Girls and Athletics / Giving a brief summary of the activity, rules and method of administration of the following games in girls' schools and colleges, women's clubs, etc.: archery, basket ball, cricket, fencing, field day, field hockey, gymnastics, golf, hand ball, ice hockey, indoor base ball, rowing, soccer, skating, swimming, tennis, track athletics, volley ball, walking, water polo, water basket ball.

by Unknown

In rowing, as in other sports, there is a great difference between competitive and non-competitive work. Whether racing or merely taking a pleasure row, the stroke is, however, fundamentally the same.

First, the position in the boat is to be considered. The oarsman sits in the center of the boat with her back toward the bow, facing the stern, with her feet planted firmly on the bottom of the boat, knees bent, slightly apart. An oar is grasped firmly in each hand, the oars having previously been adjusted in the oar-locks. There is a difference in the racing stroke, as shown under Racing.

Position of the Hands on the Oar.—Next to be considered is the stroke itself. The blade of the oar is just above the water and perpendicular to it. The arms and hands are straight, so that the hands holding the oars are just above the toes.

Catch.—Then the blades enter the water, turned forward so that they are held in the water vertically. The body is then swung backward from the hips; all the strength and weight of the body are put to the oars.

Pull.—As the body is swinging backward, the arms are bent into the chest. The blade of the oar is kept under water during the entire length of the pull.

Recovery.—As the hands touch the chest, the forearm is dropped quickly, thus causing the blade to leave the water.

Feathering.—The blade is carried a few inches above and horizontal to the water. It is gradually turned, as the catch is reached, to a perpendicular position, ready to enter the water as the arms are straightened ready for the catch.

Legs.—Where a sliding seat is used the object is to combine the use of the arms and legs in making the sweep of the oar longer, at full reach the body being doubled up with the knees under the chin, the stroke consisting of catching the water with the back and forcing it through to the finish by combined action of back and legs. When the finish is reached the legs are straight, the hands and oar are against the chest, and the body slightly back of the perpendicular.

Racing

The racing stroke is the same, except that for the four and eight-oared crews each oarsman pulls one oar, known as a “sweep,” holding it in both hands—the inside hand at the end of the oar, the outside hand a hand’s breadth away. The boats used for racing are known as “shells,” especially made for the purpose. These have sliding seats and are equipped with either oar-locks or thole pins (according to the belief of the coach) and stretchers, or boards against which the feet rest. When the body is forward, the sliding seat is forward toward the bow; as the pull is starting, the seat comes back until the body is back, then it moves forward as body swings forward.