Practical Training for Running, Walking, Rowing, Wrestling, Boxing, Jumping, and All Kinds of Athletic Feats / Together with tables of proportional measurement for height and weight of men in and out of condition; etc. etc.

by Ed. James

COXSWAIN’S ORDERS

Among the Clubs of the Association, are given as follows:

1st. “Oars.”—The crew raising their oars to an angle of forty-five degrees and then placing them in the thole pins.

2d. “Out.”—The crew running their oars out to the proper distance for rowing, the blade being parallel with the gunwale of the boat.

3d. “Give-way.”—At the word “Give” throwing the handle of the oar forward well over the toes, the blade being at a proper angle to strike the water; and at the word “Way” dipping the oar in the commencement of the pull.

4th. “Weigh.”—To stop rowing.

5th. “Weigh-starboard,” or “Weigh-port.” To turn right or left.

6th. “Easy-all.”—To slacken speed.

7th. “Oars-apeak.”—To salute when at rest. The oars to be raised perpendicularly, the handles resting on the floor, and the blades running fore and aft.

8th. “Weigh-across,” “Apeak.” To salute when under headway. Running the oars across both gunwales.

9th. “Let-fall.”—To regain former position. At the word “Let,” raising the oar about four inches, and at the word “Fall,” throwing it into the thole-pins, the blade “first” touching the water.

10th. “Across-ship.”—To get the oars in the boat. At the word “Ship,” raising the oar at a distance to clear the heads of the crew, and dropping it lightly in the centre of the boat.

11th. “Trail-oars.”—In passing through bridges, culverts, etc., unshipping the oar and trailing it at the side of the boat.

12th. “Recover-oars.”—To regain former position.

The number of strokes pulled by the association crews it would be impossible to designate, with any degree of accuracy, as all rowers have their own peculiar styles; and in many cases a man, or a crew, may start at the rate of thirty-six to the minute and increase to forty, and finish at, or near, thirty-two. In practicing a crew, a “pull,” and “tire out,” is certainly detrimental to proper training, as a crew should “never” be over-worked.

The mode of dipping the oar among the association crews is, as a general rule, to immerse about one-half the blade; row with the back straight, elbows well at the sides.