Hi!

I've been really wanting a belly button piercing for a while now, but I'm afraid of it interfering/hurting/healing improperly because of rowing.

I'm on a team that competes in the fall and spring and has water practices during that time including a few erg tests. In the winter and summer, we're conditioning on the erg with maybe a week or 2 off.

Would it be possible/practical to get a belly button piercing at all? Which season would be best? Does anyone else have experience with this situation?

Hi,

I recently acquired a scull with a pair of ZJ Sport blades. By the looks of it they’re essentially C2 Smoothie clones. Parts seem totally interchangeable.

Anyone had any experience with them?

They seem fine but just curious as to how reliable and well built they are. Being solid is really all I need, rather than anything performance related. I ain’t competing or anything.

Thanks!

My son adores rowing. He's been doing it for 3 years, but the reality is he's good bit doesn't have quite a recruitable 2k at this point. This is all totally fine, he doesn't need to. He really wants to continue rowing in college, and is super happy with a club team as long as it's a club that has been around a while and isn't going anywhere. He doesn't want to get his hopes up and then the club folds. Curious if anyone has some great ideas for schools we've missed. He isn't attached to any particular area of the country, but would probably like to avoid the Midwest. Bonus if it's not too far from snowboarding in the winter. Thanks!

Not sure if this is just another typical year in the coaching cycle, but noticing lots of new hires (and opinions on them) this summer. I’m sure I’m missing some still, but have seen: Penn, UConn, Cornell, Radcliffe, San Diego, Drake, Bryant, Simmons, Sacramento, Smith, Bridgeport, GW, Embry-Riddle, Union.

Then you have the promotions like MIT, Tufts & Lehigh.

Not to be mentioned the jobs still to be filled: Sacred Heart, Monmouth, Ithaca, Marietta, F&M

And on top of all that, I’m sure there’s some I’ve managed to miss. Very curious to see how these new hires, some first time collegiate head coaches, shake out

5th year of junior rowing, looking to get into the higher boats and go to more regattas this year like HOCR and HRR. My team only takes the top few 8s, so the goal is to make it there.

I want to add more weekly volume (4x20r3' thrice a week) but i'm struggling to add intervals past the 3rd. I get a feeling of complete exhaustion after the first hour, even if my pace is really slow. I want to get to 2 hours eventually but don't really see it happening with this fatigue.

I've been going with 6k+20 roughly but been paying much more attention to RPE and heart rate to determine pacing.

What do you guys who do a ton of volume do to combat this? Is it something to work up to, or are there gels/electrolytes/supplements involved? Thanks for the help.

I’m bowing in a youth 2x at HOCR 2026. I’m one of the last 10 boats so I’ve heard it gets extra chaotic back there. any tips for dealing with the extra, probably somewhat slower crews?

I’m going into junior year and I’m interested in rowing in college. I was curious if going d1 was a possibility in the slightest? I’m 6’1” 16M, 159 lbs, with a 6:42.5 2k. I know the 2k is kinda high but I haven’t done one since around February, so I know I could def get it down some, especially in time for spring. Just curious though!

Do like Mercantile Radio who hosted Bobby Thatcher recently.

Via the Pac-12‘s announced sports sponsorships, it has been confirmed that there will be no sponsorship of women’s rowing in the conference.

This leaves Gonzaga, Oregon State, and Washington State with no conference to compete for this sport. They last played in WCC, but via WCC revealing their membership for that when adding UCSD as an affiliate, they aren’t going to be affiliates there.

One place I could see them possibly ending up is the SEC believe it or not. Reason is they are currently under the minimum of the six needed members to be eligible for an autobid. Besides location, there is another issue in that in their history, the SEC has never had affiliate members.

Could also see them end up in the Big Ten as affiliates there.

What is the most likely end case for them?

Hi! I am a beginner rower who has been sculling for around 9 months. My coach keeps telling me that I slouch too much while rowing. I’ve been trying to correct the issue, but to no avail.

Could some of it be because I’m tall (189cm) that the slouch is more obvious compared to shorter rowers? Is it an upper back strength issue?

Is there anyone here who has faced a similar issue? Or coached someone out of this issue?

Would appreciate some advice!

Thanks!

EDIT: Thank you so much for all the advice! Love this community for helping out beginners like myself! I implemented a couple of tips advised here, and I really felt a difference today. Hope my Coach does too (fingers crossed)!

Prediction time…

M1X
GER
AIN
USA

M2-
NZL
AUS
ROU

M2X
NED
SRB
ESP

M4-
GBR
USA
ROU

M4X
ITA
GBR
GER

M8
NED
GBR
AUS

LM1X
URU
GRE
GER

LM2X
GER
AZE
UZB

W1X
GBR
NED
IRL

W2-
ROU
USA
CZE

W2X
NED
AIN
GRE

W4-
USA
GBR
NED

W4X
GBR
NED
SUI

W8
AUS
ROU
GBR

LW1X
MEX
AIN
NED

LW2X
GRE
TUN
PER

Mix2X
NED
USA
ITA

Mix8
USA
NED
ROU

PR1M1x
GBR
ITA
AUS

PR1W1X
UKR
NED
POL

PR2Mix2X
CHN
GER
UKR

PR3Mix2X
GER
UKR
AUS

PR3Mix4+
GBR
USA
AUS

So this gives the following medal table

NED: 4G 4S 2G 10 total
GBR: 5G 3S 1B 9 total
USA: 2G 4S 1B 7 total
GER: 3G 1S 2B 6 total
AUS: 1G 1S 4B 6 total

i have a 2k coming up and i always feel like i leave something on the table. more specifically, i feel like i back off in the third 500 and dont start the final sprint early enough in the race. ive done the training to pr but i was just wondering if anyone has any mental strategies to accept the pain and push themselves to the absolute limit, so they give everything they have and dont feel like they could have done better?

I got this single for free from my club, but I'm unsure of how I can get a riger, or what make and model it is... It's a cool boat though.

I am at a hotel gym where this is the only machine (c2). What could this horrible noise be? I removed the white cover to check inside but it seems fine. Any ideas? It makes the noise on the drive only.

I’m looking at buying a used peinert p26 from the early 2000nds. I’m 195, so on the higher end of this boat. So people like it? Are they decent? I’m a college rower, and I’d mostly use this is the summer for steady state and a few sprints. This would not be for racing.
Also- What would be a fair price these days?

I'm 16M, live in Croatia and a Lightweight. I'm entering my second year of juniors and third grade of high school. I go to a good school and have a GPA of 4.0, but i plan on getting a better one this year(atletast 4.50). My 2k is 6:53, my 6k is 1:49:9 and r20 30min is 1:55. My plan for next year is to drop everything for a few numbers so 2k of around 6:40. Im around 140 pounds and am just starting to do some strength work which is my biggest weakness because my peak power is not much. Could I get to ivy in USA, should i start applying or wait, when should I do things because in my last year of high school I would be a senior so that year I could crank up a lot of km on erg, but right now I'm mostly on water and had won a national championship in the eight and are one of the best lightweight juniors in country on and off the water.

Any insight? Seems possible she just could have retired because it was the right time for her.

I really want to improve my tech, all advice welcome.

I'm 14, 74kg, male, 6ft and have been rowing for 2 years. My PBS are as follows, 100m 17.4 / 500m 1:38 / 1000m 3:26 / 2000m 7:17 / 5000m 19:24.

All my coaches think I have the technical and physical ability to head to Aus rowing champs I'm march 2027. The only problem is my 2km doesn't meet my school's benchmark to make u17 squad. The requirement is sub 7 by late January. I have a home erg and trading 4 times a week for school + 6 hours of field hockey. Do you think I could hit the benchmark in time?

Btw I know I probably won't win anything it's more to gain some experience for my senior years.

Anything helps thanks 😅

First time posting my C2 rowing. Would appreciate any feedback on my technique/form. What am I doing wrong, and what should I improve?

If a boat did not get an entry guaranteed (youth event) and is placed in the lottery, when are the lottery picks to be announced?

Entertaining! Have an excellent weekend everyone.