============================================================ INDOOR ROWING NEWSLETTER #46 ====================== 05-October-2001 ====================== _________________________________________________ C O N T E N T S 1. Record Breakers 2. PPP Healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship 3. Nuddy Rowing Calendars 4. Tel's Tales #1 5. 25 Years and Still Rowing Strong 6. Education Matters 7. Rhodes Rage 8. Tel's Tales #2 9. Blue Peter 10. Forthcoming Events 11. Atlantic Rowing Challenges **************************** Feedback Back Issues Subscription Information ________________________________________________________________ ========================================================= Record Breakers ========================================================= As we predicted last newsletter (hah, get you Nostradamus), we didn't have to wait too long before Anna Bailey rebroke her newly set world record for the 50-59 Hwt Women's event. Competing in the last race of the day at the Nuneaton and Bedworth IRC and urged on by a crowd of 150 people, she came home in 7:08.3, over a second quicker than her time at the Birmingham IRC a week earlier. That wasn't the only effort this fortnight which had us tap-dancing around the office singing 'Dedication'. Canterbury's Jessie Welsh, already the 70-79 Lwt record holder for 2,000 metres, took advantage of having turned 80 years young by breaking the record for the 80-89 category as well. Her time of 10:05.5 takes just over 15 seconds of Wrexham's Barbara Burgham Davies who held with 10:20.9. Moving into the world of long-distance, Siobhan Norman has set a new marathon record for the 30-39 Lwt category, with 2:59:23, 24 minutes quicker than the previous record. In fact, we reckon that Siobhan's time is the second fastest time ever by a British woman, only a couple of minutes outside Fran Kerr's 30-39 Hwt record of 2:54:20. A full list of all records can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/brit_world_records.htm ========================================================= PPP healthcare British Indoor Rowing Championship ========================================================= Sunday, 18th of November at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham. International Superstars -------------------------------------------------- The growing reputation of the championships means that this year's event sees a glittering array of overseas stars coming over to try and win our races and loot our monasteries. The Women's Open Heavyweight sees New Zealand's world record holder Georgina Evers-Swindell and her sister Caroline line-up alongside current world champion Hurnet Dekkers from Holland and former world champion Sarah Lauritzen from Denmark. In the Men's Lightweight event, meanwhile, three of the fastest lightweights of all time will be competing in the shape of world record holder Eskild Ebbesen (Denmark), world champion Leonardo Pettinari (Italy) and the fabulously named Bernd Wakolbinger from Austria, a member of the Austrian Lightweight Four who won gold at the recent World Championships in Lucerne. Entry -------------------------------------------------- We now have over a thousand entries for this year's championship. The closing date for entries is October 26th, but it looks like we might reach the cap of 3,000 before then (For comparison; last year's event had 2,000 entries, of which over a thousand came in the last week). To make sure you're not disappointed, go to http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/entryform.php as soon as is humanly possible. There, you can either enter on-line or download an entry form. Spotlight -------------------------------------------------- If you do enter, make sure to check your details at http://www.concept2.co.uk/birc/events.htm. Here you can find a list of everybody who's entered each event, along with any sporting and biographical information they've entered about themselves. ========================================================= Nuddy Rowing Calendar ========================================================= Putney Town Rowing Club launched their 2002 Rowing Calendar this month. Realising that if there's one thing more interesting than a rowing calendar, it's a rowing calendar where people are in the nuddy, 28 members of the club have stripped to the buff, with a few strategically placed hands, oars and Indoor Rowers to preserve their modesty. If you don't believe us check out a couple of the pictures on our Message Board: http://www.concept2.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=8&topic=18 An attractive talking point for any room or parlour, the Calendar will be raising money for the Sir Steve Redgrave Charitable Trust, which aims to raise 5 million pounds in five years for various children's charities. Sir Steve appears (fully clothed, the jibber) on the cover of the calendar and a limited number of signed copies will be available to buy at the British Indoor Rowing Championship. If you can't wait till then, copies of the calendar (9.95 pounds including postage and packing) are available by sending a cheque to Putney Town Rowing Club, The Boathouse, Kew Meadows Path, London TW9 2EN or on-line at http://www.crewwear.co.uk ========================================================= Tel's Tales #1 ========================================================= If you don't ask, you don't get. Sometimes, if you do ask, you get a slap around the face and a restraining order. Not here, however. Simply pop your question down in an e-mail, send it to tels-tales@concept2.co.uk, kick back your feet and relax, as three-times Olympic rowing coach Terry O'Neill comes to your aid. Alan Jenkinson: We are doing a 100,000 metre Team Challenge at the Manchester Moat House on 27th October in aid of MENCAP. Most of the mixed team have not done much rowing before so we are aiming for a time of about 7 hours. Could you please give us some guidelines on how to go about it, for example the best technique for changeover, number of changeovers depending on ability etc. On a personal note I am 5'5", I weigh 9 stone and I am over 50 years old. My Personal Bests are 7:48 for 2,000 metres; 20:41 for 5,000 metres and 43:13 for 10,000 metres. My problem seems to be to get better times I've got to increase my stroke rate; at the moment for 2,000 metres my stroke rate is 33/34 strokes per minute. Do I have to build my upper body up or could there be something wrong with my technique? I think I have read somewhere that the power comes a third from the arms and two-thirds from the legs. Because I do a lot of running I do not think I have a problem with my legs. Terry O'Neill: When Leander Club set the 100,000 metre world record they changed every 20 strokes, dropping to every 15 strokes towards the end of the session. This means that the changeover has to be slick and the feet are not strapped in but held by team-mates. The changeover is carried out as follows - the person who is coming onto the machine takes the handle while the rower rolls off to the side onto a gym mat. As for your own question, you are very light and so you are at less of a disadvantage rowing at a higher rate. Something like 30% of the total effort used by a rower is moving his bodyweight up and down on the slide. The heavier the rower, the greater this proportion of total effort that does not appear on the monitor. As far as the distribution of work between the arms and legs are concerned, it is not as simple as you think. The type of work done by the various muscle groups is different. On the first part of the drive the legs are used dynamically while the arms and trunk are held firm to transfer the force from the footplate to the handle. During this part of the stroke, force is built up to a maximum. On the second part of the stroke the trunk, arms and shoulders are used dynamically as the legs lock out but, as the flywheel accelerates, the force that you are able to develop goes down. So the way the arms develop power at the finish is through speed of muscle contraction against a light load. Someone of your build would be better off using a higher stroke rate, around 35-36 strokes a minute, keeping the flywheel spinning and the loading light. You need to bear in mind that power can be developed in two ways like a lorry that moves a heavy load slowly or a racing car that moves a light load quickly. You are a racing car, so focus on speed of action and higher rating and work to your strengths not your weaknesses. ========================================================= 25 Years and Still Rowing Strong ========================================================= Generally speaking, turning twenty five is a pretty poor deal. The chances of you becoming a professional footballer seem more distant by the day; you start liking the taste of real ale and your parents drop big hints for you to move out, such as renting your room to someone else. Despite all this, we've handled 25 years of Concept 2 pretty well, with only the occasional maudlin "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" moments. For the full story of how a humble company in Vermont started off with a barn, a chalkboard, a Swiss Army Penknife and an old bike before eventually straddling the world like a colossus (or at least a dwarf with a damn good step-ladder), check out http://www.concept2.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard/topic.cgi?forum=8&topic=17 ========================================================= Education Matters ========================================================= Although the Indoor Rowing News loves children, we couldn't eat a whole one. Not unless it was, like, really nicely cooked anyway. That said, we're always keen to see them do well at sport, especially if it stops them from hanging around outside the local chippy. Concept 2 is looking into the role of the DYNO and the Indoor Rower in providing a reliable measurement of performance in young people. We believe that these two machines could be used at the start of the school year with year 7 to measure strength and endurance in a series of simple, easy to administer tests. The recorded results could then be used as a baseline assessment from which progress could be measured, needs could be assessed with the possibility of swift remedial action, and indications of athletic talent in young people spotted. More information, and the tests themselves, can be found at http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/education.htm. You can also contact the Concept 2 Education Team, Keith and Celia Atkinson, on 01636 814526. ========================================================= Rhodes Rage ========================================================= "I hurt and I'm in pain." So spake Neil Rhodes when we spaked to him in Sainsbury's yesterday. Not because he'd just bumped into a faux-Cockney 'geezer' chef riding a Lambretta and wittering "pukka" repeatedly, but because that was one of the venues for his attempt to row one million metres in as fast a time as possible. No stranger to the distance, Neil chalked a million metres up in eight and a half days last October. Spurred back into the saddle by the example of Weybridge Rowing Club's Nigel Gower, who this April covered the distance in seven days, four hours, 44 minutes and 21 seconds, he's aiming for a time of less than a week. After warming up with 101,000 metres on Monday and 150,000 metres on Tuesday, Neil chugged through 161,000 metres on Wednesday, and was looking to do the same everyday until Saturday, before finishing off on Sunday morning. As well as getting an incredibly sore bottom, Neil will also be raising money for the Sussex Oncology Fund. ========================================================= Tel's Tales #2 ========================================================= Neil Pratt: "What are the pros and cons of level-pacing as opposed to rowing the first and last 500m segments faster than the middle two?" Terry O'Neill: Level pacing is a simplification, what in fact is happening is you are going along at the highest sustainable pace. If you go off too hard then you have to cope with high lactate levels caused by oxygen debt. This will result in a slowing down in the latter stages of the race that will cost twice as much as early gains. The reason the first 500 metres is normally the fastest is because of the way the energy system kicks in. To start with you have instantly available energy in the muscles that will last for about 10 seconds. Replacing this fuel takes time and therefore work cannot continue at the same intensity but you can still blast off for the first 10 seconds and it is this that reduces the overall time of the first 500 metres. The last 500 metres is normally the second fastest because you empty your tanks on this one to finish exhausted. ========================================================= Blue Peter ========================================================= Junior 12 British record holder Faridah Newman appeared on Blue Peter last Wednesday as part of their Junior Sports Personality of the Year. This follows a group of young sport stars over the space of 12 months and Faridah was selected by Blue Peter to represent rowing. Another programme on her will be coming up in the future, so we'll let you know when the transmission date is beforehand. ========================================================= Forthcoming Events ========================================================= Name: Imperial Cancer 100,000 metre Challenge Date: 7th October Venue: Havant Leisure Centre, Hampshire Distance: 100,000 metre team event Contact: Robert Piggott, Tel: 02392 476026 Name: Rower's Revenge Triathlon Date: 7th October Venue: Higginson Park, Marlow Distance: 4,000 metre row, 25,000 metre cycle, 7,500 metre run Other: Annual event Contact: Mike Spencer-Jones, E-mail: mikes-j@tinyonline.co.uk Web: http://www.rowersrevenge.co.uk Name: Nottinghamshire IRC Date: 27th October Venue: Newark RC Distance, 500 metres, 2000 metres, one minute event for Under 12s Other: Closing date for entry: 21st October. Entry fee: 5 pounds Contact: Graham Price, Tel: 07970 136054, E-mail: gprice@keymax.co.uk ========================================================= Atlantic Rowing Challenge ========================================================= 20 inmates and four officers at Wormwood Scrubs Prison completed a TransAtlantic crossing recently on Indoor Rowers. Covering the three and a half million metre distance in 67 hours and 58 minutes, the group were raising money in aid of Victim Support. Talking about Atlantic Rowing Challenges, the real deal starts this Sunday, when 36 crews set off from Tenerife Harbour to take part in the Ward Evans Atlantic Rowing Challenge. We've covered the Ward Evans Challenge quite a lot in the past, as many of the teams involved have trained for the event on the Indoor Rower. You can follow the progress of all the teams on the official web site at http://www.wearc.com. We recommend doing this on a rainy day with a hot cup of cocoa in your hands. ______________________________________________________FEEDBACK Like what you read? Dislike what you read? Ideas for future newsletters? Spotted a really silly error that would have been picked up by an eight year old pruf-reader? Make sure to tell us at webmaster@concept2.co.uk. Or, of course, you could always say something at our message board: http://www.concept2.co.uk/messageboard.htm. Oh go on. _____________________________________________________BACK ISSUES It used to be the case that time travel involved a masseeve scarf, a couple of dozen jelly babies and a sonic screwdriver with the polarity reversed. Well no longer; you can now visit by the past simply by going to http://www.concept2.co.uk/v4/newsletter_index.php3 and checking out the back issues of the Indoor Rowing News. 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