Rowing

In the context of sports, rowing or sculling is a system of competition that refines the rowing of boats into a specialised discipline. It is a speed sport in narrow boats, where the athlete sits on a sliding seat above the water level and faces backwards, using oars to move the boat. This may be carried out on a river, a lake or on the sea.

There are two forms of rowing:

• In sweep-oar rowing, each rower has only one oar and holds it with both hands. In sweep boats, each rower is either port (strokeside in the UK) or starboard (bowside in the UK), referring refers to the side of the boat their oar extends to.
• In sculling, each rower has two oars (one in each hand). Because of this symmetry, the rowers are not referred to as "port" or "starboard."

The relative obscurity of rowing has helped it develop an introspective atmosphere, where long hours, early mornings on the river, and the physical pain of the event are the price of being a part of the rowing community. The intense focus of top rowers on their sport is unusual even by the standard of similarly excellent competitors in other sports.

One piece of equipment commonly used when training for rowing, the "indoor rower" (also known as an "ergometer", "ergo" or "erg"), has become popular as a sport in its own right.