INDOOR ROWING NEWSLETTER #111 ====================== 14-October-2004 ======================= _________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S 1. Newsletter Special Offer 2. AXA PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship 3. Winter Team Relay League 4. Cartoon By Rog 5. Tel's Tales 6. Birmingham Schools Project 7. Indoor Rowing Grand Prix Series 8. Rowed To Health 9. Forthcoming Races And Events **************************** Feedback Back Issues Subscription Information ________________________________________________________________ With Bells On ***************** For a glitzier, HTML version of our newsletter with pictures, cartoons and all the funny jokes (possibly), go to: http://www.concept2.co.uk/email/newsletter.htm. To receive the newsletter in HTML format, click on Update Profile at the bottom of this page and change your preferences to HTML. How To Write To Us ***************** Please don't reply directly to this email, 'cos we won't ever see it. Instead send your bouquets or brickbats to editor@concept2.co.uk. ========================================================= Newsletter Special Offer ========================================================= One of, if not the (we're too lazy to find out), most popular special offers we've done is on the POWERbreathe, so we thought we'd rerun it, especially with the British IRC rolling around. Described by the makers as "Dumb-bells for your diaphragm", the POWERbreathe is a handheld device that, by breathing in through for a few minutes twice daily, makes your inspiratory muscles work harder - increasing their strength and endurance. Used by a large number of professional athletes and many of Britain's top rowers, the POWERbreathe has been shown to have a positive effect on indoor rowing performance in many people, especially those who race competitively. Normally retailing at £49.99, the POWERbreathe is available at £39.99 to all newsletter subscribers by visiting http://www.concept2.co.uk/shop/powerbreathe_offer.php ========================================================= AXA PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship ========================================================= British IRC Hall OF Fame ----------------------------------------------------- Since the first ever race back in 1991, the British IRC has played home to a number of great performers. The purpose of the Hall Of Fame is to remember those people who have helped to make the championship the biggest and most exciting mass-participation indoor event in British sport. There are eight people initially inducted into the Hall Of Fame. These are Cath Bishop, Arnold Cooke, Annamarie Dryden, Bert Leah, Matthew Pinsent, Pauline Rayner, Steve Redgrave and Andy Ripley. You can find out about their achievements at: http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/hall_of_fame.php. However, as well as these eight, there are two remaining spots to be filled after a public vote. There are six available choices: Anna Bailey, Noel Frost, Su Larcombe, Sean Morris, Graham Price and Beth Rodford. People have until November 17th to choose their two preferences. You can find out more on the nominees at http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/nominees.php while the Voting Booth is at http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/fame.php. Entry Offers ----------------------------------------------------- Quick reminder: the deadline for the championship is October 29th, so you've got just over two weeks to take part in the most exciting thing to happen indoors since the woman over the road put up some better curtains. Anyway; if for some reason you're still umming and arring over entering, there's a range of benefits to be had by doing so. In fact, entering the championship could save you £33.50 on stuff from the Concept 2 Shop (although you would have to buy three heart rate monitors for that to be true, which would just be odd). The entry offers are: Product, BIRC Offer, Normal Price Oarsome Foursome DVD, £12.49, £19.99 Bernie Shrosbree's Inspired, £11.99, £17.99 Polar F2 Heart Rate Monitor, £44.99, £54.99 Polar A3 Heart Rate Monitor, £54.99, £59.99 Polar A5 Heart Rate Monitor, £64.99, £69.99 These offers are available from the website either after you enter on-line or, alternatively, by contacting Concept 2 on 0115 945 5522 during normal office hours with your entry details. Team Championship ----------------------------------------------------- Also: the championship ain't just for individuals nowadays, with the introduction this year of the Redgrave Team Challenge. There are two categories in the challenge, J16 and Corporate/Fitness, with separate Men's and Women's competitions. The J16 event is open to anybody under the age of 16 as of August 31st, 2004, while the Corporate/Fitness event is open to all businesses, health clubs or fitness clubs. It is not open to rowing clubs, universities, or indoor rowing clubs. The event is a 1,000m challenge, with four Indoor Rowers joined together on the race system (which is to say, and heaven's knows we've spent twenty minutes tried to find a snappy way of saying this: each team has to row 4,000m overall, so while the fastest person in the team may row 1,100 metres, and the slowest person 900m, the entire team will finish as soon as they've cumulatively rowed 4,000m). Engraved tankards will be awarded to the first, second and third placed teams in each event, while a brand new Indoor Rower will be given to each of the four winning teams, so it's well worth entering. Oh, and the entire entry fee goes to the Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust. For more details, and an entry form, visit http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/teams.php Matthew Pinsent: A Lifetime In A Race ----------------------------------------------------- A signed copy of Matthew Pinsent's well-received autobiography "A Lifetime In A Race" (go to http://www.steveredgrave.com/sections/sportsbite/index.pl?id=0168 to see the British IRC President give his review of it) will be given out to every gold medallist at the championship. As well as this, there will be 100 signed copies available to buy on the day on a first come, first served basis. ========================================================= Winter Team Relay League ========================================================= A reminder for people who haven't already done so to check out http://www.concept2.co.uk/8gp/, home to the Winter Team Relay League. A global initiative based on a successful project that has been running in Denmark for more than two years (remember this fact for Rog's cartoon later), the idea behind the League is to try and create as simple a team event as possible: all you need to is one Indoor Rower, access to the internet and either four or eight hale and hearty crewmates. The tournament is made up of five rounds, one taking place each month from October to February, with each round having a different race format. A team does not need to consist of the same rowers in all rounds. Teams complete each round at any point in the month, rowing the distance on a single Indoor Rower in a relay format. The result then has to be submitted on-line by 12:00 GMT on the closing date. After the closing date, results will be available for both the UK and globally, as well as cumulative standings after each round. Anyway; the first round is 2 x (8 x 500m) for eights and 2 x (4 x 500m) for fours. The deadline for entry is November 1st and with nearly 70 teams already pre-signed up, things are looking good. ========================================================= Cartoon By Rog ========================================================= ========================================================= Tel's Tales ========================================================= Tel's Tales is the answer column written by three-times Olympic Rowing Coach Terry O'Neill. If you've got a question you'd like him to answer, send it to terry@concept2.co.uk. Raj Purewal: "I brought an Indoor Rower in 1998 and rowed regularly from Sept 1998 until April 1999. I have not really rowed with the same enthusiasm since, apart from a spell in 2001, and then again last year. "However, due to an increasing waist line, and after reading your answers both in the Indoor Rower Training Guide (http://www.concept2.co.uk/guide/) and on the Concept 2 website (http://www.concept2.co.uk/training_tels_tales.php), I decided to make a proper attempt to improve my health and fitness. "From 4th July, this year, the first plan of action was to modify my diet (without deliberately dieting) by following the Guide's outline on diet. At the same start date, I then followed the weight management programme from Chapter 8, which I have completed. "I have started the following self devised program, which I intend to pursue for the next 12 weeks. I have not followed any other sport or exercise regime during this time. Session 1, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm Session 2, 2 x 30' UT2 18-20 spm, 3 x 20' UT2 18-20 spm, 3 x 20' UT2 18-20 spm Session 3, 50' UT2 18-20 spm, 50' UT2 18-20 spm, 50' UT2 18-20 spm Session 4, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm Session 5, 60' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm, 2 x 25' UT2 18-20 spm "What type of programme should I commence if the one I have devised is in your view not appropriate?" Terry O'Neill: If I understand your programme correctly, there is a total of 15 sessions but I don't know if you are doing five sessions a week or three. The problem with this programme is that it will keep you at the fitness level you are now rather than make any significant improvement. Of the 15 sessions only 3 go beyond 30 minutes and stored fat burning is most effective from 35 minutes onward. The other sessions are at a low intensity and so the total calorie burn will be quite low. If the duration of the sessions is such that this is all the time you have available then you have to increase the intensity so that you burn more calories in the same time. The other problem is the programme is not sufficiently progressive and so you will not benefit from substantial adaptation. You are still a relatively young man and wise to try to get yourself into better shape before it is too late, but you need a programme that is more challenging than this one. If not you will become disillusioned with the slow rate of progress, if any, so it's time to bite the bullet I'm afraid, but at least you will not be wasting time. Go to our website and download the 2,000m Interactive Training Programme (http://www.concept2.co.uk/training/interactive.php). Although you may have no intention of actually racing, the programme is challenging, progressive and because it contains sessions of high intensity you will burn calories at a high rate and the pounds will fall off. ----------------------------------------------------- And while we're on the subject: Bob Sukolsky: "I just downloaded the 2,000m Interactive Training Programme (http://as.4 linesabove.com) from the website. My question pertains to the distance I want to race in February as a non-rowing parent, 1,000 meters. Is there an adjustment needed for the training program to race the 1,000?" Terry O'Neill: The simple answer is: the training will be fine for 1,000m. This will take you around 4 minutes and any exercise over about 45 seconds become aerobic. 1,000m is 3-4 times the maximum duration for anaerobic work and 2000m is about 6-8 times, so the training is similar and certainly perfectly OK for your particular needs. ========================================================= Birmingham Schools Project ========================================================= This month saw the launch of a Steve Redgrave Trust scheme designed to give access to healthy activity to more than 20,000 young people through out Birmingham. The scheme – developed in partnership with Birmingham City Council, West Bromwich Building Society and Concept 2 – has seen 20 schools each receive five indoor rowing machines together with activity programmes and nutrition information. Teachers from all the schools have attended a training day and received teachers' packs to ensure the safe and effective use of the equipment, and Sir Steve himself officially launched the project at Holyhead School in Handsworth in September. It is hoped that the pilot scheme will grow within the Birmingham area, and create opportunities to extend the project into other areas of the UK. It is intended to provide both competitive and non- competitive sporting activity to young people within the schools and their local communities. The health of the UK's young people is a major issue, with the British Medical Association reporting that the proportion of overweight 11-15 year olds rose by a fifth between 1994 and 1998, and that two out of five boys and three out of ten girls take too little exercise. The project gives children at the participating schools, or living in their local community, the chance to take part in exercise and sport which is not dependent on their level of skill, existing state of health, or even the weather. In addition, the rowing machines will provide the 20 schools with a further teaching method for information technology, PE and science subjects. Sir Steve explained: "There is absolutely no barrier to taking part on an Indoor Rower, which is why we have chosen this piece of equipment for this project. "There is no doubt that children right across the UK have been losing out on opportunities to get involved in sport and exercise over the past few years, and we hope that this model will be one which can be repeated in many areas around the country. Birmingham City Council has selected the 20 schools where the equipment will be most effectively used – based on current improvement plans, capacity for the development of the project, and the capacity to support families of schools and the local community. All the schools must also provide the council and the Steve Redgrave Trust with regular feedback on the success of the project. In addition to the obvious benefits in terms of health education and exercise, teachers will be able to use the machines' monitors to provide information for high quality Information and Communications Technology (ICT) lessons. All schools will link to the Birmingham Grid For Learning, an online web portal provided by Birmingham City Council where pupils will also be able to enter their scores into an online ranking. Funding and support for the initiative has come from West Bromwich Building Society, which has a proud track record of supporting such community projects. As Stephen Karle, Director of Operations at the West Bromwich Building Society said: "The West Brom has always had a strong commitment to the community, especially in supporting initiatives that enhance the development of young people's potential. This project fits in perfectly with that principle and we are delighted to be involved with a project which, like Sir Steve Redgrave himself, is certain to be a winner." ========================================================= Indoor Rowing Grand Prix Series ========================================================= We're now two races into this year's six race Grand Prix series, with both Newark and Cambridge having gone by successfully. The next race in the series is the Southampton Grand Prix on the 24th of October. The deadline for entry for this is the 15th, although we reckon you might have a couple of days leeway if you ask nicely. You can find out more details on the Southampton race, including an entry form, at http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/southampton.php. If you have any questions about the race, the person to contact is race organiser Nigel Mayglothling on 0115 951 5516 or nigel.mayglothling@nottingham.ac.uk. Full reports, results and standings can be found at: Newark Results: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/results.php?race=newark Report: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/reports.php?race=newark Results: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/results.php?race=cambridge Report: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/reports.php?race=cambridge Overall Standings: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/standings.php ========================================================= Education Matters: Rowed To Health ========================================================= The Amateur Rowing Association, Concept 2 and Sport by Design are currently involved in a national programme 'Rowed to Health' aimed at establishing pupils' fitness levels and setting them on a path of regular exercise monitored via a personal web page. The team is visiting schools in Marlow, Bedford, Birmingham and Nottingham. Pupils are given a personal code number and are put through the 'Fit for Life' challenge. Their height, weight and waist measurements are recorded, and they undergo flexibility, heart-rate, reaction, sprint and rowing tests. Pupils monitor their own progress via their own web page, which will also give advice on exercise, diet and lifestyle. Hundreds of youngsters have already begun the programme. The official launch is at Bidenham College, Bedford on November 23rd. ========================================================= Upcoming Races and Events ========================================================= If you've got an event you'd like adding to the Event Calendar, the full version of which can be seen at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/calendar.php, then e-mail editor@concept2.co.uk. Name: South Eastern IRC + Able To Row Date: 17/10/04 Venue: Maidstone Leisure Centre Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Nick Bird T: 01622 683959 E: nick.bird@ceridian.com Other: Entries close 1st October. There is a full range of categories from J11 to 80+ with good quality prizes to be had. The Able to Row event is aimed at disabled athletes who want to participate in the Championships. These would be particularly welcome. Name: South East Of England IRC (GP 3) Date: 24/10/04 Venue: Southampton Institute, Southampton Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Nigel Mayglothling T: 0115 951 5516 E: nigel.mayglothling@nottingham.ac.uk W: http://www.concept2.co.uk/gp/ Other: Southampton Grand Prix. The third race in the 2004/05 Indoor Rowing Grand Prix series. Name: Abergavenny IRC Date: 14/11/04 Venue: Abergavenny Leisure Centre Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Ian Parfitt T: 01873 735365 E: ianparfitt@monmouthshire.gov.uk Name: AXA PPP healthcare British IRC Date: 21/11/04 Venue: National Indoor Arena, Birmingham Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Concept 2 T: 0115 945 5522 F: 0115 945 5533 E: birc@concept2.co.uk W: www.concept2.co.uk/birc/ Name: Cardiff Grand Prix Date: 05/12/04 Venue: Channel View Centre, Cardiff Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Mike Hnatiw T: (H) 029 2021 0233 (W) 029 2078 8146 E: mhnatiw@cardiff.gov.uk W: www.concept2.co.uk/gp/ Name: Date: 12/12/04 Venue: University College Dublin Distance: 2,000m Organiser: John Holland T: +353 (0)87 259 2755 E: irishindoors@eircom.net W: www.concept2.co.uk/gp/ Closing date for entries is Wednesday 1st December 2004 Name: Concept 2 European Open Date: 18/12/04 Venue: Amsterdam Distance: 2,000m Organiser: Concept 2 T: 0115 945 5522 F: 0115 945 5533 E: info@concept2.co.uk W: www.concept2.co.uk/euro/ ____________________________________________________FEEDBACK You like? 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