BASIC ROWING TERMS
Boat Terms & Coxing Terms
Bow: The forward section of a boat.
 Stern: The back part of a boat.
 Stern Check: An abrupt change in the rate of deceleration caused by pressure on the foot plate where the oarsmen's feet are fixed without simultaneous pressure on the metal rod where the oarlock is mounted.
 Stern section: in an eight: stern 4, seats 5,6,7,8
 Bow Section: in an eight: bow 4, seats 1,2,3,4
 Port: The left side of a boat when facing the bow.
 Starboard: The right side of a boat when facing the bow.
 Rigger: A framework attached to the shell and used to support the oarlock; also called an "outrigger".
 Oarlock: A U-shaped device on a boat's gunwale where the oar rests and swings; also called a "rowlock".
 Keeper: part of the oarlock where the oar rests/touches; fulcrum point.
 Tracks: where seat rollers attach to boat.
 Gunnels: sides of the boat.
 Foot Stretcher: where feet are strapped into boat.
 Knees: structural reinforcement of gunnels.
 Slide: seat you sit on that is placed on the tracks.
 Skin: framework of boat. Hold Water: turn blade of oar perpendicular to water and bury blade in water to slow boat down.
 Back Water: reverse position of blade so you are making the boat move in the opposite direction.
 Whey Enough: stop
 Back it + your seat number: back water when asked.
 Touch it + your seat number: take one stroke when asked.
 Keel - as in keep the boat on keel: not leaning to port or starboard.
 Back splash: Spray kicked up toward the bow of a boat, created as the oar enters the water while still traveling toward the bow on the recovery.
 Blade: The flattened, or spoon-shaped, part of an oar that touches the water during rowing
 Bowball: A rubber ball attached to the bow tip of a shell to protect against damage and injury in case of a collision.
 Button: A collar around the shaft of the oar that keeps the oar from slipping through the
oarlock and can be adjusted up and down the oar to increase or decrease leverage.
 Catch: The act of the oar initially engaging the water during rowing.
 Catch a crab: To make a faulty stroke, such as one where the blade either enters the water at a wrong angle and sinks too deep or is held at the wrong angle and fails to enter the water at all.
 Check it down: An emergency command to stop the boat by jamming the oars into the water to create massive drag.
 Cox: Short for "coxswain", the person who steers the boat and gives commands to rowers.
 Cox box: An electronic device used by the coxswain to amplify his or her voice and
broadcast it through speakers located throughout the shell.
 Drive: The part of the rowing action between the catch and the release when the oar is moving through the water with force.
 Feather: To rotate the blade of an oar while rowing so the blade is parallel to the surface of the water.
 Fin: A small, flat piece of wood or plastic attached perpendicularly to the bottom of the shell to help the shell stay on a true course; also known as "skeg".
 Front splash: Spray kicked up as the oar enters the water at the catch and the oarsman begins to apply pressure before the blade is submerged completely.
Hold water: A command by a coxswain for the oarsmen to place their blades horizontally in the water to stop the shell quickly; similar to "check it down", but usually less dramatic.
 Layback: The amount of backward lean of an oarsman's body toward the bow at the end of a stroke.
 Lightweight: A weight division in some events for women weighing 59 kilograms or less and men weighing 72.5 or less.
 Power 10: A series of 10 strokes where a crew supplies additional power to advance on another crew.
 Racing start: The first 20 or 40 strokes of a race, usually at a higher cadence than those for the rest of the race because shorter strokes usually are needed to overcome the shell's inertia.
 Recovery: The part of the rowing action between the release and the catch in which an oar is positioned for the next stroke.
 Release: The part of the rowing action when the oar is removed from the water after driving through it.
 Run: The distance a boat travels during one stroke.
 Set: The balance of a boat.
 Shell: A rowing boat.
 Stroke: 1. a complete rowing motion, made up of a catch, drive, finish, release, feather and recovery.
 2: the rower nearest the stern who sets the rhythm and cadence for the crew.
 Sweep-oar rowing: Rowing with one oar held by both hands