About Rowing

Let us pretend that you know nothing about rowing, but would like to get information about the sport as you are thinking of taking it up for recreational purposes, or even having a go at racing in regattas. Naturally, of course, you would go to your country’s rowing federation’s website to see what kind of information you can obtain.

Just for fun that is what I did; I began with USRowing’s website where you will find the link ‘About the sport’, which has the following sub-links: Viewer's Guide; Rowing Quick Facts; Glossary of Rowing Terms; Eleven Insights to the Sport of Rowing; Sweep Rowing Vs. Sculling; Rowing Classifications; Equipment; The Race; The Stroke; Race Watching Tips; and Rowing Lingo.

Then I went to the British federation’s website, British Rowing, where there also is a link about the sport, called ‘About rowing’. Here you will find the following sub-links: Get into Rowing; Types of Rowing: Fine, Adaptive, Coastal, Indoor, Ocean, Pilot Gigs, Recreational, Surf, Veteran; Rowing Basics; Water Safety; Rowing & Health; Types of Competition; Rowing Stroke; Image Conscious; History; Rowing Diary; News; Frequently Asked Questions; and Charity Events.

Both websites have valuable information about (sweep) rowing and sculling. Though it might be that you will find the same information under different links, and some 'rowing lingo' might be a little different between American English and British English ('two countries divided by the same language' as it was wisely said...). The main difference is that in Great Britain, and other European countries as well, there are different types of rowing which you will not find in the US. I find it odd that Coastal and Surf rowing have not caught on in the US yet.

I leave it to you readers to click on the sub-links to compare the two sites and their sub-links.

The photographs are taken from the two sites!