As the Regatta was instituted long before national or international rowing federations were established, it occupies a unique position in the world of rowing. The governing body of rowing in England has not jurisdiction over the event as Henley has its own rules. It is a very social event with many quality Henley Regatta hospitality services in operation.
Unlike multi-lane international regattas, Henley still operates a knock-out draw with only two boats racing in each heat. This involved organising up to a hundred races on a number of the 5 days. Each race is started at 300 second intervals to ensure the event comes to completion in time.
The standard international length of a course is 2,000m, which is 112m shorter than Henley, which stands at 1 mile 550 yards. It takes approximately seven minutes to cover, so that there are often two races at once on the Course for much of the day. The Finals are raced on the last day of the event, meaning that the number of races needs to be cut down each day leading up to the last.
There are 4 races for Quad Sculls, 6 classes of race for Eights, races for Double Sculls and Coxless Pairs and 5 for Fours (2 coxed and 3 coxless). This means there are 19 events overall. Ladies and Men’s programs also contain single sculling races. 1993 was the first year women competed over the Course in a full Regatta event when a new event for women single scullers was inaugurated. 2001 saw the introductions of new events for Men’s and Women’s Quadruple Sculls which came a year after an open race for Ladies Eights was brought in.
Crews from around the world hed to Henley each year from countries including the Netherlands, Croatia and the Ukraine. 98 crews came from abroad last year. A more diverse entry group and higher quality racing crews will mean this year’s Regatta will be better than ever. There will be plenty of corporate entertainment and things to see and do for all ages.
Since the sport began, rowing performer’s bodies have altered and their shapes have been refined. 50 years previous the build of average rowers were quite small, the emphasis being on lightness and a body built for endurance. Things are different in current times however with rowers have very altered body shapes and more size. Put simply, they have been optimised for the art of rowing; they are handpicked based on genetics and their diets and exercise routines are aimed at sculpting the perfect rowing machine. So what is the best body for a rower to own?
Height is an attribute that rowers share, most are well above average. This length translates into lots of power during the stoke movement and means that each effort is more efficient than it would be of a smaller person. Rowers do a lot of work in the gym on their legs, often being able to lift their own body weight whilst doing squats. This strong lower body is the powerhouse of the motion and is essential in both generating momentum at the beginning of the race and keeping the boat moving at a steady pace until the boat crosses the finish line. Next time you are at the Henley Regatta take a look at the legs of the rowers when they are pulling away from the start. You will see that they are bulging and generating incredible power, something that would injure the average person’s legs in seconds.
Rowers can find great strength in the back as well, this area is a key part of the movement. Simular to ducks, rowers may look a bit uncomfortable on land (due to their large proportions) but they are incredibly efficient when they can onto the wet stuff. A rowers back has good muscles density and size which means the their stoke is functionally very efficient. As with the legs this also helps sustain power during the entirety of the race. Lastly, whilst rowers are very well built, they actually have a great deal of slow-twitch fibres in their muscles (often associated with long distance athletes). This means they are able to sustain their activity for longer durations and can mean the difference between first or last place in the common long races. A lot of corporate hospitality events are long distance and you’ll see these are often suited to slightly body types. However, rowers also need high-end strength for the fast and powerful movement they perform and so they can equally be found with lots of fast-twtich fibres.
