxford and Cambridge Men's Boat Race is set to take over the Tideway this Sunday. The video gives us a bit of a humorous, inside look at the Boat Race Gala Dinner, which took place on 21 March and saw friendly Boat Race and Olympic rivals rubbing elbows at the London Film Museum. The Henley Boat Races (comprised of the Oxbridge Women's and Lightweight Boat Races), while traditionally held on the same stretch of the Thames as Henley Royal Regatta, were transferred to Eton Dorney last weekend due to rough weather—and the results were convincingly Dark Blue . In fact, Oxford swept four of four varsity events over Cambridge this year (for a full rundown of the events at Dorney, see here .) And, unfortunately for Cambridge, we see that trend continuing this coming weekend—our pick for the 2013 Boat Race is Oxford...

Australia's Kim Crow might just be the best athlete in women's rowing, coming off an Olympiad with two trips to the podium, and now adding another Australian national title in the women's open single to her outstanding rowing resume. Fittingly, Part 9 (above) of Mike Nicholson's newest film, ' School for Sculling ,' is dedicated to Crow, who entered the racing in Sydney battling some physical issues that have kept her away from her regular training and racing regime, but who still got it done against a very talented field (including U.S. double Olympic champion Elle Logan , who finished just under three seconds back of Crow in second place). The racing at the first World Rowing Cup of 2013 kicks off on Friday morning at 8am Sydney local time, and the strongest squads are likely to be very familiar from the 2012 Olympic Games, with a great deal of the international talent focused on the women's side. Team GB will be looking to get the Road to Rio sta...

This week's video comes to us from none other than Bernhard Stomporowski at California Rowing Club , and features an inside look at CRC's visit to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California a short while ago. The U.S. men's eight is on the scene in Sydney and gearing up for the first World Rowing Cup of the season as we speak, with the events at the greater 2013 Sydney International Rowing Regatta already underway. Stroked by 2011 U23 gold medalist Mike Gennaro (formerly of Syracuse), the eight also includes several members of the 2012 Olympic crew, in the form of Steve Kasprzyk , David Banks , and Grant James , while another Olympian, Tom Peszek of the 2012 U.S. men's pair, is holding it down in seven seat to begin the new quadrennium. As we've come to expect from Bernhard's videos, there's a healthy bit of humor thrown into the mix, starting with the title.... (Also, well done to 2012 USRowing national champ in the M1x  Matt Brown on t...

In keeping with our Aussie theme this week, the above is a newly published video of a piece between the Australian men's quad and men's lightweight four (both of them 2011 world champions) filmed at Lake Varese in Italy prior to the 2012 Olympic Games. There's nothing fancy about this one—no music, no nifty camera work. This one is about excellent rowing and sculling, plain and simple. Athletes and coaches alike can benefit from watching these crews duke it out, from the uniformity of movement, to the blade work, to the posture & acceleration—this is elite-level stuff (and just the thing to get us in the mood for the first World Rowing Cup of the season). At Eton Dorney, the quad above took bronze, while the lightweights finished a very close fourth. You can learn more Australian M4x bow seat Chris Morgan in his recent FISA interview  (part of their Down Under series), and check out the crews that will be competing at the Sydney World Rowing Cup in FISA's offi...

The eyes of the rowing world have been fixed on Sydney for some time now, with the recent Australian Youth Olympic Festival Rowing Regatta setting the stage for the 2013 Sydney International Rowing Regatta next week. Not long ago, we published a video detailing the GB squad's view of the AYOF 2013 experience, and now we've got a slightly different take—the above training and racing video gives us an inside look at the team from  South Australia  (remember: the Aussies competed as states at the AYOF regatta), with some fancy editing and a hard-hitting soundtrack that is sure to get you pumped up for the next round of international racing Down Under. The SA boys did quite well too, medaling in no less than four events, including golds in the eight and quad. Penrith course (Photo: © Tom Dethlefs ) The athletes in the U.S. men's eight have arrived on the scene in Sydney, and are already tweeting up a storm— Mike Gennaro posted a nice shot of the plaque at the Penr...

As we draw ever closer to the 2013 Sydney International Rowing Regatta , we thought a look back at last year's Australian Rowing Championships might be a good fit for this week (thanks to Mike Nicholson). At last year's Aussie Open Rowing Championships and King's & Queen's Cup Interstate Regatta, the heat was on, both on water and on the temperature gauge at Australia's newest rowing venue out west—Armadale, near Perth. Not only is this video a good introduction to the regatta, it's also a great showcase of elite technical rowing, with the likes of 2012 Olympic medalists Drew Ginn , Will Lockwood , Josh Dunkley Smith , and Kim Crow in the mix (Crow in both the women's single and the 'victorious Victoria' women's eight). There are already a number of international rowing federations on site in Oz in preparation for this year's event, which will include the first World Rowing Cup of the summer, and, from the look of it, the GB athlet...

Photo: Cambridge launches for the 2008 Boat Race (© B. Kitch) The crews for both the men's and women's Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races have been announced, and there is a ton(ne) of international talent on display. The men's boat race will feature two double Olympians in the form of Oxford stroke Malcolm Howard and Cambridge two seat Milan Bruncvik —a first for the Boat Race. Howard won gold with the Canadian men's eight in Beijing, and took silver at Eton Dorney. Sitting right behind him? Constantine ('Stan') Louloudis , British stroke from the Olympic bronze medal-winning crew in 2012. Nothing against Niles Garratt (UW alum) and Alexander Scharp of Cambridge, but that is one hell of a stern pair for Oxford. The Cambridge crew (follow the link for a Bloomberg video interview with Steve Dudek, Alex Fleming and Ty Otto), which bounced back from its fixture against Washington with a solid performance against Leander , also features a 2012 GB Olympic bron...

The Princeton Tigers recently released the above video, which, while nameless, needs very little in the way of introduction. Suffice it to say that it is a great, inside and in-depth look at an outstanding program, and frankly an awesome training camp video from the Tigers' trip to Tampa (including the much-anticipated mustache competition, with characteristically disturbing results). "There are reminders all around of the standard that has been set through the years—a legacy of hard work, integrity, and success. It's inspiring. When you walk into the building, you immediately know that you are in a place where it is time to go to work." Not only is this rowing film a great recruiting tool, it's a fascinating look at the history of one of the most storied programs in U.S. intercollegiate rowing, and includes footage dating back to the 1920s (some of which is rather hilariously mixed with, shall we say, more contemporary music). It's also a celebration of Lo...