Sports Glossaries
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aligner

An official who's responsible for aligning boats evenly evenly for a fair start.

aligner's hut

A hut or gazebo on the starting line, occupied by the starting judge and the aligner.

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back splash

Spray toward the bow from an oar that enters the water on recovery.

backstop

A small block on the bow end of the slide, which holds the seat on track.

blade

The part of an oar that pushes against the waterr.

boot

A device that holds the bow of a boat until the starting signal, when it drops below the water.

bow

The forward part of a boat.

bowball

A round rubber protrusion attached to the bow of a shell for protection.

bowman

The oarsman who sits nearest the bow.

bowside

The left side of the shell, from the point of view of the oarsmen, who face the stern. By extension, the oarsmen whose oars are in the water on that side.

bucket rig

An arrangement on an eight or a four so that Riggers 2 and 3 are on the same side of the boat.

button

A collar on the shaft of the oar that keeps it from slipping through the oarlock. It can be adjusted up or down to increase or decrease the rower's leverage.

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cadence

The beat at which the oarsmen are rowing. With coxed crews, the coxswain often raps out the cadence to keep the oarsmen pulling together.

canvas

The tapered section of a boat between the bowman and the bow of the boat or between the coxswain and the stern. So called because it used to be covered with canvas.

catch

The portion of the stroke when the oar initially engages the water.

catch a crab

To make a a faulty stroke, usually because the blade enters the water at an angle, instead of perpendicularly.

check

Deceleration caused by poor rowing technique, usually because an oarsman puts pressure on the stretcher without applying simultaneous, countervailing pressure on the pin.

check it down

An emergency command from the coxswain to jam oars into the water in order to stop the boat.

chopper

See hatchet.

cleaver

See hatchet.

course

A straight area in the water, typically 4 to 8 lanes wide, for rowing competition. The standard Olympic course is 2,000 meters long.

cox

Short for coxswain.

cox box

A small electronic device that amplifies the coxswain's voice and also gives a readout of information, such as the current stroke rating.

coxed

Descriptive of a boat or crew that has a coxswain.

coxless

Descriptive of a boat or crew with no coxswain.

coxswain

The helmsman, who has two important jobs: To keep the boat moving straight by making minor corrections to the rudder, and to keep the oarsmen rowing at the desired stroke rate.

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deck

One of the sections of a shell near the bow and stern that are covered, usually with thin plastic or fiberglass.

dig deep

To thrust an oar too deeply into the water, resulting in loss of power. Also "knife in."

double

A sculling boat for two rowers.

drive

The portion of a stroke, between the catch and the release, when the oar is forcefully moving through the water.

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eight

A sweep-oar boat with eight rowers and a coxswain.

ergometer

A stationary rowing machine that allows indoor practice. Erg, for short.

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false start

A premature start by one or more boats.

feather

To turn the blade of an oar while rowing so that it's parallel to the surface of the water. The blade should be feathered during release to minimize air resistance.

fin

The skeg.

finish

The final portion of the drive, just before the oar is taken out of the water.

foot stretcher

See stretcher.

four

A sweep-oar boat for four rowers. There is competition for fours with coxswain and fours without coxswain.

frig rig

See tandem rig.

front splash

The spray that's kicked up when the oar enters the water at the catch.

front stop

A small block on the stern end of the slide, which holds the seat in place.

full paddle

The highest level of power possible from an oarsman.

full pressure

Same as "full paddle."

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gate

A bar across the oarlock that keeps the oar from popping out.

German rig

The arrangement of an eight so that riggers 4 and 5 are on the same side while the others alternate port and starboard.

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handle

The section of the oar gripped by the oarsman.

hatchet

An oar with a cleaver-shaped blade that has a larger surface area than on the standard oar.

heat

A race within a race, from which the top finishers advance to further rounds that will ultimately determine the winner.

hold water

A command from a coxswain to the oarsmen to place their blades horizontally in the water to slow the shell quickly.

hull

The skin of a racing boat, which is usually made of carbon fiber, fiberglass, wood, or some combination of these.

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inboard

The distance from the end of the oar's handle to the portion of the button that touches the oarlock.

inside hand

The hand closest to the oarlock.

Italian rig

The arrangement of an eight so that bow and stroke riggers are on the same side while the others alternate port and starboard.

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knife in

See dig deep.

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layback

The backward lean of an oarsman's body at the end of a stroke.

let it run!

A call from the coxswain to stop rowing at the finish, letting the boat glide through the water and coast to a stop.

lightweight

A weight division for lighter rowers. In the Olympics, 72.5 kilograms (about 160 pounds) or less for men and 59 kilograms (about 130 pounds) or less for women.

loom

The section of the oar between the blade and the handle.

lunge

An abrupt lean of the body before the catch, which can throw the oarsmen out of timing with the rest of the crew.

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miss water

To have too short a drive, usually caused by not getting the blade into the water quickly enough at the catch.

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oar

A pole with a flat section, known as the blade, near the end, used for propelling a boat through the water.

oarlock

A latch that holds the oar and provides a fulcrum for the stroke.

oarsman

A rower of either sex.

off keel

Descriptive of an unbalanced boat.

official

An administrator who follows the race in a motorboat to ensure that all boats stay in their designated lanes.

on keel

Descriptive of a balanced and level boat.

outboard

The distance from the oarlock to the tip of the oar's blade.

outrigger

See rigger.

outside hand

The hand farthest from the oarlock.

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paddle

To row gently, with minimum force.

pair

A sweep-oar boat for two rowers. There is competition for pairs with coxswain and pairs without coxswain.

pin

A metal rod upon which the oarlock is mounted.

pitch

The angle at which an oar is set in the water.

port

The left side of a boat.

port rig

An arrangement in which the stroke rows on the port side.

power ten

A series of 10 powerful strokes, usually either to gain on a crew that's leading or to open a larger gap over a crew that's trailing.

puddle

The water movement caused by the action of the oars. The size and shape of the puddle are indications of the amount of power put into the stroke.

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quadruple

A sculling boat for four rowers. Often shortened to "quad."

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race pace

A stroke rating that a crew can hold for an entire race.

racing start

The opening strokes of a race, which are typically rowed at a high cadence to get the shell moving rapidly through the water.

rating

The number of strokes per minute a crew is rowing.

recovery

The portion of the stroke, between the release and the catch, during which the oar is brought into position for the next stroke.

regatta

A boat race, or a meeting at which a number of boat races take place.

release

The portion of the stroke when the oar is removed from the water.

repechage

A round of competition for boats that lost in a preliminary heat. Top finishers in a repechage continue to further rounds.

rig

The way in which riggers are arranged in a shell, which dictates how the oars and rowers are arranged. As a verb, to prepare a boat for racing. Also "rigging."

rigger

A device that connects the oarlock to the shell.

rowlock

Another name for the oarlock.

rudder

A small fin that allows the coxswain to steer the boat.

rudder cable

A rope or cable operated by the coxswain to turn the rudder.

run

The distance a boat travels during one stroke.

rush the slide

To move from the recovery to the catch too quickly, often the result of a lunge.

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scull

One of a pair of oars that are used by a single rower, one in each hand. As a verb, to use sculls to propel a boat.

seat

A platform of plastic or wood that sits on the slides and moves back and forth with the rower's motion. Seats are numbered from bow to stern and rowers are often identified by their seat numbers. In an eight, the bowman is No. 1 and the stroke is No. 8.

set

The boat's balance, a delicate property that's affected by the posture and timing of the rowers as well as by qualities of the boat itself.

shell

A racing boat.

single

A sculling boat for one rower.

skeg

A small, flat piece of wood or plastic attached perpendicularly to the bottom of the shell to help hold it on a straight course; also known as the fin.

skying

A poor rowing technique in which the blade is too high above the surface of the water at the catch.

slide

A set of runners holding wheels for each seat in a boat.

spacing

Same as run.

sprint

1) The last 500 meters of a 2,000-meter race. 2) A race substantially shorter than 2,000 meters.

square

To turn the oar's blade so it's perpendicular to the surface of the water. The blade is squared at the end of recovery, in preparation for the catch.

starting dock

A dock at the start line where the boats are aligned before the race.

starboard

The right side of a boat.

stern

The back part of a boat.

stretcher

A set of two inclined foot rests that hold each rower's shoes.

stroke

1) The total rowing motion, including catch, drive, finish, release, and recovery. 2) The rower nearest the stern, who sets the cadence for the rest of the crew.

sweep

The oar used in a sweep-oared boat; as an adjective, descriptive of the boat itself.

sweep-oar rowing

Rowing with a single oar, gripped by both hands.

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tandem rig

A rowing arrangement in which each set of two adjacent riggers is on the same side of the boat.

toe

To operate a rudder that's controlled by the foot.

track

A U-shaped piece of metal that keeps the wheels of a seat on a straight path. A slide is made up of two tracks.

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wash out

To bring the blade out of the water before the drive has been completed, thus losing power.

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