RowingRelated

The folks at WSV Ottensheim have done it again. After their first video, "Rowing is Passion" (which was featured in our RR Recruiting Video Contest in January of this year), reached over 100,000 views on YouTube, filmmaker Erwin Trummer and WSV Ottensheim decided to add a second episode—the aptly named, "Rowing is Passion 2"—picking up on the intensity of the first, but incorporating a few new twists. Our favorite of those twists has got to be the 'rowing phalanx' and subsequent charge (see above) that launches the viewer into some race footage with a pulse-pounding soundtrack. Nothing like a little rage to get the fall racing season started right. Well done once again to WSV Ottensheim, and thanks very much to Clemens for sending along the video! 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 or get in touch via our Facebook or Google+ pages. -RR

It has been a quiet week here at RowingRelated as we gear up to take on our fourth season of rowing coverage, analysis, and banter—but not so around the junior, collegiate, and elite rowing ranks. The new season has begun already for many programs, and, thanks to the wonders of social media, we're right alongside the coaches and athletes on the water for autumn training sessions, and on land for early-season erg tests. Here are a few of our favorite shots from the early going at the intercollegiate level: Here are the Bears after conquering Half Dome this past weekend. #7milesup #5000feetclimb #GoBears pic.twitter.com/uzkoh2CCct — California Crew (@CaliforniaCrew) September 26, 2013

Yes, 2013 is a post-Olympic year, and naturally, one might expect there to be a slight dip in performance at the international level at the outset of a new Olympic cycle. But not so this season. The elite level of rowing enjoyed one of its most successful world championships to date, with the largest number of federations ever involved (73, up from 68 at the 2011 World Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia) kicking off the quadrennium in style, and a mixture of new and familiar faces on the podium. And so, the 2013 RoRys for the elite level go to... RoRy for Program of the Year USRowing, Curtis Jordan Even though it'll likely make Pete Cipollone spit out his coffee when he hears us say it (just kidding, Pete), and much as we have been critical of USRowing in the past, we must admit that this season proved to be eye-opening not only for the folks at home, but also for the rowing world at large. Despite losing the men's head coach shortly after the Olympics, new high per...

We're on to the next level of the 2013 RoRys, and there's a great deal to celebrate from the world of intercollegiate rowing this season. It was a season characterized by dynasties further adding to their incredible legacies, as well as of newcomers making a name for themselves at the highest level. And so, after much deliberation, and without further ado, the winners of the 2013 RoRys at the intercollegiate level are... RoRys for Programs of the year University of Washington Men Despite losing one of the best coaches in the collegiate ranks—newly appointed USRowing men's coach Luke McGee—in the middle of the season, the Huskies of Washington showed that they were by no means ready to loosen their vise-grip on the Ten Eyck Trophy. Head coach Mike Callahan and assistant coach Rick Gherst not only stayed the course and pushed their athletes to achieve at the highest level, but also they did it while training new Husky coaches, who stepped up in the absence of McGee. Hav...

The 2013 season is now complete, and it's time to reflect on the outstanding achievements from another year of racing in that most wonderful of all sports, rowing. Not that we're feeling old, but RR is fast approaching its third birthday—this marks the third edition of our RoRy Awards, and, since we cover three tiers of racing here at RowingRelated, we'll be recognizing and celebrating the best of the best at the junior, collegiate, and elite levels throughout the week. And so, without further ado, the 2013 RoRys go to... RoRys for Programs of the Year Narragansett Boat Club Men Narragansett Boat Club had a tremendous regatta at USRowing youth nationals in June, in the midst of considerable emotional turmoil. Top talent Chase Buchholz and his NBC teammates honored the memory of their coach Peter Wilhelm's mother, Hope, with two gold medals in Oak Ridge. En route to gold, Buchholz defeated the defending champion, Chris Wales of Seattle Rowing Center, in the men...

This week's video comes to us from the University of Victoria , and features the Vikes on their August training camp, already starting to build a base for the 2013-2014 season. Throw in a solid soundtrack, and you might just be inspired to throw down a few meters (or metres) yourself, be it on the erg, in the single, on the bike, or even on the track. Like the Vikes, we too are already looking forward to a new season (the Head Of The Charles is now just 39 days away), but we're also still decompressing from what was an outstanding summer of international racing, especially for the U.S. men and women. So, as we start to gear up for the next go round, we'll also be reflecting on the last year with our third annual RoRy Awards —the most sought-after, highly-prized, and distinguished awards in the rowing world (in our opinion, at least). Stay tuned for more on that this week. In the meantime, send us your favorite workout jams for a new erg(o) playlist to get you start...

The 2013 World Rowing Championships were, by all accounts, one of the best championships to date, with state-of-the-art facilities, good racing conditions, and a host of talented athletes coming together to officially embark on the Road to Rio. Photo from the awards ceremony of the Men's Eight yesterday! #ChungjuWRC @TomPeszek pic.twitter.com/KqyCGZUO3H — OKCNHPC Rowing (@RowOKC_HP) September 2, 2013 Before the slew of hotly contested finals, however, we did it again—what can we say? Shooting our mouths off about sports just comes naturally, and what you might call the 'RR ethos' is built on picks and predictions. So, now's the time when we reflect on the best of the racing, and see how our picks fared over the course of the week in South Korea.

This week's video comes to us courtesy of FISA commentator and GB Olympian Martin Cross , who had a fantastic week in South Korea, posting daily blogs and video interviews throughout the world championships. This interview, however, may be one of the most important, checking in with Team GB head coach Jürgen Grobler —possibly the best rowing coach in the world right now. In typical fashion, Grobler's crews had a slight performance dip at Lucerne, but were extremely well-prepared for the main event. Team GB were one of four federations to take home a total of eight medals from the championships, and tied for the most gold medals (three) with Italy and Australia. Among those gold medals was (rather unbelievably) British Rowing's first-ever world championship title in the men's eight—a first for Grobler in that event as well. More to come on this year's World Rowing Championships in our recap and review later this week. In the meantime, however, and speaking of J...