A short list of important words and phrases, if you think its missing anything please email the webmaster.
| # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
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½ slide - The position where the body has rocked over and the legs have started to compress. The seat is approximately halfway up the slide and the angle between your calves and thighs is approximately 90 degrees.
¾ slide - The position where the body has rocked over and the shins are vertical the outside arm has now come between the legs.
2k test - Short for 2km test, a 2km ergometer test. Normally used as a bench mark for selecting crews.
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A
All-in-one - A one-piece rowing kit item with no arms made of lovely lycra.
A.R.A. - The Amateur Rowing Association, which deals with registration, insurance etc for rowers.
Arms away - The position where the legs are flat and the blade is held with the arms straight out in front. The back is slightly rocked backwards.
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B
Backstops - The position with legs straight at the end of the stroke, blade handle into chest blade buried. The back is slightly rocked backwards
Baitsbite lock - The furthest point a novice crew can go up the river, it is also the starting point of bumps.
Bank Party - The person, (or people) that cycle along the towpath coaching a crew.
Blade - An oar, used for rowing with.
Blades - During bumps if a crew bumps on every occasion (or 4 times, depending on your college) that crew is awarded blades, and carries a flag back to the boathouse.
Boatie - A person obsessed by rowing.
Boathouse - The place where the boats are stored, each club has their own.
Body Rock-over - The position just after arms away where the body has rocked over. The legs are still straight.
Bow - The rower who sits in the bows of the boat in front of all other rowers.
Bow Ball - The rubber ball placed at the end of the bows of a boat as a safety device, needed to go out on the river.
Bow Side - The starboard side of the boat, the left-hand side of the boat from a rower's point of view, the right-hand side from a cox's point of view. Bow side oars usually have a green stripes on the loom.
Bows - The front of the boat, and the end that has the bow ball attached, i.e. the end behind rowers as they sit in the boat.
Buftie - A boatie who has since left University, but cannot quite leave the boatie mindset. Often seen rowing for town clubs, occasionally propping up the College Bar around Mays telling half made-up stories to anyone who will listen.
Bump - The act of a boat hitting another boat, usually the one which started in front, in the bumps.
Bumps - The bumping races held over four days in Lent and May terms, involving several divisions of eighteen boats starting 1½ lengths apart. The idea is to catch and bump the boat in front of you while avoiding being bumped by the boat chasing you.
Bung Start - A standing start only practiced during bumps, it involves the cox holding onto a chain with a bung. The cox must hold onto this while the boat is pushed out from the bank and can only drop it when the starting cannon goes off.
Burst - A short training piece, usually less than a minute of hard work.
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C
Cane - To defeat hideously.
Canvas - The distance from the bow ball to the rower sitting in the bow position. This is shouted out in bumps to let the crew know how far away the crew in front are.
Carnage - Boats all over the place, crashing into each other is know as carnage. Look at the river during novice term so see many example of this.
Catch - The point where the spoon enters the water at frontstops.
Chesterton footbridge - A bridge about halfway from the boathouses to Baitsbite lock, end point of the upper men's bumps divisions.
Cleaver - A type of blade used by more experienced rowers, looks like a meat cleaver (hence the name).
Course - The course over which the bumps is rowed , from Baitsbite lock to Chesterton footbridge.
Cox - The person, usually very small, who sits facing the bows and is responsible both for steering the boat and for coaching and encouraging the rowers.
Coxless - Boats that do not have a cox are called this, the person sitting at bow has to steer.
Crab - To slice your spoon into the water, usually after to failing to square fully, sending it deep into the water and twisting the blade parallel to the boat. This will usually hurt if the blade catches you, and has sometimes thrown rowers out of the boat.
Croker - A manufacturer of blades.
Cross-over point - At the Ditton corner end of plough reach and at the first post corner end of the gut are the cross-over points. This is where boats must change to the other side of the river (If it is clear!!!).
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D
De-Rig - The opposite of rig, to dismantle the boat ready for transporting.
Ditton Corner - The corner connecting the reach with the plough reach.
Double - A boat for two scullers.
Draw - A stroke of between half and three quarters of normal length, taken at the start of a race with a standing start and used to give the boat some initial acceleration.
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E
Eight - A boat for eight sweep oared rowers.
Empacher - A manufacturer of rowing equipment.
Erg/Ergo - A piece of training on an ergometer.
Ergometer - A rowing machine.
Ergometer test - A test on an ergometer where a person rows either a set distance as fast as possible or as far as possible in a set time. The most famous is a "2k test".
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F
Fairbairns - The main race of Michaelmas term, rowed after the end of term over a course of about 5km between Jesus College boathouse and the little bridge (seniors) or to the railings (novice).
FAT - First and Third.
Feather - To rotate the blade so that the spoon is parallel to the water, this is done once the blade is clear of the water at the finish. The blade remains feathered until the catch where the blade is the squared.
Filth - Oxford University (Boat Club).
Fin - A fixed device under the boat which aids stability and direction.
Finish - The point where the spoon leaves the water.
First and Third - The boat club of Trinity College, so-called because of the three original boat clubs from Trinity, the second (for students of divinity) folded at the turn of the century and the two remaining clubs (of which First Trinity was restricted old Etonians) merged in 1947. Abbreviated to FaT.
First Post Corner - The first corner the crew rowing at the head of a bumps division reaches.
Four - A boat for four sweep oared rowers.
Frontstops - The fully compressed position with legs bent at the start of the stroke as the blade enters the water.
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G
Gate - The black contraption which holds the blade in place in the rigger.
Georgina - A large barge on the Cam that is used for parties and sightseeing, best to keep out of its way.
Gilet - A piece of rowing kit; a warm sleeveless fleece top with splash-proof back.
Grassy Corner - The corner connecting the gut to the plough reach, quite a tight corner when racing bumps.
Green Flag - Anyone can row, however novice crews must have a bank party.
Greenery - When a crew bumps the crew in front during bumps they are awarded greenery, and row back to the boathouse sporting twigs or large bits of foliage (or anything that can be scavenged from the towpath).
Gunshed - Right by the motorway bridge, used for storing the small cannons used to start the bumps divisions.
Gut (The) - The bit of water between First Post corner and Grassy corner, normally the sight of carnage in novice term due to the cross-over point.
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H
Handbook - The Boatie Bible, the Gospel According to CUCBC.
Handle - The wooden part of the blade that you hold.
Hard, (The) - The name given to the tarmac outside the boathouses where the boats are placed into (and taken out of) the water.
Head - The crew or boat club holding the Headship.
Head Race - A race in which crews compete and are timed over a set distance.
Head Of the River Race - A race which takes place in April on the Thames.
Headship - Top position in either the Lent or May bumps, the first boat in the first division.
Henley - Thames Valley town, home of Leander club, the Henley Royal Regatta and the women's and lightweights' University boat races.
Henley Royal Regatta - An historic International Regatta held late June on the Thames at Henley.
HORR - short for Head Of the River Race.
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L
Lady Margaret Boat Club - The boat club of St John's College.
Lents - the Lent bumps.
Lightweight - A rower under 72.5 kg who is entitled to compete in competitions for light rowers.
Little Bridge - Towpath small bridge just after the motorway bridge (towards Baitsbite lock) on the left, you probably wont notice its there.
LMBC - short for Lady Margaret Boat Club.
Loom - The long black part of the blade that connects the handle to the spoon.
Lycra - Very tight material worn by most rowers at races and by boaties all the time.
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M
Macon - A type of blade used by less experienced rowers and novices.
Marshal (1) - The act of getting in position ready to race, is very amusing when there's lots of novice crews about.
Marshal (2) - A person who is supposed to organise the marshalling of crews before the race. Can be sometimes very helpful, other times not so.
Morley's Holt - A point between Peter's Posts and the Railway Bridge, used as one of the finishing-posts in the Lents, and as a point for the final push in certain races. It is marked by an orange post on the non-towpath side of the river.
Motorway bridge - A part of the river near Baitsbite lock. You cant miss it, look for the large blue bridge.
Maggie - Slang name for Lady Margaret Boat Club.
Mays - The May bumps.
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N
Novice - Someone who has never rowed before, novices usually learn to row in Michaelmas and become seniors after completing Fairbairns.
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O
Oar - A blade, used for rowing with.
One-piece - Also know as an all-in-one, a lovely piece of lycra that all rowers love.
Outing - A rowing training session on the water.
Overbump - A bump on the boat which started three boats in front in the bumps, occurring only when the two boats in between have bumped out.
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P
P&E - short for the Pike and Eel.
Pausing at ..... - An exercise where the crew pauses during the recovery, at either arms away, body rock-over, ½ slide, ¾ slide or at the catch. The boat should be balanced or sat.
Penny Ferry - What was once the P&E.
Peter's Post - A blue post between the P&E and Morley's Holt, the end point of many races and signifies where the newly surfaced towpath begins.
Piece - Part of training, rowed at full pressure and race rating over a set time or distance.
Pike and Eel - A pub between Chesterton bridge and Peter's Post, is now called the Penny Ferry, but old names die hard.
Plough Reach - The straight section of water outside the Plough pub.
Pressure - The amount of effort (usually ghost/zero, light, ½, ¾ or firm/full) put into each stroke.
Pyramids - A type of training involving several sets of twenty or so strokes at full pressure, each one at a higher rating than the previous, usually with steady state rowing in between, until a peak rating is reached at which point the reverse takes place, with each set of strokes at a lower rating than the last.
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Q
Quad - A boat for four scullers.
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R
Racks - A set of bars in the boathouse on which boats rest when not in use.
Railings - About halfway up the reach on the meadow side are some railings, this is the point people refer to as the railings.
Railway bridge - The bridge at the end of the reach, and finish for the lower divisions of May bumps.
Rate - short for the rating.
Rating - The number of strokes being taken per minute
Reach (The) - Stretch of water, almost straight, between the railway bridge and Ditton corner.
Recovery - The part of the stroke from finish to catch during which the spoon is out of the water.
Red Flag - "That no boat be allowed on the water when a Red Flag is flown at Goldie boathouse." - CUCBC Handbook.
Red and Yellow Flag - "That only University crews with the specific permission of one of their senior coaches and tub pairs may row when both the Red and Yellow Flags are flown at Goldie Boathouse." - CUCBC Handbook.
Regatta (1) - A competition, sometimes lasting several days, with many different events, usually involving both coxed and uncoxed boats of all sizes in both sweep rowing and sculling, and often involving heats and semi-finals as well as a final for each event. Boats row side by side simultaneously from a standing start.
Regatta (2) - A monthly rowing publication, free with your A.R.A. membership.
Repechage - A race for boats who did not qualify for the final or semi-final outright from their heat but were close enough to merit a second chance, usually with the top two or three boats qualifying.
Rigger - The metal framework attached to the outer shell of the boat next to each seat which holds the gate in place.
Rig - To put riggers onto the boat, or more generally to set the boat up for rowing in.
Rigger Jigger - A small spanner for adjusting riggers.
Rip - To attempt to wrench the oar through the water rather than taking a controlled stroke.
Rolling start - A race start in which boats are timed from a starting point at which they are already travelling at full speed.
Row over - To row a day of the bumps without bumping or being bumped.
Rudder - The device under the boat, controlled by the cox, which helps the boat change direction.
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S
Sandwich boat - The boat which leads any division (except the first) of the bumps once that division has been completed, and must race again at the bottom of the division above (with no chasing boat), this is the way a boat moves up (or down) a division.
Saxboard - The upper edge of the sides of the boat.
Scull - A boat for one person in which an oar is held in each hand.
Sculler - A person who rows by themselves, quite hard to do and generally fall in more times than not, hence they think they own the river and tend to get in the way.
Senior - A rower with some experience, or (specifically for people who novice in Michaelmas term) one who has rowed in Novice Fairbairns.
Settle - The point, after the wind, in a race with a standing start, once the boat is moving at full speed, at which the rating is lowered and the stroke length is increased. Also called stride.
Shell - The chassis of a boat.
Slide - The two metal strips on which a seat in a rowing boat slides.
Slider - A sliding device on which an ergometer can be placed to imitate the feeling of rowing on water.
Spack (v), spackky (adj) - To row badly, of a crew rowing badly. Usually said of novices, especially if that crew is in your way.
Spanner (1) - To row in a frantic and panicked fashion at the expense of co-ordination, efficiency and power. A cox can spanner the boat into the bank by not steering correctly.
Spanner (2) - A device for undoing and tightening nuts.
Splash top - A type of waterproof jacket, great for rowing in the winter with.
Split time - This is large number usually displayed on an ergometer screen, it signifies the time it would take to travel 500m if you carried on at that pressure.
Spoon - The painted end part of the blade which enters the water.
Spoons - If a crew is bumped on every occasion during bumps, and so go down four or more places, they are awarded spoons. Every college wants to avoid this and instead win blades.
Square - To rotate the blade so that the spoon is perpendicular to the water. This is done at the end of the recovery to prepare for the catch.
Standing Start - A race start in which boats must start from a stationary position with rowers at frontstops.
Stakeboat - A boat that holds onto the stern of the racing crew at the start of a regatta, this is so all crews are level and that they don't start before the gun.
Steady state - A part of training usually at a low rating (about 22) but a high pressure.
Stern - The back of the boat, i.e. the end that rowers face as they sit in the boat.
Stroke (1) - One cycle of the oar, usually starting and finishing at backstops.
Stroke (2) - The rower who sits in the stern of the boat in front of all other rowers and is responsible for setting the rating.
Stroke Side - The port side of the boat, the right-hand side of the boat from a rower's point of view, the left-hand side from a cox's point of view. Bow side oars usually have a red stripes on the loom.
Stride - The point, after the wind, in a race with a standing start, once the boat is moving at full speed, at which the rating is lowered and the stroke length is increased. Also called settle.
Sweep - Rowing in which each person has one blade and rows on one side.
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T
Tap - A light stroke used to straighten a boat.
Tap Down - To lower the hands at the end of the stroke, which will remove the spoon from the water.
Technical Bump - If carnage ensues in a bumps division a technical bump can be awarded to a crew if the marshal thinks that your crew would have hit the crew in front over the distance.
Technical Rowover - Similar to a technical bump, occurs if the marshal thinks that you would not have hit the crew in front.
Ten Mil - A spanner with diameter ten millimetres, used to tighten most of the rigger's nuts, also know as a rigger jigger.
Thirteen Mil - A spanner with diameter thirteen millimetres, used to tighten the top nut.
Top Nut - The nut on the top of the rigger which holds the gate in place.
Trestles - A set of (usually two) portable stands with straps used to support a boat.
Trial - To attempt to gain a place in a given boat, usually a university boat.
Triallist - Someone who trials.
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W
Wind - The period at the start of a race with a standing start where the rating is increased quickly to get the boat moving at race speed.
WeHORR - Short for Women's Head Of the River Race.
Women's Head Of the River Race - A race which takes place in March on the Thames.
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Y
Yellow Flag - That only University crews, first boats and boats in the first two divisions of the May Bumps (Men) or first boats and boats in the first division of the May Bumps (Women) or first fours be allowed on the water when a Yellow Flag is flown at Goldie boathouse." - CUCBC Handbook.
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Z
Zephyr - A piece of rowing kit; only available to those that row in the college Lent and May crews. Consisting of a white t-shirt with coloured piping around the collar and sleeves. The style of the piping depends on which boat you are in; 2nd Boat zephyrs have one colour (lavender) while 1st Boat zephyrs have two colours (lavender and indigo).
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