Historical overview
The history of rowing as a sport has one of the oldest traditions in the world. What began as a method of transport and warfare eventually became a sport with a wide following, and a part of the cultural identity of the English speaking world. Today rowing is an amateur sport and an Olympic event.
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 honour of his father. In the 13th century, Venetian festivals called regata included boat races among others. Nowadays, rowing competitions are still called regattas (with a second 't' added).
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 19th century these races were to become numerous and popular, attracting large crowds. A contemporary sporting book lists 5000 such matches in the years 1835 to 1851. Prize matches amongst professionals similarly became popular on other rivers throughout Great Britain in the 19th century, notably attracting vast crowds 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.
Amateur competition in England began towards the end of the 18th 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 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.
As the seriousness of the racing and the size of the prize grew, oarsmen looked to improve their equipment to give them an edge. In 1828 Anthony Brown (England) attached crude wooden out-riggers to a boat. The out-rigger allowed for a narrower, speedier boat to be built without the need to support an oar directly sitting on the gunwale (in-rigged). The in-rigged and out-rigged boats of this era had a fixed seat, moveable foot-board, thowle rowlock, and an exterior keel. The next major development was the smooth skin, keel-less hull. The boat became known as the "shell" because its structure was internal and a smooth delicate egg shell like skin was formed around it.
The general configuration for four-oared boats through the late 1860s included a coxswain to steer. There were some attempts reported at trying to slide on the seat to extend the length of the rowing stroke. The sliding seats were eagerly accepted by the racing community. It changed the sport from one of fairly simple upper body power with static leg pressure to one of very complex power application. Moreover, the boat speed can be significantly improved by trading the sliding seat for a sliding rigger. This increases boat efficiency because body mass remains still on the fixed seat while the rigger/foot-stretcher unit slides. With body mass stationary, the boat does not pitch bow to stern nearly as much, thus, less hull resistance is incurred.
The result of the transformation from wood to carbon fiber/honeycomb/epoxy is that boats weigh less. Wooden eights in the 1950s were 300 pounds while eights in 2000 are a little over 200 pounds. They do not glow with the same beauty, heart and soul as the wooden craft, but they are much stiffer, stronger, more durable, can be more easily repaired and require less maintenance than their predecessors.
It seems that oar and scull developments have been a little more gradual. The early oars (17th c.) were straight with a very long flattened surface and square looms. Then at some time (18th c.) they became a little more contoured with a curve to the blade, but still a long slender blade. Into the 19th and 20th c. many blade shapes were tried. Some had a short life while others were widely accepted.
FISA, the “Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron” in French (or the English equivalent International Federation of Rowing Associations) was founded by representatives from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Adriatica (now a part of Italy) and Italy in Turin on 25 June 1892. It is the oldest international sports federation in the Olympic movement. FISA first organised a European Rowing Championships in 1893. An annual World Rowing Championships was introduced in 1962. Rowing has also been conducted at the Olympic Games since 1900 (canceled at the first modern Games in 1896 due to bad weather).
Some important dates in rowing history:
- First European Rowing Championship (men): 1893
- Rowing becomes part of the Olympic Games program: 1896, Athens
- First European Championship (women): 1954
- First World Rowing Championship: 1962
- Last European Championship (adults): 1973
- Women can participate in the World Championship: from 1974
- Women can first participate in the Olympics (Montreal): from 1976
- Lightweight rowing events introduced to worldwide championships: from 1984
- Lightweight rowing events introduced to the Olympics: from 1996
- Masters World Rowing Championship: 2001
- U23 World Rowing Championships: since 2005
- World Rowing Coastal Championships: since 2007
- European Championships organized again: after 2007
- World Rowing Championship for the mentally handicapped: from 2009