Rowing Frequently Asked Questions
Q - What does it cost to join the Gisborne Rowing Club...?
A - Season Fees are ratified each year at the Clubs AGM. See the "Membership Info" page for fee info.
Q - What is the time Commitment needed to be good at Rowing...?
A - Training is typically two times per week in winter, three times per week in spring - but the more you put in the better your results will be. During the rowing season you may want to train more often - especially if you are doing some great erg times and want to win at regattas. During December to March elite rowers typically train every day.
Q - Where do you race...?
A - For training we use the Waimata River up to the Island. For regattas we travel to Wairoa, Clive (Hawkes Bay), Blue Lake (Rotorua), Lake Karapiro (Cambridge), and for Secondary School Championship (Maadi) to Lake Ruataniwha (Twizel).
Q - What should you wear for Rowing...?
A - Comfortable gym type clothing is fine. Most boats have rowing shoes in them to use. Expect to get wet while you are learning your boat skills and always wear sunscreen.
Q - Do I need to be fit before I join the Gisborne Rowing Club...?
A - No we cater for all fitness levels - but rowing is an excellent way to get in shape.
Q - How long is a rowing race course...?
A - The standard international racing distance is 2000 meters. Depending on boat class, weather conditions, water current and the physical condition and experience of the rowers, these races typically take from 5½ to 8½ minutes. When training, we do need to make allowance for other river traffic (and the turns in the river...!) It is 2000 metres from the Club sheds to the Island.
Q - What is the difference between sweep rowing and sculling?
A - In sweep rowing each rower uses a single oar (about 3.9 m long). In sculling each rower uses two oars, or sculls, (each about 3 m long).
Q - What is a Crab?
A - A problem encountered by a rower when his or her oar gets `stuck’ in the water, usually right after the catch or just before the release, and is caused by improper squaring or feathering of the oar. The momentum of the shell can overcome the rower’s control of the oar. In more extreme cases the rower can actually be ejected from the shell by the oar.
Q - What is an erg or ergometer?
A - An erg or ergometer is an indoor rowing machine used for training and to measure a rower’s performance. You will get to know erg's very well...
Q - What is the Maadi Cup?
A - This is the Cup (Boys Under 19 Eight) that the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship Regatta has taken its name from. Inscribed on the cup is the following:
"This cup, the gift of Dr Youssef Bahgat of the Cairo Rowing Club, Egypt, was presented to the Maadi Camp Rowing Club as a token of friendship between members of the Cairo Rowing Club and “Kiwi” oarsmen of the Second NZEF following the winning of the Fryberg Cup by the New Zealand oarsmen in competition with members of the Cairo Rowing Club at a regatta on the Nile on the 20th November, 1943."
The Kiwi oarsmen of Maadi Camp Rowing Club won the Cup by 11 points to 6. At the conclusion of the war it was brought back to New Zealand, renamed the Maadi Cup and presented to the NZARA (now the NZRA) for the annual eight-oared competition among the New Zealand Secondary Schools. The first race was held at Wanganui in 1947.
It is a great few days of hard racing and in 2019 was on the World Rowing Course at Lake Karapiro. In 2020 it will be held on Lake Ruataniwha at Twizel in the South Island.
Q - Where do you Row in Gisborne...?
A - We row from our club sheds in Anzac Park up the river to the "Island" - which is about 2 kms
