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A guide to some of the more common terms used in indoor rowing can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/rowing/glossary.php.

For most people, the start of summer is a time of joy, the next couple of months holding a promise of sunshine, laughter and games. Even if the Indoor Rowing News didn't have an allergic reaction to men wearing shorts, we'd still rate it as our most hateful season simply on the grounds that nothing ever happens of an indoor rowing nature around about now. This newsletter's a bit on the short side, so we're going to make up for it with a bumper Summer Special next time around. Unless you want 2,000 words discussing the latest reality TV programming news, please, for your sake as much as ours, send in as many articles or ideas for articles that you can think off to editor@concept2.co.uk. Even if we don't use it next time, we want as much material as possible so that we can store it away like a squirrel hiding nuts in the winter. Except this will be in the summer. So maybe like a polar bear storing mints or something. Not quite sure.

Olympic hero and all-round legend Matthew Pinsent was knighted on Tuesday. One of the greatest oarsmen of all time, he finished his sporting career with an awesome four Olympic and ten World Championship gold medals. For the past couple of years, Matthew has been on the International Olympic Committee in some form or other and is currently heavily involved in Britain's bid to win the 2012 Olympic bid.

His crew-mates from the Athens Olympics were also honoured, with Ed Coode and Steve Williams being made MBEs and James Cracknell an OBE.

In order to celebrate Sir Matthew Pinsent's knighthood, we're giving away signed copies of his autobiography A Lifetime In A Race to the best entries in our caption competition. Simply send your caption to the below cartoon in an email marked We Can't Believe We've Let The Cartoonist Persuade Us To Do This to editor@concept2.co.uk sometime before the 30th June.

The Indoor Rowing News programming expertise extends as far as being able to consistently miss recording the first and last twenty minutes of A Touch Of Frost, so not only do we never find out whom the murderer is, we're never entirely sure why Del Boy has joined the police force in the first place.

We, therefore, won't be taking part in the Concept 2 Software Development Contest that runs from May 1, 2005 through October 31, 2005.

The goal behind this contest is to encourage the development of software that takes advantage of the PM3's computer connectivity, graphical display and powerful onboard computer to enhance the rowing experience.

You will have until October 31, 2005 to send us your software project for review. Any development platform may be used, and all types of applications are fair game - motivation, games, coaching, connectivity, etc. are all welcome.

Information/rules/sign-up web site are located at: http://www.concept2.com/contest

The contest is worldwide, with a prize of an Indoor Rower or Oars for the winner as well as two rowing machines or equivalent value of oars for the club or school of his or her choice.

The London Regatta Centre hosted the inaugural London Youth Rowing Indoor Rowing Competition on 24 May 2005.

Competitors came from five schools in Newham and Tower Hamlets which have been provided with Indoor Rowing Machines from Concept 2 as part of the London Youth Rowing initiative.

Despite having only had the machines since the start of the term, there was skill, commitment and some excellent rowing on display. This in part was due to the tuition that the participants will have received from their teachers, many of whom have taken the ARA Dry Instructor Coaching Award. Langdon School have embraced indoor rowing to such a degree that they were able to provide two teams at the event.

Individuals from all five schools chalked up at least one individual category win, with particularly strong performances from Fajohn Metaliaj in Year 7 boys and Chloe Hutchins in Year 9 girls. In the overall team event, Eastlea won but in a mass relay at the end of the evening they were pipped to another first place by Oakland with less than a second between the schools.

This was the first time that the teachers had seen the Concept 2 venue software in operation and all were very impressed with the technology and the opportunities it presented. The word about indoor rowing is rapidly spreading around East London and there's no doubt that there will be more teams taking part in the London Youth Go Race next year. For more information on London Youth Rowing, contact Penny Cuthbert at penny.cuthert@londonyouth.org.uk.

Tunbridge Wells athlete Karen Hambly knows what it means to go through the pain barrier - in more ways than one.

Not only is she an indoor rowing Grand Prix bronze medallist but she's also made a successful comeback from major knee surgery to repair articular cartilage damage.

Karen, a chartered Physiotherapist by profession who holds a sports science degree, is very involved in fitness and exercise. She has been using the Concept 2 Indoor Rower as part of her own training routine for several years and has competed at many national and regional indoor rowing events as a member of the Old Wrecks Indoor Rowing Club.

But it wasn't until Karen had her ACI (autologous chondrocyte implantation) operation that she found the true benefits of the Indoor Rower. Karen had open knee surgery in July 2003 in which her consultant implanted specially engineered tissue under her kneecap. Following the operation she continued using the Concept 2 but this time as a rehabilitation tool due to its low impact properties.

"I had been using the Concept 2 for a year or so before the operation as it was one of the few activities that I could do without knee pain," commented Karen.

"Before the operation I had already planned to continue the rowing. With it being a sport that is weight-supporting I thought it would be a good exercise to include."

Her love of the Concept 2 - before and after surgery - is evident by looking at Karen's indoor rowing achievements. She competed at the World Indoor Rowing Championship in Boston, USA in 2003 and 2004 - only six months after surgery. She also collected the bronze medal at the regional Grand Prix series for two consecutive seasons.

After noticing that rowing wasn't listed in the ACI rehabilitation guidelines Karen decided to team up with her consultant, Mr Bobic from Chester Knee Clinic and Eddie Fletcher, an indoor rowing coach and sports scientist to put together a rowing rehabilitation programme.

She explained: "Since my operation I have become quite heavily involved in rehabilitation including the use of the rowing ergometer in postoperative rehabilitation. In fact last year I presented a paper, along with Mr Bobic and Eddie Fletcher, at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine Conference in Belfast.

"The Concept 2 was a great way to help to restore the range of movement in my knee whilst minimising the forces through the joint. It meant I could start to regain some of the fitness that I had lost during the initial rehabilitation after the surgery when I was in a brace."

"I am due to have a further knee operation soon and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the operation goes well and that I can get back into full competitive rowing - I would love to break seven minutes 30 seconds for 2,000m."

The Evesham Golden Mile takes place on the 9th of July at Evesham Rowing Club. One of the few indoor rowing races in the summer, the Evesham Golden Mile is a rare occasion where you can make your mark and establish a British record over the mile distance. The organiser for the race is Eddie Fletcher, who can be contacted on 01386 40050 or eddie@fletchersportscience.co.uk. You can also download an entry form from http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/calendar_uk.php?id=163

You can check out all the British Mile records at http://www.concept2.co.uk/racing/records_mile.php.