INDOOR RECORDS, CLUBS UNDER WATER, WOMEN’S BOAT RACE TRIALS, NEW RULES FOR WEHORR & HRR December 11 2015
Might the 2k ergo world record fall this Saturday at the British Rowing Indoor Championships? If so it would cap an autumn season full of new marks on the Concept 2.
GB's big boys will be out in force at the Olympic Velodrome with last year's one-two-three of Mo Sbihi (05:45.4), Will Satch (05:48.2) and Sam Townsend (05:49.7) all in action but Constantine Louloudis will attract lots of attention after it emerged recently that covered 5k in 14:51.0 on a dynamic erg in February.
Kiwi Rob Waddell has held the 2k mark of 5:36.6 for seven years but other records have been tumbling. Eric Murray of the Kiwi Pair officially broke the world 5k record with 14:56.4 – on sliders, which counts, as opposed to a dynamic, which doesn’t.
Not to be outdone, compatriot Emma Twigg set a new women’s 5k mark of 16:55.8.
Martin Sinkovic of Croatia’s world champion double scull, smashed out 18:03.1 over 6k, while brother Valent recorded 18:20.7. (You can watch the video here but it’s just two blokes sitting on ergs).
Meanwhile, last weekend Sofia Asoumanaki of Greece broke her own junior women’s 2k record with 6:28.2 – just three seconds off the senior mark.
Unfortunately none of GB’s top women will be in action at the Velodrome on Saturday but the country’s leading junior, Tom Digby of Abingdon School will be, having recently broken his own Under-19 world record with a 5k score of 15:54.9. For good measure it was rate-capped at 26 as part of the GB selection process.
That moment when you break the u19 world record for 5k... RATE CAPPED.Aged 17.Well done Tom Digby of Abingdon School!
Posted by RowHub on Thursday, December 3, 2015
The debate rages over whether C2 dynamics, sliders or the Rowperfect is the best way to simulate being in a boat. Here’s another idea:
Prezado Angelo Roso,retomo aqui um assunto que você trouxe para conhecimento e reflexão, em 16 de novembro do corrente ano, com o título The Kiwi Pair.Postado em comentário, fiz a menção a um engenho que utiliza o remoergômetro convencional a um custo bem baixo. Que oportuniza alcançar vogas mais altas e possibilita a análise de detalhes técnicos importantes.Foi quando um amigo de Belém, Bruce Lobato, também em comentário, mui gentilmente, quis saber quando ele teria esta aula.Compromissado com a provocação do Bruce, telefonei para outro amigo, o remador e professor Marco Antonio Martins (Marcão), de São Paulo. Pedi então, que me autoriza-se, uma vez mais, divulgar um vídeo de sua criação/produção que é bem ilustrativo deste engenho.Foi no ano de 2005, por ocasião do sul-americano realizado em São Paulo, que tive a oportunidade de remar no tal engenho. Aprendi que os primeiros movimentos devem ser curtos e mais lentos, percebi que se pode alcançar com facilidade vogas altas e, que, quando se aplica mais pressão em um bordo do finca-pés, imediatamente, percebe-se o desequilíbrio de todo o conjunto. Marcão, diz ter visto o modelo na Itália e decidiu fazer a aplicação prática na USP. A proposta do professor Marco Antonio Martins, se destaca pela simplicidade, pela aplicabilidade e baixo custo. A única coisa complicada desta criação/produção é conseguir pronunciar rápido a palavra "remoscilantergometro" (conforme ele denominou o conjunto).Ô palavrinha difícil!Rafael BarberenaP.S: Em 2005, com a anuência deste professor, divulguei e recomendei que se aplicasse nos clubes, pois, só assim, se poderia ter uma resposta da viabilidade de um recurso de custo tão baixo. Dez anos passados ninguém se prontificou.
Posted by Rafael Barberena on Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Demons on detail
As its name suggests, indoor rowing is normally done indoors but Pete Reed found a scenic spot for a C2 session recently, on the British Rowing boating pontoon in front of Hammersmith Bridge.
Reed was taking part in a PR event for analytics software specialists SAS, who partner British Rowing and the BRIC. SAS have come up with a "perfect rowing programme" to give an insight into an Olympic programme, and contrast it with that of a novice.
This article on tech site Alphr gives some insight into the degree to which SAS helps the GB Rowing Team analyse top-level performance.
Performance analyst Jack Mercer says: “We instrument the boat with force sensors, angle sensors and accelerometry so we can get individual athlete data from the boats, and also overall data from the hull for how the boat’s moving as a whole.”
Boat club under water
The recent bad weather in the north of England might be a good reason to stay indoors but several clubs have been unable to get there.
Lancaster John O' Gaunt RC saw the worst flooding on record at their boathouse, which has stood beside the River Lune in some form or other for 170 years. The water submerged the boat bays and rose six inches up the walls on the first floor.
#StormDesmond @BritishRowing pic.twitter.com/VByyhojICJ
— Lancaster Rowing (@LancasterRowing) December 8, 2015
“Unfortunately the level rose so rapidly there wasn't any time for the boats to be safely relocated, and the ground floor where all of our boats and equipment are kept was completely submerged,” say the club on a fundraising web page they have set up to try to overcome the disaster.
Scullers frustration
Plenty of rowing loners were pleased that the Scullers Head was cancelled, given the 60mph gusts besetting the Tideway at the start of the month. Not Jon Hale as it interrupted his run of recent success which has included a top 10 place at Fours Head, a win overall at Vet Fours the following day and second place in the Wingfield Sculls later that week.
Damn. https://t.co/DuzUU1cIsf
— John Hale (@jwshale) December 4, 2015
Engineer Jon took time out last year to concentrate on trying to make the GB squad. This season, he says, he decided to just get out there and have fun, but the results have been very similar, including 13th place at GB November trials.
Wingfields winner Tim Richards had already ruled himself out of a Scullers Head rematch with his fellow Imperial lightweight after fracturing his ankle in a fall off his bike.
Twickenham win on the Tideway
Cambridge Women gave Oxford a shoeing on Thursday on a scale perhaps even bigger than in this year’s Women’s Boat Race, and this time Caroline Reid was on the winning side.
Awesome good luck card from @cuwbc and great trial viii's names! #GDBO #Twickenham #Tideway #LightBlue pic.twitter.com/NXqvigPFh9
— Caroline Reid (@33reidy) December 9, 2015
Reid was Cambridge president as the light blues suffered a six-and-a-half length defeat in April, in the inaugural women’s race on the Tideway but this week - becoming the first person from either Oxford or Cambridge to win both a rowing and rugby Blue - the 25-year-old played on the wing in a 52-0 victory in the first Women’s Varsity Match to be played at Twickenham.
The female varsity rowers were in action on Thursday too and Cambridge named their trial eights Tideway and Twickenham. Appropriately the latter – coxed by veteran Rosemary Ostfeld – won by three lengths.
Don't think the coaches will be too happy with that blade work on strokeside https://t.co/W0Q43ObrkE
— Daniel Spring (@fatsculler) December 10, 2015
Oxford named their trial crews Scylla and Charybdis (for those without a classical education, the names are derived from a Greek idiom meaning "having to choose between two evils", apparently). Scylla - featuring returning Blues Lauren Kedar and Anastasia Chitty - took a two-length lead but were unable to deal with grotty water after Hammersmith and capitulated for a three-length defeat. Charybdis were successfully stroked by OUWBC president Maddy Badcott.
Trials eights for the men’s Boat Race are on Sunday.
Women’s Eights Head – available in Small, Medium or Large
Events around the country have been experimenting with rules and formats of late but the Women's Eights Head has made the boldest move so far by ditching two of its Intermediate pennants and replacing them with prizes based on club size.
"We want to help clubs of all sizes to put out their fastest crews and to encourage female rowers to get out there and get racing," said the committee, arguing that clubs keep points down in order to win major prizes.
Over the last five years the IM3 prize has been won by the crew finishing 20th, 17th, eighth, 23rd and 33rd respectively out of about 300, so it's hard to argue with the logic.
However, the event will determine whether a club is small, medium or large based on the number of times it has entered the race over the last 10 years. Could this mean clubs decide against entering iffy boats in one year in order to stand a better chance of winning the next? We’re keen to hear what you think.
@WEHORR @GBRChris_A why no small / medium pennants for university clubs? Seems clubs have benefitted at unis expense
— Kieran Clark (@kieranclark7) December 3, 2015
Former winners back in Henley fold
Not wanting to be left out, Henley Royal Regatta made their own rule changes this week, rescinding their 15-year ban on previous winners entering club events to allow a quarter of any crew in the Thames Cup for eights or the Wyfold for coxless fours to already own one of the famous red boxes.
“The Committee of Management has become increasingly aware that there is a need to try to help good club oarsmen who have previously won a club event at Henley Royal Regatta to stay in the sport and support the rowing community, so as to improve the level of regional rowing overall,” said a press release.
Previous winners have certainly been lobbying for a return for a while. Will this create a two-tier system in clubs? What happens to the third-best Thames Cup winner at a club? Do let us know your views – details below.
@martingough22 interesting change that will raise club rowing events standard, but shame no change 2 support club sculling with an event
— Tom Carter (@tkcarter82) December 8, 2015
@shutteritch @martingough22 I think its a thoroughly bad change which will diminish further likes of Ladies & Visitors etc
— Christopher Anton (@GBRChris_A) December 8, 2015
Gotcha
It wasn’t quite the skiving worker being caught boasting on Facebook but the GB men’s lightweight squad were probably left a little red-faced after posting this video from their cycling training camp in Majorca.
The Lightweight Men's peloton charging towards lunch in Majorca. Maybe some lessons needed!! RC
Posted by GB Rowing Team on Wednesday, December 2, 2015
One concerned viewer asked why they were slipstreaming each other as it could increase risk and decrease training load. Step forward head coach Paul Thompson, who pointed out that his boys should in fact only be riding in pairs.
Olympic silver medallist Richard Chambers also replied, promising all concerned that the peloton only formed in the last 25k of a 150k ride. "It was only in the interests of having some fun,” he said.
And finally
Here’s some video we found via the Row 2k website, featuring lots of Greek rowers dressed as Santa. (You don’t need to watch the whole video to get the idea). Happy Christmas!
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