Wikipedia describes rowing as a "sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water. The sport can be both recreational, focusing on learning the techniques required, and competitive where overall fitness plays a large role. It is also one of the oldest Olympic sport. In the United States, high school and collegiate rowing is sometimes referred to as crew." Wikipedia's full story can be found at Rowing (sport).
Orange Coast College Boathouse
Newport Beach, CA
My grandson, Kendall, on left during 2011 San Diego Crew Classic
During this years San Diego Crew Classic I was able to watch all the races live on the Internet. It was so exciting, I found myself yelling out loud "GO COAST!" When they are not available live online the second best thing is getting live Tweets from the GiantKillers Twitter account. It really is still exciting. Of course I would rather be there in person but many miles separate this landlocked grandma.
This past weekend was the Stanford Invitational and my son sent me a link to snippets of the races that was posted on YouTube. I thought you would get a kick out of seeing all these young men in action. It really is an exciting sport.
The Orange Coast Varsity Crew (yellow hull) can be see at the (3:05) mark on the video. My grandson is in the seat facing the coxswain.
Comfy Seat
These oars and a lot of muscle will get you to the finish line.
I liked the sounds a lot. Although my nephew did crew last year, the races were at an ungodly-early hour so I never went to watch. I was surprised to see how fast the boats move. My nephew told me the coolest thing was going on the water at 5 am while the world was still asleep, and also being so low on the water. He said it made him feel like he was part of the river. Nice post, Annie.
ReplyDeleteYes, the races always begin VERY early. I think part of it may be the calmer waters early in the morning before the wind wakes up. Their winter practices actually begin just before dawn, it must be a sight to be on the water and watch the sun rise.
ReplyDeleteOh speaking of speed, I noticed an article in the Newport Beach newspaper that the city was considering raising the speed limit for these boats in the harbor during the races. LOL I thought that was silly but I guess rules are rules. The last I knew the limit was 5 MPH inside the harbor.