rules to play rowing

Oars are used to propel the boat. They are long sculling: 250300 cm; rowing 340360 cm poles with one flat end about 50 cm long and 25 cm wide, called the blade. Classic oars were made out of wood, but modern oars are made from more expensive and durable synthetic material, the most common being carbon fiber.An oar is often referred to as a blade in the case of sweep oar rowing and as a scull in the case of sculling. A sculling oar is shorter and has a smaller blade area than the equivalent sweep oar. The combined blade area of a pair of sculls is however greater than that of a single sweep oar, so the oarsman when sculling is working against more water than when rowing sweepoared. He is able to do this because the body action in sculling is more anatomically efficient due to the symmetry.The spoon of oars is normally painted with the colours of the club to which they belong. This greatly simplifies identification of boats at a distance.

Indoor rowing on ergometer, or tank is a way to train technique and strength by going through the same motions as rowing, with resistance. Indoor rowing is helpful when the lake is frozen, or there are no lakes near by.

A rowing tank is an indoor facility which attempts to mimic the conditions rowers face on open water. Rowing tanks are primarily used for offseason rowing, muscle specific conditioning and technique training, or simply when bad weather doesnt allow for open water training.

Ergometer rowing machines colloquially ergs or ergo simulate the rowing action and provide a means of training on land when waterborne training is restricted, and of measuring rowing fitness. Ergometers do not simulate the lateral balance challenges, the exact resistance of water, or the exact motions of true rowing including the sweep of the oar handles. For that reason ergometer scores are generally not used as the sole selection criterion for crews, and technique training is limited to the basic body position and movements. However, this action can still allow a comparable workout to those experienced on the water.Indoor rowing has become popular as a sport in its own right with numerous indoor competitions and the annual World Championship CRASHB Sprints in Boston during the winter offseason.

Boats are conveyed to competitions on special trailers accommodating up to 20 boats.

Racing boats are stored in boat houses. These are specially designed storage areas which usually consist of a long twostory building with a large door at one end which leads out to a pontoon or slipway on the river or lakeside. The boats are stored on racks horizontal bars, usually metal on the ground floor. Oars, riggers, and other equipment is stored around the boats. Boat houses are typically associated with rowing clubs and include some social facilities on the upper floor: a cafe, bar, or gym. Boat centers are commonly built along river banks in major U.S. cities. The Thompson Boat Center TBC, managed by the U.S. National Park Service, is used as a home base for high school and adult teams in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Regattas are frequently held at TBC through the spring, summer, and fall.

Most races that are held in the spring and summer feature side by side racing, or sprint racing, sometimes called a regatta; all the boats start at the same time from a stationary position and the winner is the boat that crosses the finish line first. The number of boats in a race typically varies between two which is sometimes referred to as a dual race to six, but any number of boats can start together if the course is wide enough.

Head races are time trial processional races that take place from autumn fall to early spring depending on local conditions. Boats begin with a rolling start at intervals of 10 20 seconds, and are timed over a set distance. Head courses usually vary in length from 2,000 metres 1.24 mi to 12,000 metres 7.46 mi, though there are longer races such as the Boston Rowing Marathon and shorter such as Pairs Head. The oldest, and arguably most famous, head race is the Head of the River Race, founded by Steve Fairbairn in 1926 which takes place each March on the river Thames in London, United Kingdom. Head racing was exported to the United States in the 1950s, and the Head of the Charles Regatta held each October on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, USA is now the largest rowing event in the world.

These processional races are known as Head Races, because, as with bumps racing, the fastest crew is awarded the title Head of the River as in head of the class. It was not deemed feasible to run bumps racing on the Tideway, so a timed format was adopted and soon caught on. Time trials are sometimes used to determine who competes in an event where there is a limited number of entries, for example the qualifying races for Henley Royal Regatta, and rowing on and getting on for the Oxford and Cambridge Bumps races respectively.

A bumps race is a multiday race beginning with crews lined up along the river at set intervals. They start simultaneously and all pursue the boat ahead while avoiding being bumped by a boat from behind. If a crew overtakes or makes physical contact with the crew ahead, a bump is awarded. As a result, damage to boats and equipment is common during bumps racing. To avoid damage the cox of the crew being bumped may concede the bump before contact is actually made. The next day, the bumping crew will start ahead of any crews that have been bumped. The positions at the end of the last race are used to set the positions on the first day of the races the next year. Oxford and Cambridge Universities hold bumps races for their respective colleges twice a year, and there are also Town Bumps races in both cities, open to nonuniversity crews. Oxfords races are organised by City of Oxford Rowing Club and Cambridges are organised by the Cambridgeshire Rowing Association.

The stake format was often used in early American races. Competitors line up at the start, race to a stake, moored boat, or buoy some distance away, and return. The 180