Rowers

As a rower, your job would be to work with as many as eight others to move a sixty foot long racing shell as fast as possible. Rowing is an extremely technical sport, so a large amount of our time is working on getting all of our rowers moving together and in the same way. The boat's overall speed requires everyone to work together and pull for each other, which makes rowing one of the absolute best team sports.

The Training

Rowers are worked through a rigorous training program to help them reach peak performance. Time is spent building an aerobic base with running and indoor rowing on an ergometer, and strength is built with weight lifting and other methods. The vast majority of our training time is spent out on the water, where we can work on technique and build endurance.

While difficult at times, anyone in average shape may expect to join crew and be in excellent condition by the end of their first year with the team.

Divisions

Rowing events are typically broken into two broad categories, open weight and lightweight. Open weight, or heavyweight, is typically full of competitors over 165 pounds in the case of men, or 130 pounds in the case of women. These are the bigger, taller individuals that give the division its name. Heavyweights are typically very powerful, but often have trouble matching the technical prowess of their lighter, shorter counterparts.

For the lighter individuals, below 165 pounds for men and below 130 pounds for women, the lightweight division offers a completely different look. Lightweights are obviously smaller and tend to be shorter, and have a lot more of a technical emphasis. Their smaller body area is a bit easier to manage and the technique has to be very clean to ensure maximum boat speed.

The Camaraderie

When training gets difficult or a race comes down to the last few strokes, you will draw from those you have spent the entire season working with. You learn to respect and perhaps even admire your boat mates, and end up wanting to do well for them as much as for your own reasons. The sport is as such that you tend to make some of your best friends in your college career here on Clemson Crew.