ETON ROWING GUIDE
A full glossary of rowing terms and Etoniana can be found below. Here is an at a glance guide to the Eton system and ARA/ event racing categories:
| Eton Year group | ECBC Group | Racing categories | Explanation |
| F | F | No external races | F race individually in singles and in house groups in quads |
| E | Junior Colts | J15A, J15B, J15 2nd | A and B denote a class of event - so small schools will race their A crews in a B event. 2nd crews must be a school's B crew or below |
| D | Colts | J16A, J16B Novice, Senior 4 |
See above for A and B crews. Novice is for crews (of schools, clubs or colleges) who have no regatta wins. Senior 4 is the next group up and will often involve club, college and lesser university crews, along with school 2nd/ 3rd VIIIs or Colts VIIIs |
| B,C | Upper Boats | J18, J18B, 2nd/3rd VII Senior 4,3,2,1, Elite |
See above for A and B crews. There are also specific categories for 2nd and 3rd VIIIs at National Schools and some other regattas. See above for S4. S3 is a good club/ college standard, often entered by 1st VIIIs early in the season, or good 2nd VIIIs. S2 is a high club/ college/ 1st VIII standard (Henley hopefuls). The 1st VIII would only enter S1 or Elite when it was looking to be stretched by very strong crews. |
| ABBREVIATIONS | e.g. MJ154x+. M = Men, W = women. J15 = Junior Under 15, (ie Junior Colts), 4= number of people in the boat, x = sculling, as opposed to no mention, which is rowing: + denotes coxed, - denotes a coxless boat. |
| ANDREWS' STRETCH | The stretch of river above Boveney Lock ("Locks") adjacent to the Rowing lake. |
| AQUATICS CUP | The Cup awarded to the house achieving the highest number of points in internal house and other competitions |
| BLADE | Flat area at the end of the oar or scull which enters the water during the rowing stroke. Often the whole oar or scull is referred to as the 'blade'. |
| BOW | Forward [front end] part of the boat and the name given to the rower who sits in the bows. |
| BOW SIDE | Starboard side of the boat. |
| BUMPING RACES | Annual races over four days in May on the Rafts stretch (best viewing by the railway bridge). House crews attempt to bump the crew in front in order to ascend the bumping league. Also exported from Eton to Oxford and Cambridge. |
| BURN/BURST/MOVE | Tactical increase of speed. |
| CANIÇADA | Venue in Northern Portugal for the Upper Boats and Colts Easter Training Trip. |
| CANVAS | "Covering" [traditionally actually canvas but now mainly plastic and part of the boat] which encloses the bow and stern sections of the boat where there are no rowers and also is a term used to describe a leading margin by one crew over another - representing approximately 5 feet. |
| CAPSIZE DRILL | A routine drill, conducted in a single scull in the indoor pool, undertaken by all potential wetbobs to familiarise them with procedures in the event of a capsize. |
| CAPTAIN OF THE BOATS | The Captain of the VIII, and boy who is in charge of rowing matters. |
| CATCH | Moment of entry of the blade into the water. |
| CAUGHT IN' to get.. | A minor, but not necessarily disastrous, 'crab'. |
| CHURCHILL CUP | The cup awarded to the house achieving the highest number of non-elite points in the Aquatics Cup |
| CIRCUITS | Intensive gym exercises with or without weights or gym equipment done in repetition to improve muscle endurance and heart and lung function. |
| COLOURS | 1. At Regattas, Eton crews (with the exception of the VIII) race in navy blue, with navy blue blades. The second VIII blades are tipped Eton blue, the Colts A VIII blades tipped white. 2. Colours are awarded by the Captain of the Boats, and are seen around the school and at regattas on blazers and zephyrs. The colours most frequently seen are as follows: The VIII: Eton Blue. 2nd VIII: dark blue and white stripe. 3rd VIII: white with red stripe. Colts A: white with navy blue stripe. Colts B: white with green stripe. Junior Colts A: white with brown stripe. Lower Boats: white with magenta stripes. |
| COLTS | Rowers in the D block year |
| COX (coxswain) | The steersperson who sits facing the stroke person [nearest rower to the stern] and who issues instructions through a microphone/speaker system. In some case, the cox may lie full-length in the bows of the boat facing forward behind the bows person to improve the weight distribution, particularly in the smaller class of racing boats. |
| CRAB'..to catch a.. | A Bad Thing. This occurs when a blade enters the water at under square position, goes too deep and gets stuck at finish. This can sometimes stop the boat and might even expel the oarsman from the craft. |
| CREW | The rowers and cox who make up the team in an Eight, Four, Pair, Octuple, Quad or Double. |
| DORNEY | The location of the Eton Rowing lake, and the name by which it is commonly known in rowing circles. |
| DOUBLE | Double Scull. Boat with two people sculling (using two sculls each). abbr. 2x |
| EIGHT | Eight-oared racing boat with eight rowers and a cox. Abbr. 8+ or 8o. |
| ERGO | Short for Ergometer. A land based rowing machine used for training, that simulates the oarsman’s action in the boat and measures various parameters such as power, length, frequency, 500 m time distance etc. |
| ETON BLUE | The light blue/green colour worn by the VIII, and adopted by Cambridge University for the Boat Race in 1839, and ever since. |
| F QUADS | The first major inter-house competition a wetbob in F will compete in. |
| FEATHER | The orientation of the blade being parallel to the water as the rower swings forward and prepares to take the stroke. The opposite of "squaring". |
| FIN | A metal or plastic attachment to bottom (hull) of boat for stability of steering. |
| FINISH | Moment of the blade extraction from the water. |
| FOUR | Four-oared racing boat with four rowers. There are two classes -coxless and coxed - the former is steered by one of the rowers using a device attached to one of the shoes within the boat with wires to the rudder at the rear attached to the foot stretcher. Abbr. 4- or 4+ respectively. |
| GATE /SWIVEL | (rowlock or oarlock) U-shaped attachment at outer end of the rigger to hold the oar or scull in place at the pivot point. |
| HEAD RACE | A processional race over a longer distance, against the clock. The focus for the Michaelmas and Lent halves. |
| HEIGHT | The distance of gate position above the seat. This measurement is adjustable for best efficiency and comfort according to athlete's size. |
| HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA | The culmination of the Rowing Year for the VIII, that races in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup ("the PE"). |
| J, or J18 | Junior events for boys under 18 on 1 September of their last year at school. |
| J15 | Junior Colts (E block) events |
| J15 A and B VIIIs | Categories of competition. In order to enter certain competitions, a school such as Eton is expected to enter its top crew in the A category event. It may then place its second crew in the B category, which can include the top crews of some schools, or... |
| J15 2nd VIIIs | … this category, which may not. |
| J16 | Colts (D block) events |
| JUNIOR COLTS | Rowers in the E block year |
| LOWER BOATS | Colours for Junior Oarsmen. |
| MASTERS' | Masters' boathouse: situated on Pocock's lane, is serves as access to the Datchet stretch, providing good water for distance work. The Procession of Boats is boated from here. |
| MONARCH | The first and senior (10-oar) boat to pass in the Procession of Boats on the Fourth of June. It is usually stroked by the Captain of the Boats, and crewed by senior boys who help administer internal rowing. |
| NATIONAL SCHOOLS' REGATTA | ..or NSR. The National Regatta held in late May in Nottingham at which the top crews in Junior Colts, Colts and Upper Boats compete. |
| NINTH MAN | The "Captain" of the Monarch, who organises marshalling duties by the members of the crew. |
| OAR | … for rowing with one 'stick', as opposed to 'sculling', with two. An oar is usually 371 to 375cm long, (depending on suitability to the skill and strength of the oarsman). |
| OPPOSITION | Colour charts for houses and for schools are usually available in programmes. For external events, the schools against which we might race most frequently have the following colours: Abingdon - bright cerise: Bedford - dark blue and white: Hampton - yellow and black: Radley - red and white: St. Paul's - white and black: Shrewsbury - dark blue and white: Westminster - pink. |
| PAIR | A pair-oared boat, for two rowers. Abbreviated as 2- (coxless) or 2+ (coxed). |
| PARENTS' SUPPORT GROUP | All support and help at regattas and head races is greatly appreciated! If you can help, please contact… |
| PROCESSION OF BOATS | The procession of the Monarch and racing VIIIs in traditional maritime victorian dress on the Fourth of June holiday. The boats are of original 19th century design and construction method. Boys stand in the boat and salute Her Majesty the Queen, and Eton College. |
| PUDDLE | Swirl / disturbance left in the water after the blade has been extracted at the end of the stroke. |
| PUSH | Tactical increase of effort and hopefully speed. |
| QUAD | Quadruple scull. Four-person racing boat in which the rowers have a pair of sculls each. |
| RAFTS | The boathouse facing Windsor at the bottom of the High Street. The centre for bumps racing and internal rowing. |
| RATING | Number of strokes rowed per minute - used to advise crew of their working rate. The word "pip" is used by rowers in this connection, e.g. take the rate up two pips - from 34 to 36. |
| RECOVERY | Rest phase during stroke cycle when rower is swinging forward and gliding up the slide to take the next catch. |
| REGATTA | From the Italian. A side-by-side racing event, usually held in the Summer half. |
| RIG | Includes riggers, oars, height, pitch etc.- i.e. all adjustable elements involved in the fine-tuning preparation of a boat for racing. |
| RIGGER | Adjustable metal [or sometimes now carbon fibre] frame projecting from side of boat to support the gate which holds the oar or scull at the pivot point. |
| RUDDER | Steering device usually in the stern operated by the cox or steers person using connecting strings or wires. |
| SCULLER (SINGLE SCULL) | Racing boat for one person using two sculls (similar to oars but smaller). Abbreviated to 1x. The name applies to the boat and to the person rowing it i.e. a person racing in a quad, double or single-sculling boat. |
| SCULLS | These are similar to oars but smaller. |
| SEAT RACING | An attempt to ensure that selection for crews is as objective as possible. Two crews race each other, then one oarsman from each boat swaps with another from the other boat. No other changes are made, and the crews then race again. The comparative differences in the times of each crew from one race to the next are registered, and the winner is the oarsman who has either reduced the difference of loss or increased the margin of the win. |
| SHELL | Racing rowing boat. |
| SLIDE | Runners on which the sliding seat rolls back and forward to enable the rower to use the thigh quadriceps, and achieve the longest effective stroke. |
| SPAN [Thwartship distance or TD] | Distance from the "pin" or pivot of the gate to the centre or keel of the boat. A measurement of leverage. |
| SQUARE | Vertical position of the blade [at right angles or perpendicular to the water] just before and as it enters for the catch, throughout the stroke and at the point of extraction before being rolled onto the feather for the recovery stage. |
| STERN | Back, rear, aft end of the boat. |
| STRENGTH TRAINING (which often doesn't involve weights at all!) | A very important part of what a rower does, not only for competition purposes but also for the prevention of injury. This involves a very gradual progression of training in technique, flexibility, core stability and finally muscular strength and endurance. All such training is tailored to the individual's own capacity and circumstances, and is carefully monitored. |
| STRETCHER | Adjustable three point [two at sides one at bottom] support for feet to which are attached flexible shoes. |
| STROKE | 1. The rower who sits in the stern of the boat and who sets the rhythm for the crew sitting "behind" i.e nearer the bows!. In an eight the rest of the crew are numbered from stroke - 7,6,5,4,3,2 and bow. In a Four it is stroke, 3,2 and bow. 2. The term for the rowing action - as in ‘taking a stroke’. |
| STROKESIDE | The port side of the boat. |
| SWIMMING TEST | All wetbobs are required to have passed a test to verify their ability to swim. |
| THE BOAT RACE | Annual race in late March or early April on the Tideway between Oxford (dark blue) and Cambridge (Eton blue) universities, and their respective reserve crews, Isis and Goldie. Women's and Lightweight Boat Races take place earlier at Henley. |
| THE EIGHT | The first VIII. |
| TIDEWAY | The stretch of the tidal Thames between Putney and Kew bridges: the venue for The Head of the River Race, the Schools' Head, the Head of the River Fours, and the Pairs' Head, as well as the Boat Race. |
| UPPER BOATS | 1. Rowers in the B and C block years. 2. Colours. |
| VIKINGS | The Eton Vikings - the registered Boat Club for Old Boys, that supports Eton Rowing by providing the marquee for the National Schools' Regatta, and through other kind donations. |
| ZEPHYR | Traditional rowing shirt, similar to a T-shirt with open collar, usually depicting colours, such as Lower Boats, Colts A etc. |