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Blade
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the end of the oar/scull that is in the water (wide and flat). Most blades are painted with a team or country pattern in the organization's designated colors.
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Bow
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the front of the shell, OR the person who sits nearest the bow of the shell.
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Button
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keeps the oar/scull from slipping through the oarlock.
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Catch
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the oar blade entering the water as the stroke begins.
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Coxswain
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the person who directs the boat, either sitting in the stern or reclining in the bow. Coxswains are typically small and light but must meet a minimum weight. They act as the on-the-water coach and steer person (has no oar).
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Crab
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a disaster in which the rower fails to extract the oar from the water at the finish, causing the handle to smash him/her in the body or pull him/her overboard.
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Deck
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the areas of a shell at the bow and stern that are covered with varnished fiberglass cloth or, more recently, with a thin plastic material.
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Ergometer
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Called an "erg" by rowers, the ergometer is a rowing machine that is designed to imitate the actual rowing motion.
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Feathering
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turning the oar blade parallel to the water during the recovery, lessening wind resistance.
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Oarlock
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the piece that holds the oar in place at the end of the rigger
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Port
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left side of the shell -if facing forward in the boat. Note that rowers face backward, coxswains face forward.
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Power 10
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a call for rowers to do 10 of their most powerful strokes, a strategy used to make a move and pull ahead of, or hold off, a competitor.
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Puddles
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swirls of water created by the movement of the oars.
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Pull through or Drive
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when the legs go down as the body opens up, levering the boat forward.
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Rating (or beating)
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the number of strokes taken in a minute.
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Recovery
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when the rower's body moves toward the stern in preparation for the next stroke.
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Repechage
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a second chance race. Boats that fail to advance to the next round can qualify for repechage. Typically, winners advance to the next round.
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Rig
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the arrangement of the oars or sculls in the boat, which can vary from crew to crew.
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Rigger
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the triangular-shaped metal bar bolted onto the side of the boat, holding the oars in place.
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Shaft or Loom
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the mid-section of the oar/scull (thin and round).
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Shell
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racing boat.
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Sling
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a support for the boat when it is on land being rigged or prepared for rowing. Slings often look like a modified camp stool, with a metal or wood frame and a canvas cradle.
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Split
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time for each of the four 500-meter segments of the race.
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Starboard
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right side of the shell -if facing forward.
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Stern
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back of the boat.
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Stroke
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two meanings, a part of the rowing action OR the person sitting at the stern who sets the pace for the rest of the crew.
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Swamped
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a boat is swamped when it is full of water and can't be rowed.
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Swinging
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a crew in perfect unison.
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Understroke
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to row at a lower stroke rate, but with greater efficiency, than a rival boat.
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Washing
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giving another boat a wash with churned-up water.
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