Henley Regatta is back, and parents, grandparents and friends of the top school-age rowers across the country are bracing themselves for what is the apogee of the British school rowing calendar.
From exclamations of jubilation to cries of anguish, spectators are rarely spared any details of the day?s drama. Yet there is far more to school rowing than what simply happens during the race itself.
Everything you need to know about school rowing
Typical School Rowing Training
Credit: Gordon’s School
Training for these races is often comprised of some combination of technical drills on the river, endurance work on the river or in the gym, and strength and conditioning in the gym.
Usually occurring very early in the morning before school or in the afternoon after lessons, training is a substantial time commitment: it often lasting at least three hours, and for top crews occurs five to six days per week. Winter is especially gruelling ? ?medals are won in the winter and collected in the summer?, coaches like to remind their crews. During the harsh weather and shorter days accompanying these months, rowing machines (?Ergos?) are a particularly reliable (and painful) source of training.
School Rowing Rivalries
Credit: Emanuel School
Inter-school rivalry only heightens the emotion of the occasion. Unlike international rivalries, school rivalries are watered almost weekly through competitions through from January to July.
For many of boat clubs these rivalries far precede any of ...