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If you've ever attended a big indoor rowing competition, you're probably au fait with the fact that the end of a 2,000m race can often resemble a game of children's favourite "Musical Slump To The Ground And Play Dead". Anyway, the exact reasons for this aren't especially clear. Sheena Privett, a Postgraduate Researcher working at Liverpool John Moores University, in collaboration with the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the Olympic Medical Institute (OMI) is hoping to shed some light on the subject. Her research involves the investigation of the incidence of pre-syncopal symptoms (lightheadedness, disorientation and collapse) and the incidence of syncopal episodes (a brief loss of consciousness) after exercise.

According to Sheena: "We think that these symptoms and episodes are common in well-trained and elite endurance athletes. They may occur when a person abruptly finishes exercise, but there is a lack of data of prevalence of these matters. It is within this period of inactivity after exercise that a gradual reduction in blood flow to the brain can occur. The human body is capable of telling us when this is happening, and this is when pre-syncopal symptoms and syncopal episodes can occur. An effective way of preventing these symptoms and episodes from occurring is to continue with some light exercise after an athlete's event or training session has finished. Alternatively, the athlete could lie down with their legs elevated when they have finished exercising.

"We have designed a questionnaire to enable me to gauge the occurrence of these symptoms and episodes, after exercise. The questions are designed to discover which symptoms athletes may experience; in which environments they have experienced them; and how often they may occur. The second part of the questionnaire studies the circumstances surrounding an athlete's loss of consciousness after exercise and how often this may occur. Finally, there are some questions regarding the athletes' and their immediate family's health backgrounds. Any data obtained from the completed questionnaire will be strictly confidential."

As part of the research, they're asking newsletter readers to fill in the brief survey. They need as much data as possible, and it's just as important to record the number of people who have never experienced presyncope and syncope, as it is to record the number of people who have experienced them.

You can find a copy of the questionnaire at http://www.concept2.co.uk/news/news.php?story=fainting

Tel's Tales is the column written by three times Olympic rowing coach Terry O'Neill. If you've got a question for Terry, send it to tels-tales@concept2.co.uk.

Greg Cairns: "I have just started using the DYNO at the JJB Gym in St. Helens. I would be interested to know what leg muscles this works. It has been recommended to help build back a weak inner (vastus medialis) thigh muscle following injury.

"I do a lot of mountain walking and often suffer with knee pain (below the knee cap) walking downhill, and have been told that strengthening my quadriceps may help with this - is the DYNO suitable for this?"

Terry O'Neill: The DYNO will strengthen the quads but leg extensions [http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.php?article=grobler_two] are more specific to the vastus medialis.

Also, a lack of flexibility in the quads can lead to the problem you describe (that is to say, knee pain below the knee cap). A simple test of quad flexibility is to lay on your stomach with your legs straight; then bend the knee, keeping your hips on the floor by tensioning your abdominals. You should be able to touch your buttocks with your heel; if you can't then this is an indication of poor flexibility.

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Sue Peel: "I have recently taken up rowing at my gym and I'm doing 2,000m in 9:25. I really like it apart from one thing: the next day my back is so bad I can barely tie my shoelaces. I have a pre-existing back problem - the L5/S1 disc is wedge-shaped because the two vertebrae are joined on one side (a birth defect that I have just had identified at the age of 50). I try not to take the anti-inflammatories that are prescribed.

"I was considering buying a back support and would welcome your experience of these. Or could it be that my posture is wrong? I try to keep my lower back as straight as possible."

Terry O'Neill: You could try a back support but at the moment we do not know exactly what the problem is; it could well be your posture. Often poor posture is due to muscle imbalance or weakness. If this is the case then a support could make matters worse as the muscles will not build.

What you could do is the core stability exercises that appear in the training guide on our website. These exercises will strengthen the muscles and improve your posture and will do no harm. Until your core stability improves you could use the back support but I would see it a short-term solution.

Core Stability Exercises: http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/guide.php?article=core_stability

Viewers of Channel 4's Fit Farm, or readers of previous newsletters, may remember David Pearce, the wine merchant who lost over 22% of his body weight, something that he attributes in large part to the Indoor Rower. Here, David writes about his experience on the programme and on using the Indoor Rower to bust some inches.

"A huge number of people applied for the Fit Farm, which was broadcast on Channel 4 every week day for 12 weeks, ending in May 2004. Upon entering I was 16'1" stone, which at 5 foot 5 inches is not impressive! I knew that I had no emotional attachment to food, and as such was very fortunate. I just had to stop being excessively greedy and being a slob and become active and eat healthily.

"Upon our initial gym equipment training I knew that the Indoor Rower was the tool for me to achieve my goals. It works every major muscle group so is great for all round fitness. I started off doing 1,000 metre rows, which really wore me out. It was so tiring. I soon got used to it though, as I knew it was my weight that was the problem and not the machine.

"At home after the first week, I had a look on the Concept 2 website and saw the one million metre challenge. I wondered if I could do it. I had 11 weeks left and taking into account a week off for injury/illness I worked out how much I would have to do over a period of 10 weeks. It works out at 20,000 metres per day over a 5-day week. It was crazy in my state, but I thought that I could do it. I went back after the weekend and told the staff - they thought I was totally mad and off the wall but would encourage me all the way. It was hard work, but the fitter I got the easier it became. As my objective was weight loss, I did not have to row at a fast pace; in fact, the optimum pace for me was fine as you should be able to hold a conversation (just!) whilst rowing. In the end I could do the 20,000 meters in around one and a half hours, which was perfect, and I timed it so that I finished on the second to last day. "It is an amazing feeling and you can really feel the difference in the muscles, especially the legs, triceps, shoulders and abs (in fact as a direct result of the rowing machine I have a 6 pack lurking beneath my excess weight!) The Concept 2 is also fantastic for rehabilitation as there is no impact, which was a major plus for me, as I have bad knees due to skiing injuries. "Part way through my one million meters I read Christopher (Superman) Reeves' autobiography and he states that in life you have to make massive goals for yourself and then shout about them as loud as you can. His was to be able to move again (even if it was just a finger) and mine to row one million miles. I did shout about it and this helped considerably. It is what motivated me to carry on - I could under no circumstances accept failure as I had told everyone I would do it. "I strongly believe that if you only ever buy one piece of cardio equipment it should be the Rower, as it is portable and the most effective form of exercise I know. I would put 70% of my success down to rowing; the results it gave me were amazing. "I lost the most weight as a percentage of my body weight than any other guest in the Fit Farm. I was also the only one to use the Concept 2 as my main piece of equipment, which is probably no coincidence. I lost 22% of my body weight in total, taking me to 12 stone and 7 pounds. "After coming out of the Fit Farm I was committed to carrying on with my fitness and rowing. As well as training by myself, I have started up a Sunday morning exercise club with some friends and they all come to my house to have a 2,000 metre rowing competition, which they all love. "I have now decided to try and pursue a career in the health and fitness sector but have so far been unfortunate, as I have no qualifications and they take a while to get. Obviously they cost money, and I need to work so I need to evaluate my options or find a company to take me on. I would love to undertake more TV and media work extolling the virtues of health, fitness and eating the correct diet. There is such a blaze of publicity about weight problems in the UK currently, that I feel there must be scope for me to work and promote fitness, especially rowing.

"I am still training and have beaten my Personal Best for the 2,000 metres by six seconds but am unfortunately slightly injured at the moment with a medial ligament injury to my left knee. The good news though is that I can still row, such is the completeness of the machine and its non-weight bearing format. I may not go as far or as fast but it all helps! "I am also trying to lose another five kilograms so that I can compete in the AXA PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship later this year. Although I am short, I am aiming for a time of 7:30 and will undertake a 2,000 metre specific training plan to achieve this. I am currently at 8:11."

Thursday, June 10th, saw the AXA PPP healthcare Sona Redgrave challenge take place at Canary Wharf. The event was almost double in size compared to 2003, with over 40 companies from across the UK competing for the title. With the first prize a trip to the Athens Olympic Games for all team members, the stakes were high with everything to row for. Teams were made up of four members, and each team mate had to row 500m each then change places on the rowing machine as fast as possible with the clock still ticking, to complete the 2,000m relay event. Forty-two teams competed in 6 heats, with the winner of each heat going forth to the final, which also featured a team led by Sir Steve Redgrave himself. A number of familiar faces from the indoor rowing circuit were at the event, with Bexhill Rowing champions Matt and Mark Mitchell joining forces with Graham Benton and Rob Smith to represent American Express. The team won their heat and advanced to the final. Here the team take over the story:

"Graham was first up on the machine, and started with his usual enthusiasm, moving into the lead. Then drama as a false start was issued against another team. Graham had to compose himself again for the restart. Pushing hard again, he led the field then hit a problem as his seat came out from under him. Losing just a fraction of time, he got back on and wound the pace back up. Adrenaline pumping, the team were over four seconds clear at the 500m mark. He then handed over to Mark with a smooth changeover. At 1,000m, Mark was ready to hand over to Matt - another smooth change. The lead by this point was five seconds. Feeling the pain in his legs, Matt produced a personal best 500m time to keep the team in the lead and handed over to Rob. Out- sprinting the rest of the teams, Rob pulled an extra half a second out of the bag over the second placed team. The team's final time was an amazing 5 minutes 27 seconds, an excellent result, especially considering that Mark is a lightweight and that there had been only one practice session. Despite being the first team to finish, some of the other teams had female rowers who received a 20 second bonus per female. An anxious wait ensued but the mixed team finished 22 seconds behind, meaning they were just 2 seconds behind after the adjustment. Sir Steve Redgrave was the first to congratulate the team on a well- deserved triumph, asking 'Was my 500m at least faster than any of you guys?' (Answer: Yes, you beat our lightweight contingent)."

All four rowers will now be attending the Olympic regatta in Athens, and hopefully we'll be able to bring you a diary of their time out there.

The event raised over £40,000 for the Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust, which was set up in 2001 to provide funding for individuals, small charities and groups, to encourage their development and to help with the provision of facilities - with a particular focus on improving opportunities for children and young people in their communities.

With just two months to go to the opening of the Athens Olympics, there is a distinct lack of optimism amongst the supporters of British rowing. Following the regatta in Lucerne, few would bet on a repeat of the two gold medals achieved by the men in Sydney.

Based on the Lucerne results, our best chance of success lies with the women. Although the pair, which was victorious last year, could only manage third place, the quad won, beating the favourites Germany.

This time last year we had one of the strongest men's sweep teams in the world with medal prospects in all three boats. This year on the Rotsee, the four were our best result as they hung on grimly for third place.

So what's gone wrong?

After the World Championship last year in Milan, the coxless four were our best boat, coming second just behind the Canadians. Within the GB team the four were ranked second behind the pair of Cracknell and Pinsent but the pair only managed fourth place.

On the face of it, to strengthen the four with the two best athletes in the team made sense and could add that extra bit of power to take them up into first place.

The problem is that it does not follow that the four best individual athletes make the best team. Rowing is a coactive sport, requiring everyone to work together. This goes beyond just keeping in time through the stroke cycle, but necessitates all crewmembers to achieve peak power simultaneously.

The next problem is that when you change members of a crew, you cannot carry out objective testing between the old and new units. By objective testing I mean a race between the two crews side by side, which obviously cannot be done as some members are in both.

The final issue is a little more difficult to understand. All the details needed to work out a strategy for Athens were available last August at the end of the World Championships. Still no steps were taken until February this year. This lost time has been compounded by injuries and illness to both Cracknell and Pinsent that affected their performance in the first two rounds of the World Cup. Their problems have been further exacerbated when this week they withdrew from Henley Royal Regatta because of illness and injury to the other two members of the crew, Partridge and Williams. The young double of Wells and Langridge were also withdrawn over fears of over- training.

The eight too had to withdraw from the Lucerne regatta because of illness. Originally the third ranked boat, the eight, in winning the bronze medal in Milan, had put themselves on course for success in Athens based on the performance of the Sydney eight, who managed a silver medal at the corresponding World Championships in 1999.

All three boats have suffered disruption as a result of the decision to change the four. However, these are still an outstanding team of athletes, capable of beating anyone on their day. More worrying is the numbers suffering illness and injury. Highly trained athletes are operating right on the limits of the capabilities, including their resistance to illness and injuries. One of the most difficult jobs of the coach is ensuring they are pushed to a peak but not pushed over it.

Here's to a speedy recovery and good luck to all our Olympic athletes.

Gill Murray, friend of Farnborough School, and wife of teacher Paul Murray, lost her fight with cancer earlier this year. When Gill was diagnosed with cancer, she discovered that the Nottingham City Hospital that treated her could not supply the form of radiotherapy that she needed, IMRT (intensive modulated radiotherapy). The advantages of this form of radiotherapy are reduced negative side effects during treatment. Once of Gill's last wishes was that she could raise the £100,000 needed to buy an IMRT for the Nottingham City Hospital, even though she knew that she would not benefit from it.

As friends of Gill, the Farnborough PE department set about thinking of ways to raise money for the Gill Murray IMRT 2004 Appeal. Many ideas were considered before they arrived at the plan of ten teams of ten competing over 35,000m, the distance from Dover to Calais.

Two pupils, one male and one female, were selected by each tutor group to participate in the channel row, and combined with the other pupils from tutor sets in the other years. This left six teams of ten pupils. The staff then entered into a draw to make up the remaining four teams.

Each pupil and member of staff was then given a sponsorship form, with the added incentive that the tutor group that raised the most money would win themselves a day off school visiting Alton Towers. The pupil who raised the most money individually also won two tickets for Alton Towers. Each pupil tried to get as many friends and family to pay £1 to guess the time of the winning team. In return, the winners received a bottle of Champagne and a £20 gift voucher from Sainsbury's. To raise further funds, the school staff entered into a staff-only prize draw to guess how much money would be raised by the day of the row, the prize for which was a week's holiday in the Lake District staying at the cottage of one of the members of staff.

The school publicised the event through the local TV news, BBC radio Nottingham and the local papers.

After two weeks of preparation and training with one of the school's resident Concept 2 Instructors the pupils and staff were ready to take on the channel.

On the day of the event, Concept 2's Ben Addison arrived early and set up the ten indoor rowing machines and a big screen where past world championship videos were shown. At the end of the school day all of the pupils arrived ready for their race. Each team had a slightly different strategy, each taking into account that there were two pupils from each year group from year 7 (age 11) to year 11 (age 16). The staff teams took the event no less seriously with teams catering the length of time for their rows according to their fitness. The school hall was packed with 100 competitors and at least 150 spectators to watch the start of the event. The racing was tight for the first 20km before one of the teachers' teams began to edge a lead and ended up winning in a time of 2:15.05.

Once the winning team finished, all the teams stopped but recorded their average split so that their predicted finishing time could be calculated.

Once all the money was collected, the PE department announced that they had greatly exceeded their target of £5,000, raising a total of £8,086.00.

The Amateur Rowing Association and Concept 2 are producing an ideas pack for using the Indoor Rower in schools.

Maxine Tompkins, Djanogly College Nottingham, has waded in with 'The Weakest Link', 'Staying Alive', 'Chocca Shocker' and 'Ergo Golf'.

Do you have any bright ideas that have worked well at your school? If so, you can send them to Education Matters, 67 Newark Rd., Southwell. NG25 OES or e-mail them to celia@southwell67.freeserve.co.uk

Your name and that of your school will be credited in the materials.

What It Takes To Earn Your Place: Celebrating Rowing Through The 150th Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race" is a collection of photographs by professional photographer Julian Andrews that follows the progress of last year's Oxford and Cambridge squads, capturing their lives both on and off the water as they strive to win a place in their respective crews.

Normally retailing at £45, we're offering the book at £39.50 including postage and packing. Ha, stick that in your pipe Amazon.

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The members of the Southampton University Boat Club staged a 48- hour ergothon last month to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Over 30 oarsmen and women (and coxes) took it in turns to keep the flywheels of two machines spinning in shifts lasting an hour and a half, with the unpopular graveyard shifts being ably covered by the Novice Men's squad. Over 900 miles were rowed and an impressive £2,842 rose. SUBC would like to thank all the students and staff at the university for donating so generously.

Coleshill in Warwickshire sees a mass 100,000m charity team event take place on Sunday the 4th of July. The aim of the event is to get as many people as possible to join forces in one huge team to help raise money for cancer research. You don't have to be a world-class sprinter to take part, and the organisers' motto is "the more the merrier". Entry is £5 per person with all money going to Cancer Research UK.

For more information, call Jon Goodall on 07952 790 638 or email jon.goodall@btopenworld.com

If you can't make it along, there is an online donations page at http://www.justgiving.com/charity100k