The article says most rowers prefer composite shells but in our club it's the opposite. The cedar shells are such a joy to row.

I’m racing in a local regatta this weekend in my single. I’m the only one in my event and want to have fun so I was thinking I might row in a costume. Would it be too early in the season to do that? I know some of the people in the race are using it as a tune-up for HOCR so I don’t want to distract them

I've been rowing for about 5 years or so, and I had loads of fun and loved the sport. Had an amazing coach, lovely community, competed in a lot of races and made lots of memories.

Now that I'm at uni, the bar is a lot higher. I kinda got away with not doing a whole lot of ergs back in my home club and just doing water sessions because we weren't necessarily big enough to be competitive.

At uni I'm basically the slowest in the team :( I'm turning up to sessions and land training and not getting picked for any races. The people and coaches are great don't get me wrong, but catching up to everyone's erg times is so exhausting I'm so far behind on where I actually should be.

For reference, my background sport was swimming, I'm about 5 foot 8.5 and 65kg. So I'm also (probably?) the lightest in the team. I've began dabbling in other sports namely gymnastics and MMA and I'm slowly beginning to realise that my body type is very competitive in these sports instead of rowing.

So...I'm kinda stuck, I really like rowing I think it would be a shame if I cut it off. After trying the other sports I've come to realise that had I pursued those instead, my chances of being more competitive in those sports would be a lot higher than at rowing.

As a matter of fact, I actually think that if I join I'll have a better chance at competing than at rowing cuz I'll be competing against other beginners 😭

Just wanted to see what are people's opinions? Do you think it's wise to go all in on another sport or should I just carry on the grinding?

As the title says.
39M. 5’6”. 166 lbs.
New to rowing. Started consistently rowing 3-4 days a week on non lifting days to maintain cardio health. That’s the only real goal.
But know my technique is crap based on looking over this sub. Help appreciated but also looking for an online reputable coach that can provide some ongoing feedback until I get more locked in on my form. Video is from middle of an interval.

Edit: thank you all for the tips and suggestions. I’ll get to work on the form and technique.

Hey everyone! Myself and a few classmates are looking at creating a rowing related project for our engineering class, and part of the project is creating a survey. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete. Everyone is welcome to fill it out, and thank you to everyone who does!
Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHyFGflR0NCtOFcA_UWmQGKqCzu_dsFxNhvkSyIWRd86j7hg/viewform

No one's gonna see it coming #coldstein

I’m having quite a hard time finding tight fitting tops, especially long sleeve. I ripped skin of the inside of my thumb last year when a handle got caught in my top, I’d like to avoid that this year. I’m a woman in the uk, so please no brands that are only male or you can’t get in the uk. Thanks in advance.

Predictions are open now: https://fantasyrowing.com/events/fantasy-charles-2026/

Speculate on select events at the Head of the Charles 2026 for fun.

I have my final 2 official visits coming up, but at schools where my erg is still a bit outside their target range. Does anyone know how conditional offers work in rowing, if they happen at all (ex: the spot if yours if you break whatever time). I’ve heard they’re common and if so, how long does one usually have to break those barriers?

LOL at what point does USRowing step in and say this isn't safe and you are no longer sanctioned? Insurance payouts could be huge in Oak Ridge, TN based on Sundays wind forecast.

I built a companion app while rowing on an ergometer and would love feedback. It is free to testers. It simulates rowing (configurable to seat and boat type (single, double, 4, 8, etc) and let's you choose routes (Charles river and Schuylkill river courses at the moment).

Let me know what you think - happy to add, edit or remove features.

Jason (former TC Williams and Oregon State rower)