Sport rowing

The crew

In all boats, except the single sculls, each rower is numbered in sequential order from the bow to the stern. The bowman is always "one seat." Note - there are some exceptions to this - UK coastal rowers number from stern to bow and this is also the standard in France.

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In addition to this, certain crew members have other titles and roles:

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Stroke (or strokeman)

This the rower closest to the stern of the boat. Everyone else follows stroke's timing - placing their blades in and out of the water at the same time. They can communicate with the coxswain (when in a stern coxed boat) to give feedback on how the boat feels. During a race, it is the stroke's responsibility to hold a consistent rate that is mandated by the coxswain. The rower will often have a magnet under their sliding seat which passes over another magnet which allows the coxswain to get an accurate stroke rating (however, in bow-loader coxed fours the magnet is underneath bow seat so that wire does not need to be run the length of the boat). Because of the great responsibilities of the stroke, they will usually be the most technically sound member of the boat.

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Bow (or bowman)

This is the rower closest to the bow of the boat. In coxless boats, they are usually responsible for steering and giving calls to the crew. In coxed boats, bowmen (bow pair, generally) are more responsible for the set of the boat than any other pair. Boats that are bow coxed (with the cox'n lying in the bows behind the bowman) rather than stern coxed (with the coxn sitting in the stern opposite the Stroke) rely on communcation between the bowman and the cox - as the cox cannot see boats coming up from behind.

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Coxswain (cox)

The word Coxswain etymologically means something like "boat boy" - it comes from cock, a cockboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain.

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The role of a coxswain is to:

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• Steer the boat
• Provide motivation and encouragement to the crew
• Inform the crew of where they are in relation to other crews and the finish line
• To make any necessary race strategy calls

A common error in non-rowers is a belief that the cox shouts "stroke, stroke, ..." so that the rowers know when to place the blades into the water. As explained above, it is the strokeman that controls the timing of the boat. Coxswain's will only perform this function with very novice crews and will usually shout "there, there..." or count sequentially for each stroke, never "stroke, stroke..."

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It is advantageous for the cox to be light - as there is less weight for the crew to move. However rules have been introduced to enforce a minimum weight and anyone under this has to carry a sealed deadweight (often sand, stones or a weight) in order to meet the minimum.

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A good coxswain is exceptionally valuable for a crew. When the rowers are confident in the abilities of a cox, it shows during races. Aside from the steering and commanding, a cox also has the responsibility of motivating the crew and encouraging them to push their bodies to the limit. A coxswain can be highly critical at practices if he or she believes that a rower is not performing to potential.

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