RowingRelated

The further we get into the 2013 World Rowing Championships, the more it feels like there is already a 'great wave' (with apologies to Katsushika Hokusai, of course) of momentum building on the road to Rio. The racing has been, in a word, outstanding. In the video above, GB commentator Martin Cross breaks down Day Five at worlds, which featured several crackers, including the A/B semis for the the men's lightweight single and the men's four. As Cross mentioned in his race commentary (catch up on the semis here ), the men's four event appears to be wide open, with our top picks the U.S., Australia, and Italy looking very solid, as well as a sprinting Dutch crew and a surprising British boat that has bounced back from a B Final performance in Lucerne to crack the A final in Chungju. (While Cross mentioned that he'll have his eye on Italy to top the podium, we're backing our top pick, USA, to take the title.) The race of the day, however, may well have been ...

This week's video is the official teaser for the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, South Korea, and features the theme song for the event, "Rowing the World," (or at least, we think that's the title). It's always fascinating to take a look at a familiar subject through the lens of a different culture, and that's just what you'll get from this video (in addition to a look at the racecourse and environs, with a bit of rowing thrown into the mix). Also on the docket for this week is Team USA men's single sculler Stephen Whelpley's short video of the trip from the hotel to the course—it's a beautiful landscape, and gives you a better sense for what it's like to be on the ground in Chungju. The racing is heating up, and our picks and predictions are already being put to the test! So far, the U.S. women's quad of Megan Kalmoe , Kara Kohler , Susan Francia , and Esther Lofgren have given themselves a second chance at the podi...

The 2013 World Rowing Championships are underway in Chungju, South Korea, and it just wouldn't be right if we didn't throw our hats in the ring for some picks and predictions for the finals. While some post-Olympic regattas have been low on entries at the international level, this year's worlds feature more nations than ever, and there are a number of events where rivalries are already emerging on the road to Rio. And so, without further ado, here are the results of our glimpse into the crystal ball, hidden deep within the confines of the RR International Research Department. Men's Pair The Kiwis own this event, and, as pointed out by World Rowing's preview article on the upcoming championships, they are set to break yet another record—that being for the longest streak of consecutive wins at the international level. It's an event that other rowing federations have deemed low priority (in a number of cases), which has everything to do with Hamish Bond and Er...

While we're finalizing our world championship picks and predictions for this year's event in South Korea, we thought it only right to put together the best of the Twitter insect photos from frightened (okay, well, perhaps surprised is a better word) international athletes and coaches around the course. As you can see, there are some intimidating critters out there!

The 2013 USRowing Masters National Championships took over Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, Florida over the weekend, and Potomac Boat Club had a number of competitive entries at the event—not least of which was their Men's Masters A crew (shown above) that also enjoyed a narrow victory (by 0.06 seconds) at Crew Classic earlier this season. Potomac finished second in overall team points in Florida (behind Saugatuck Rowing Club ), at an event that featured an appearance from the governor, as well as the one and only Dickie V (you can check out his masters nationals speech here —though if you're hoping to hear him say, "diaper dandy," you'll be disappointed). For complete results and a full write-up of the event, visit the official website of USRowing. Much more to come this week, including our picks and predictions for the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju! Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The Week?' Shoot us an email at rowingrelate...

Saturday morning marked the Harry Parker Memorial Row in Boston, with crews from the 1960s on through to the 2000s, and names like 1968 Olympian Charlie Hamlin , the ' Rude and Smooth ' crews of the 1970s (for some footage of this group at Red Top in 1971, see this video ), the legendary Tiff Wood , further Olympians Adam Holland , Chris Swan , and Peter Sharis (whose daughter, Elizabeth , has been making quite a name for herself in the junior rowing ranks over the last few years, including back-to-back silver medal finishes at youth nationals in the JW1x), double Olympian Pat Todd , 2005 world champion Michael Blomquist , double Olympic medalist Malcolm Howard , and many, many others worthy of mention.

While we're gearing up for the World Rowing Championships in Chungju, the World Rowing Coastal Championships are in full swing in Helsingborg, Sweden, and there are a number of familiar faces in action representing the Greek Rowing Federation. In the first of the medal rounds, the dynamic duo of 2008 and 2012 Olympians Apostolos and Nikolaos Gkountoulas (shown training in Helsingborg in the above video) have taken a silver medal racing in the men's double, while teammate (winner of the prestigious RoRy for 2011 Female Athlete of the Year , and 2012 bronze medalist in the LW2x) Alexandra Tsiavou qualified directly for the final of the CW1x after placing fourth in her heat yesterday. (The video below shows her in the final strokes of her heat before the sprint up the beach to the finish.) But Tsiavou didn't stop there—she backed up her solid result in the heat with a gold medal in today's final , ahead of France's Stephanie Chantry , and Oisin Forde of Sp...

The above video provides a glimpse of what the international rowing federations arriving in South Korea can expect at the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju—and let us be the first to say that it looks nothing short of awesome. From the course itself, to the facilities, to the cultural event status that worlds will have this year thanks to the host nation, the first major championship of the Rio quadrennium is looking like it'll be one to remember. The athletes are arriving on the scene, as we are now within ten days of competition. For those crews and coaches traveling from the U.S. and Europe, it's quite a long haul: Happy to have THAT flight over! RT @Mike_Gennaro Alex @i_silveira @madisanto @tomdethlefs and I at the Seoul airport pic.twitter.com/wQ2cqMnVAm — usrowing (@usrowing) August 15, 2013 But the location of this year's championships (only the second time that the event has been held in Asia—the first time was also the first world championship...

The Australian JM4x of Robert Black , Thomas Schramko , Alexander Purnell , and Robin Molen-Grigull , featured in this week's video, placed 11th overall in Trakai, Lithuania over the weekend. The 2013 World Junior Rowing Championships were a remarkable exhibition of developing talent, perhaps hinting at the way the rest of the quadrennium will take shape, with some of the most powerful rowing federations in the world showcasing their depth and consistency across all levels and disciplines in our sport. Germany were the big winners, taking gold in the men's quad , gold in the men's pair, gold in the men's double, and (very dramatically) gold in the men's eight.

U.S. Senior Trials wrapped up yesterday, with eleven crews earning berths for the 2013 World Rowing Championships in Chungju, South Korea. Among those crews was a new-look duo of Craftsbury's John Graves (check out his RR interview following his 2013 NSR I victory here ) and Ben Dann , shown in the video above during a training session in Vermont. Graves and Dann edged Potomac's Willy Cowles and another RR interviewee, UVa alum  Matt Miller , by roughly three seconds to earn the trip. The result was one of two victories for Craftsbury's young Green Racing Project —a live-in training program hosted at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center with the dual goal of developing athletes for international level rowing and Nordic skiing (read more about the GRP, with input from Graves, head coach Dan Roock , and Judy Geer , in my feature in the upcoming issue of ROWING Magazine )—as Stephen Whelpley also punched his ticket to Chungju, winning the men's single. For a complete look at...

Every now and then, hours of scouring the interwebs for the finest rowing footage turn up a vintage gem, and this week's video is just that. This technique video focuses on small boats, both rowing and sculling, and is a 'sweeping' look at the pantheon of 20th century international rowing, with names like Pertti Karppinen , Peter-Michael Kolbe (watch these two battle it out in the M1x all the way to the line at the 1984 Olympics here ), Vasily Yakusha , Thomas Lange , and Carmine and Giuseppe Abbagnale all in the mix in slow-motion race footage. The video quality suffers at times, having been transferred from VHS, but bear with it—it's well worth a prolonged look. Another interesting note to take away is the blend of carbon fiber and wooden oars at the international level—a period of intense transition for our sport and a time when the aforementioned giants were pushing themselves, and the sport itself, to new heights. Want to suggest the next 'Video Of The W...