So your either you or your son or daughter has decided to try rowing. The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) realizes that you may have many questions about rowing. Hopefully, this page will help you to learn about the sport of rowing. As you look at this page ORRA hopes you learn about the new words or phrases you may be hearing around your home. (If you're son or daughter announces they caught a crab at practice, it doesn't mean you'll be having seafood for dinner tonight!) The lessons learned in rowing are Life's lessons: discipline, teamwork, work ethics, and goal setting. Welcome to our sport and enjoy!!

| ABOUT ORRA

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA) is a non-profit organization chartered in 1979. It is an  organization of active rowers and rowing enthusiasts whose goal is to promote the sport of rowing in Oak Ridge as well as the entire East Tennessee region. 

The ORRA uses the Melton Lake Rowing Venue on the East end of Oak Ridge. Tennessee. Regattas began at this location when the University of Tennessee Rowing Club held the 1978 Dogwood Regatta on the site followed that same year with Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championship(SIRA). The Melton Lake Venue has continued to host regattas for the over 30 years and is known as one of the best rowing venues in the United States. The venue has been the site for a number of major championships including the U. S. Nationals, Women's Nationals, Master's Nationals, and the Pan American Trials. Oak Ridge hosted the USRowing Nationals in 1997 and 2000, one of only three sites to host the national championship regatta in the last 15 years. There are only a few venues in the United States that USRowing feels are good enough for a National Championship, and Oak Ridge is one of those sites. The quality of the course, a track record of quality events in Oak Ridge, and a willingness on the part of the community to support such events are prime reasons for staging this prestigious regatta in Oak Ridge.

In addition to the above, for the last 25 years Oak Ridge has been the home course for the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association Championships, the site for the LEXUS Mid-Central Sprints, and host for the Juniors Scholastic Regatta. The U. S. Women's Olympic Rowing and the Swiss National teams trained on Melton Hill Lake prior to competing in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA. The U. S. Women produced a silver medallist in the women's lightweight doubles. Xeno Muller, with the Swiss National Team won the men's heavyweight single world championship in St. Catharine's, Canada last year and the Olympic gold medal in 1996.  The Swiss Team has trained in Oak Ridge three times, including last summer before the World Championships in Canada.

The Oak Ridge Rowing Association would like to welcome newcomers to the city and invite you to investigate the rowing opportunities that the community has to offer. The boathouse, located at the marina on Melton Lake Drive in Oak Ridge, is leased and operated by the Oak Ridge Rowing Association (ORRA). ORRA was incorporated as a non-profit aquatic sports organization and believes in the inclusive participation and promotes rowing as an environmentally sound sport and an enhancement to the quality of life in the region. Rowing can be enjoyed through direct participation, watching, refereeing, and coaching. Non-rowing participants interested in supporting city interest are also encouraged.

The course also offers an excellent opportunity for spring training, many colleges and high school teams take advantage of the mild spring climate.What makes rowing in Oak Ridge so special? Well, it's the 2000-meter rowing course provides an idyllic straight rowing course that can be fully buoyed for 7 lanes. The lake, which is fed by the Clinch River, is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) waterway system and TVA regulates flows during competitions to less than .06 meters per second. The water comes from the bottom of Norris Lake and is very cold most of the year. While the water is very cold in the winter, it is unusual to see more than a skim of ice lasting more than a day or two. The prevailing good weather, excellent water conditions and the nearly unlimited rowing water make Melton Hill Lake the ideal rowing venue for learning and training. The course is protected by hills on each side, which limits wind problems, and the river permits training to be conducted 10 miles in the upstream direction and 24 miles downstream from the marina. The venue also features a permanently measured course and is marked for split timing which is important to coaches and racing enthusiasts. The marina facility also provides added value to the venue offering secured storage and a sheltered in bayment with multiple docks for easy launching during races or the very popular spring training season.

The ORRA employs a coach/coordinator responsible for the day-to-day operations of the boathouse  and its programs. Membership in ORRA consists of about 120 masters and another 100 rowers associated with the Junior program.

Oak Ridge is a city with approximately 28,000 residents located 20 miles northwest of Knoxville, Tennessee and is just minutes off I-40 and I-75. Oak  Ridge is within a day's drive of two thirds of the United States' population. The city has become a technological hub boasting Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the US Department of Energy's largest research and development laboratory, IPIX International Pictures Corporation, as well as numerous other DOE facilities and programs. Oak Ridge has earned a reputation for its outstanding school system and unparalleled quality of life for its residents. The growing popularity of rowing on Melton Hill Lake certainly adds to that quality.

| USRowing
USRowing is recognized the the United States Olympic Committee as the national governing body for the sport.  USRowing is responsible for the selection, training and management of the USRowing National Team that represents the United States in international competition.  Including the Olympic and Pan American Games.

USRowing is the oldest national governing body for amateur sport in the United States, established in 1872.  Rowers across the country are members of USRowing.

Olympic hopefuls are members of USRowing, but so are men and women of all ages who row for fitness, competition and fun.  As a membership organization, USRowing provides leadership and opportunities for all people to experience rowing from recreation to Olympic victory.  USRowing's  toll-free number is 1-800-314-4-ROW.

| HISTORY
Even since the earliest recorded references to rowing, the sporting element has been present. An Egyptian funerary inscription of 1430 BC records that the warrior Amenhotep (Amenophis) II was also renowned for his feats of oarsmanship. In the Aeneid, Virgil mentions rowing forming part of the funeral games arranged by Aeneas in honor of his father. In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regata included boat races among others.

The first known ‘modern’ rowing races, began from competition among the professional watermen that provided ferry and taxi service on the River Thames in London. Prizes for wager races were often offered by the London Guilds and Livery Companies or wealthy owners of riverside houses. During the Nineteenth Century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the Nineteenth Century, notably on the Tyne. The oldest surviving such race, Doggett's Coat and Badge was first contested in 1715 and is still held annually from London Bridge to Chelsea. In America, the earliest known race dates back to 1756 in New York, when a pettiauger defeated a Cape Cod whaleboat in a race.

Amateur competition in England began towards the end of the Eighteenth Century. Documentary evidence from this period is sparse, but it is known that the Monarch Boat Club of Eton College and the Isis Club of Westminster School were both in existence in the 1790s. The Star Club and Arrow Club in London for gentlemen amateurs were also in existence before 1800. At the University of Oxford bumping races were first organised in 1815,[10] while at Cambridge the first recorded races were in 1827. The Boat Race between Oxford University and Cambridge University first took place in 1829, and was the second intercollegiate sporting event (following the first Varsity Cricket Match by 2 years). The interest in the first Boat Race and subsequent matches led the town of Henley to begin hosting an annual regatta in 1839.

Founded in 1818, Leander Club is the world's oldest public rowing club. The second oldest club which still exists is the Der Hamburger und Germania Ruder Club which was founded 1836 and marked the beginning of rowing as an organized sport in Germany. During the Nineteenth Century, as in England, wager matches in North America between professionals became very popular attracting vast crowds. The Detroit Boat Club was established as the first rowing exclusive club in 1839 in the US. In 1843, the first American college rowing club was formed at Yale University. The Harvard-Yale Regatta is the oldest intercollegiate sporting event in the United States, having been contested every year since 1852 (excepting interruptions for wars).

| THE SPORT
In all boats, each rower is numbered in sequential order, low numbers at the bow, up to the highest at the stern. The first seat is called the bowman, or 'bow', the closest to the stern is called the 'strokeman' or 'stroke'. Athletes sit in the boat facing backwards (towards the stern), and use the oars (held in place by oarlocks) to propel the boat forward (towards the bow). Rowing differs from canoeing or kayaking because the oars are held in place at a pivot point.

Two forms of rowing:
• Sweep or Sweep-oar rowing, each rower has one oar, held in both hands. This is done in pairs, fours and eights. Each rower in a sweep boat is referred to either as "port" (aka "strokeside") or "starboard" (aka "bowside"), depending on which side of the boat the rower's oar extends to.

• In Sculling each rower has two oars (one in each hand). "Sculling" is usually done in doubles, quadruples, or singles without a coxswain. The oar the right hand is to the port side, and the oar in the left hand is to starboard.

| THE CREW
In an 8+ boat, the stern pair are responsible for setting the stroke rate and rhythm for the rest of the boat to follow. The middle four (sometimes called the "engine room") are usually the less technical, but more powerful rowers in the crew, while the bow pair is the more technical, set up the balance of the boat and have the most influence on the line the boat steers.

The rudder is controlled by the cox, if present, or by one of the crew with a the rudder cable is attached to the toe of one of their shoes which can pivot about the ball of the foot, moving the cable left or right. Single and double sculls are steered by the scullers pulling harder on one side or the other.
 
| TYPES OF RACES
Regattas are usually in the spring/summer and feature side by side racing. All the boats start at the same time from a stationary position and the winner is the boat that crosses the finish line first. The number of boats varies between two (which is sometimes referred to as a 'dual race') to six, but any number of boats can start together if the course is wide enough.

Standard length for races is 2,000 m long. However the race distance can and does vary from 'dashes' or 'sprints', which may be 500 m long. In general, multi-boat competitions are organized in a series of rounds, with the fastest boats in each heat qualifying for the next round. The losing boats from each heat may be given a second chance to qualify through a repechage.

Head races are time trial/processional races that take place from fall to early spring. Boats begin with a rolling start at intervals of 10-20 seconds, and are timed over a set distance. Head courses vary in length from 2,000 m to 12,000 m, though there are longer races such as the Boston Rowing Marathon.
 
| TRAINING
Most schools focus on building technical proficiency and improving physical strength and endurance in the fall. Fall is also the season of head races.

Intense building period for the spring racing season takes place in winter. Primarily consists of long interval training, this gradually becomes shorter and more intense as the race season approaches. Done on the water, using ergometers or indoor rowing tanks. A few schools send their fastest rowers to the CRASH-B Sprints in Boston. This 2,000 meter race is held on ergometers and features separate events for collegiate athletes.

The primary season for college rowing is in the spring, and the majority of schedule is composed of dual races. These 2,000 meter races take place between two, or sometimes three, schools. There are also several large regattas, such as the San Diego Crew Classic and the Eastern Sprints. Sprint races begin with all teams lined up and started simultaneously, as opposed to the time trials in the fall. If the rowing is league sponsored sport, the dual race and regatta results will also typically be used in determining the team's seeding for the league championship.

| COMPETITIVE CATEGORIES
The type of boat rowed and the participants ages, level of ability, sex, and weight, determines categories.

Ability
Novice: A high school athlete in their first year of competitive rowing. If an athlete has coxied in previous years, their status as a novice is retained their first year of competitive rowing.

Varsity: An athlete with over one year of competitive rowing experience.

Gender
There are men's events and there are women's events.

Weight* (There are two weight categories: lightweight and open weight.)

Lightweights can row in open weight events, but open weight athletes may not drop down to lightweight events unless they meet the required weight. Lightweights have to weigh in before their events.

Age
Junior - A high school athlete who has not reached their 18th birthday prior to January 1st of that calendar year or unless stated otherwise in individual regatta rules.

Masters - An adult rower 27 years of age or older. Master rowers recieve handicaped times and only row 1000m.

| THE ROWING MOTION
The whole body is involved in moving a shell through the water. Basically, the stroke is made up of four parts: catch, drive, release, and recovery.

Catch - As the stroke begins, the rower is somewhat coiled forward on the sliding seat, with knees bent, arms outstretched. At the catch, the rower raises the hands to place the oar blade vertically into the water.

Drive - At the beginning of the drive, the body position remains the same-the legs do all the work. Then as the upper boy begins to uncoil, the arms begin their work drawing the oar blades through the water. Continuing the drive, the rower moves his hands quickly into his body, which by this time is in a layback position-about the same angle as sitting in a comfortable living room chair.

Release - During the release the oar handle is lowered, drawing the oar blade out of the water. At the same time, the rower feathers the oar-turns the oar handle-so that the oar blade changes from a vertical position to a horizontal one.

Recovery - The oar remains out of the water as the rower begins recovery by moving his hands away from the body and past his knees. The body follows the hands and the sliding seat moves forward, with help from the feet and hips, until the knees are fully bent; the rower is ready to raise his hands for the next catch.

EQUIPMENT
Shells Rowing boats with each person having two oars are called sculls. The act of rowing one of these sculls is known as sculling. All sculls are shells, but not all shells are sculls. All boats can safely be called shells. Originally made of wood, the newer boats-especially those used in competition-are made of carbon fiber or honeycombed fiberglass. Singles are 27 feet long and eights are 58 feet long. The width varies-competitive singles are as narrow as 10 inches; recreational boats are considerably less tippy at 20-to 25-inches wide.

Sculling People who have two oars in the water are called scullers. You can row by yourself with two oars in a single, with someone else who also has two oars in the double, or with three others in a quad.

Single Scull (1X): one person with two oars. The boat is also called a single. Double Sculls (2X): two people with two oars each. The boat is also called a double. Quadruple Sculls (4X): four people with two oars each. The boat is also called a quad.

Sweep People using one oar only sweep. Sweep rowers operate pairs, fours, and eights, and may or may not carry along a coxswain (pronounced cox-n), who is the on-the-water coach and steer-person. The normal configuration in a sweep boat has oars alternating from right to left, or starboard to port.

Pair without coxswain (2-): two people with one oar each. Since there is no one to steer, the person in bow seat (the first seat from the bow) works the rudder with the foot while rowing-not an easy task. The boat is also called aStraight pair, a pair without, or a coxless pair.

A pair with coxswain (2+): two people with one oar each plus a coxswain to steer and advise. The boat is also called a pair with or a coxed pair.

A four without coxswain (4-): four people with one oar each. The person in bow seat steers with their foot. The boat is also called a straight four, a coxless four, and a four without.

A four with coxswain (4+): four people with one oar each and a coxswain. The boat is also called a coxed four or a four with.

An eight (8+): eight people with one oar each and a coxswain. Eights absolutely require a coxswain. The eights are the fastest boats on the water.