Rowing Lingo

Rowing, or sweep rowing, is with only one oar per rower.

Sculling, is with two oars per rower, one in each hand.

Blades or Oars are used to move the boat through water. Rowers can have one or two, depending on whether they are Sweep or Sculling.

Stroke Rate is the number of times your oar goes in the water per minute. Thirty-five strokes per minute is considered high, while 18 strokes/minute is low.

The bow is the front of the boat (and crosses the finish line first in a race). Rowing is the only sport where competitors go backwards to move forwards.

The bow seat is the rower seated at the front of the boat. 

The stroke seat is the rower seated at the back of the boat who sets pace for the crew. Stroke crosses the finish line last (except in a coxed boat where the cox sits at the back of the boat).

“The catch” is the point at which the oar's end enters the water.

“Catching a crab” is when a rower loses control of the oar, doesn’t remove it from the water at the end of the stroke and the oar acts as a brake; something you try to avoid when rowing.

An erg is an indoor rowing machine used to help rowers stay fit and complements on-water rowing.

A coxswain (cox) steers the boat, instructs and energizes the crew.

The cox uses the ‘cox box’, a microphone system in the boat, to communicate to the crew.

Regatta is a sporting event with a series of boat races.

Boats:

Sculling boats include: the single (1x), the double (2x), and the quad (4x)

Sweep boats include: the pair (2-), the coxless four (4-), the coxed four (4+)  and the eight (8+).