Pengwern Boat Club
Pengwern Boat Club
Saturday 17th May 2008
Where is Pengwern Boat Club?
The club is near the centre of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, in the UK. For a location map of Pengwern B.C. within Shrewsbury Town Centre, click here. For web-based maps and directions to the area, click here.
On which river do you row?
The River Severn: the longest river in the UK, with its headwaters in Wales and its estuary in Avonmouth. (The longest river in the British Isles is the Shannon, in Ireland.)
How long is the rowing course at Pengwern?
We usually row between the English and Welsh Bridges (see the map), which is about 2 km. However, longer pieces can be completed by heading up-stream a further 5 km from the Welsh Bridge towards Berrick, although some bends are quite sharp.
I've heard about the floods in Shrewsbury: how does this affect the club/rowing?
The floods of October and November 2000, and most recently February 2002, prevent any on-the-water rowing for safety reasons. The 2000 floods were the second highest in the history of the boat club, after May 1948, and flooded the entire lower storey of the clubhouse. Some boats had to be moved upstairs to prevent damage, though no permanent structural damage was apparent to the clubhouse. In times of high flow and floods, access to the clubhouse may become restricted to on-foot only, though the senior men still managed to train in the weight-room in February 2002!
How many members are there?
A recent club survey (January 2002) revealed that there are 180 members listed at Pengwern Boat Club. This figure includes Juniors (12-17), Seniors (18-30), Veterans (31+) and social members. We are hoping to attract more members in the near future and expand the clubhouse (click here for more information).
How much does it cost to join? Can I “try before I buy”?
The full annual membership price is currently (2005) £ 175 for senior membership (18+). Junior fees are £ 80 (Under-18), or £ 45 (Under-13). Social membership is £ 50 (Sports) or £ 10 (Bar). Student membership is by arrangement (i.e. you only pay for the time you're at the club during vacation periods, at the senior rate). Payment is by cheque and can be given in full or by four monthly installments.
How many boats does the club have? What land training facilities are there?
We have: 3 eights, 7 coxed fours (two are restricted), 1 coxless-four/quad, 2 pairs, 4 doubles, 4 club singles, 2 restricted singles and 2 playboats. [We have mainly Janousek racing shells, but also a Ray Simms eight, 3 fairly new Burgashell singles and 1 brand-new Burgasell double.] Project Oarsome, a scheme launched by the sport's governing body, the ARA (see below for more info), which is designed to encourge greater participation in rowing by junior members, has provided 2 new coxed-quads, 2 doubles and 2 singles, in addition to the boats listed above. We also have one safety launch and one coaching launch.
In terms of land training facilities, we have 4 Model C Concept II ergometers, 4 Model B Concept II ergometers and a weights room with squat cage, bench press, seated leg press and bench for rowing pulls. Most of this equipment is quite old, but works perfectly well!
Do you host any races, and when?
Yes! We host the annual Shrewsbury Regatta over a mid-May weekend, with an 1000 m course on the Saturday and 500 m course on the Sunday. The event is very well attended, and provides a showcase for the club and Shrewsbury as a whole.
How successful is the club?
At present, we are a relatively small club and as such cannot boast the strength in depth that most of the London clubs, for example, can achieve. Plus it also depends on how one measures “success”! Over the last 3 or 4 years, we have had some very successful crews, winning many local races and competing to a high level in regional and national events, such as the Heads in London and at Henley. For example, in 1999 the Men's Eight just missed out on qualifying for the Thames Challenge Cup by a 2.4 seconds, as did single sculler Rich Akers in the Diamond Sculls. In 1995, the Women's Novice Eight won their event at the Head of the River Race. Most recently, the Pengwern Men's Quad came 42nd overall in the Fours Head in November 2001. See also History for a round-up of the club's fortunes through the years.
Can I hire the clubhouse for a party/wedding reception/etc?
Absolutely. We encourage all sorts of private and corporate functions at the clubhouse: click here for full details.
What are the changing facilities like?
The Men's and Women's change rooms both have 4 electric showers each, and although are relatively small are adequate to requirements! On the other hand, the new clubhouse redevelopment plans include brand-new changing facilities, which I'm sure will prove popular.
Is there a bar? (What beers do you have on tap?)
What would a boat club be without a bar? We have an excellent fully stocked bar in the clubhouse, serving the usual array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to suit most tastes. We normally have two guest beers on tap (these change regularly so there is plenty of variety) as well as the standard fare such as Guinness, Kronenberg, Fosters and bottled Becks beer. Strongbow cider is also on tap. Any suggestions should be directed to CJ!
How often do you row/train per week?
It all depends on which squad you belong to - or if you're a private sculler it's entirely up to you! Each squad has different training programmes, designed by the coaches, but typically a competitive squad trains 6 days a week, with 6 to 8 individual training sessions during those 6 days. There are often double-outings at weekends, single sessions during the week, and Friday's are usually for rest! For more information, and specific training schedules, see the Squads pages.
I've heard rowing means getting up really early in the morning... Is this true?
This is often the case when the only time of the day that all members of the same crew can row together is before work, first thing in the morning. In many rowing clubs this is the norm. However, at Pengwern the preferred time of day to row on weekdays is in the evenings, usually from about 6.30 pm. At the weekends, it can be at any time during the day, but usually in the mornings from about 9.00 am. So it's actually fairly unusual to get up at the crack of dawn to row at Pengwern.
What do you wear to row in? What happens when it gets cold?!
This may seem a trivial question, but for those new to the sport it might not be so obvious! The mainstay of rowing apparel is the all-in-one (also called “uni-suit” in North America, or “zoot suit” in Australia), a snug-fitting item that combines shorts and singlet in one (hence “all-in-one”). Since there is a risk of shorts getting caught in the slide, and hands snagging on t-shirts whilst rowing, it is advisable to save the baggy and loose-fitting clothing for the clubhouse! When it gets a little chilly, tights and long-sleeve Ts or fleeces are worn (again preferably snug), and to keep your hands warm the Canadians invented “pogies” (your hands and oar-handles are both kept inside the glove). Wearing normal gloves is not really possible, since grip on the oar(s) is compromised. There are several rowing kit manufacturers in the UK, perhaps the best known being Godfrey, based in Nottingham. Click here for details and pictures of Pengwern's club kit.
How safe is rowing? (I mean, you're not looking where you're going!)
Since rowing is both a non-contact and low-impact sport (unlike football and rugby, for example), the likelihood of injury is rather small. The types of injury most common in rowing result from repetitive movements, and therefore take time to develop, but are also more likely to recur more than once. The most common complaint is with the lower-back, since it is subject to a great deal of force during the drive phase of the stroke. On the other hand, serious problems are rare, and tend to affect elite oarspeople more than the average club rower (e.g. Tim Foster from the GB Olympic coxless four, who recently retired from the GB squad due to recurring back problems). Needless to say, if you already have a back problem before taking up rowing, it would be wise to consult your GP first!
By far the most common cause of accidents (and the odd injury) in rowing are collisions. Since rowing is one of the few sports where you look backwards instead of forwards, it follows that not having a close eye on where you're going might cause problems! But since everyone is well aware of this fact and the direction of travel on each side of the course is well established world-wide (we all “drive” on the right), collisions are kept to a minimum. In boats with dedicated steers people (coxwains) the chances of impacts are obviously smaller than boats without, since they can (virtually) always see where the boat is going. The most risky boats are of the coxless variety. However, the bowperson usually takes responsibility for steering the boat (with a foot-controlled rudder, or by applying different force on one oar or the other). As long as everyone adheres to the rules of the river, and pays due care to their course and to other boats, collisions are very unlikely, regardless of boat type.
How many different types of boat are there?
Rowing events at the Olympics have been cut down in recent years because there were a seemingly unjustifiably large number of events available for rowers to compete in. However, the full list of boats available for club training includes: eights (coxed only), fours (coxed and coxless), quads (coxless for senior, with cox for juniors), pairs (with and without cox), doubles (without cox only) and singles (definitely without coxes!). There are also occasionally octuples (8 scullers and cox) for juniors, but these are rare. The most popular club boat is probably the coxed four (especially for Novices), followed by the eight. Generally the smaller the boat, the more technically challenging it becomes to row it properly. Probably the most difficult boat to row is the coxless pair.
What is the difference between “Regatta” and “Head” races?
Head races are held in the off season - September to March in the UK - and are effectively time-trials, i.e. one boat at a time races along a specified course and each crew is ranked according to how quickly they complete the distance (2 km or more, but often around 5 km). Regattas are shorter races (held from April to August) of up to 2,000 m where two or more crews race side-by-side along the course. This is the Olympic racing format, and is the most interesting to watch (and compete in).
What races do you typically compete at?
That all depends on the experience of the crew in question, their goals for the season, and how far they are prepared to travel. Most of the races that Pengwern crews attend are considered “local” - our own regatta in Shrewsbury, Ironbridge, Stourport, Bewedly, and Bridgenorth. Slightly further afield are Nottingham, Chester, and Peterborough. The most prestigious races are the Head of the River series on the Thames in London, the National Championships in Nottingham, and of course Henley. We usually have crews every year in London for the Eights Head (being the largest head race in Europe), and slightly less often at Henley and Nat Champs, which only the top boats in the country generally attend.
How does the rowing status system work? (What does “Novice” and “Senior” mean, anyway?)
The governing body for rowing in England and Wales, the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is responsible for the way the sport is run in this country (Scotland his its own national body, the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association). As far as the status system is concerned, the ARA refers to all competitors who have yet to win a qualifying regatta as “Novice” (i.e. a race that is officially sanctioned by the ARA - see the previous question for an explanation of “regatta”). So this covers all people who have just taken up the sport, and continues to do so until they win a qualifying regatta. Once this is achieved, a “Novice” becomes a “Senior”.
This is where things start to get a little more complicated. On a basic level, a rower can progress through the Senior ranks from the lowest level (Senior III in sculling, or Senior IV in rowing) to the highest (Senior I, rowing and sculling), and thereafter can become “Elite”. Elite competitors are international oarsmen and oarswomen (members of the GB team), or top-level club rowers. While you cannot race in a status less than your minimum points total allows, anyone can race at a higher status (although of course not anyone can represent GB in an international regatta - you have to be selected for that!).
The points system is a way of keeping track of the number of qualifying regattas you have won. One win=one point. One exception is for Novices - a win in a Novice event changes your status from Novice to Senior with 0 points, whereas a win in a Senior event promotes you to Senior with 1 point. The complicating factor is that each boat category has a specific points limit for each Senior level, and this limit is the sum of the points for each individual in the boat. For example, the maximum for a Senior II four is 16 points, therefore the individual average is 4 points. However, this means that one rower can have 10 points, another 4 points, another 2 points, and the other could have none. In practice, this sort of combination would be rare because this represents a large range of experience (and in theory ability), therefore the boat might not go too well. On the other hand, it makes crew rowing much more flexible, especially for clubs which are on the small side, since you can train and race with people of different ages and experience. For further information on the points system, visit the ARA's website.
Are there any books that I can read to help my technique/training/learn more about the sport?
Although they are difficult to find in the local bookshop, there are several excellent books about rowing out there. For example, Sir Steve Redgrave's Complete Book of Rowing, provides a useful overview of all aspects of the sport, from the world's most accomplished rower. His autobiography, A Golden Age, is now available in paperback, and is a very interesting read. Another very useful text is High Performance Rowing, by whatshisface, with detailed technical and training information. The ARA's website has details of these and other rowing books.