How to Set Up a Rowing Lineup
- 1). Assign rowers to stroke pair or seats 7 and 8. These crew members sit in the stern closest to the coxswain, a ninth member of the team solely responsible for verbally directing the crew and the majority of steering. Stroke pair are required to have excellent technique and athletic conditioning in order to maintain a sufficiently consistent rate of strokes to guide the rest of the crew.
- 2). Allocate the heaviest and strongest members of the crew to the middle of the boat. Seats 3 through 6 are sometimes referred to as the "boiler room," as these rowers are not responsible for setting a pace and can focus on simply moving the boat. Traditional coaching philosophy dictates that the lineup's very strongest rowers will be assigned to creating power from seats 5 and 6, according to Carnegie Lake Rowing masters coach Rob Colburn.
- 3). Place small but reliable rowers in the front, or bow, of the boat. The bow is the narrowest part of the boat, save the stern where the coxswain sits. The bow pair should not be too physically large to perform effectively in these seats. It is also essential that the bow pair be able to closely mirror the motions of the stroke pair and be able to take directions to make small adjustments to shell direction as necessary.
Source...