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First competitive rowing event
Thomas Doggett, an Irish playwright and actor, established in London an annual regatta for professional watermen entering their first year of apprenticeship. He provided in his will for a prize of a suit of livery and a silver arm badge for the winner of the contest. The event has been held almost continuously ever since. -
Start of rowing between colleges
Oxford conducts it first rowing races amongst its own classes (1815); Rowing spreads to Westminster School in London and Oxford and Cambridge Universities by 1829. -
Leander club is established
The appeal of rowing as an amateur sport beyond school and college years led to the formation of boat clubs in London, including the Leander Club in 1818. By 1830 it was looked upon as a well-known and long-established boat club. In its early days, Leander was as much a social association as a competitive club. It was the first club to support young watermen in their rowing pursuits. -
Outrigger (Technology)
Outrigger, c. 1830s As the seriousness of the racing and the size of the prize grew, oarsmen looked to improve their equipment to give them an edge. In 1828 Anthony Brown, England, attached wooden out-riggers to a boat. The out-rigger allowed for a narrower, speedier boat to be built without the need to support an oar directly sitting on the gunwale (in-rigged). Frank Emmet, had a try and in 1830 produced the "Eagle" with iron out-riggers, which was eventually improved on by many others. -
Shell construction (technology)
The next major development was the smooth skin, keel-less hull. The boat became known as the "shell" because its structure was internal and a smooth delicate egg shell like skin was formed around it. -
Developement of the first modern canoe
John MacGregor (24 January 1825 Gravesend – 16 July 1892 Boscombe, Bournemouth), nicknamed Rob Roy after a renowned relative, was a Scottish explorer, travel writer and philanthropist. He is generally credited with the development of the first sailing canoes and with popularising canoeing as a sport in Europe and the United States. He created one of the first modern designs of the canoe which is famously known as the Rob Roy. -
First canoe club established
The Royal Canoe Club (RCC), founded in 1866, is the oldest canoe club in the world and received royal patronage in the 19th century. The club promotes canoeing and kayaking, focusing on flatwater, sprint and marathon disciplines. Members of the club have represented Great Britain at World Championships and the Olympic Games. The club is based at Trowlock Island on the River Thames in Teddington near London. -
The first cross-continent rowing event (political)
In 1869 Harvard challenged Oxford to race on the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race course outside London. The public interest was huge with more publicity than any sporting event to date. The new Atlantic cable allowed daily reports to be received by all major newspapers across America. The race was closely fought and both crews were admired for their sporting spirit. The result in America was an explosion of interest in collegiate and amateur rowing. -
Development of the sliding seat (technology)
The third major development in rowing technology, the sliding seat, was contributed by an American sculler about 1870, completing the basic parameters of rowing equipment that shape and define the sport today. It was quickly incorporated into team boats on both sides of the Atlantic. The sliding seat helps to extend the length of the rowing stroke and makes the boat much faster. However, it is important to note that sliding seats are not allowed in Olympic rowing events. -
National Association of Amateur Oarsmen formed (History)
The National Association of Amateur Oarsmen (now the United States Rowing Association), one of the first national sport regulatory organizations in the United States, was established in 1872. -
First Rowing Olympics conducted (Politics)
FISA first organized a European Rowing Championships in 1893.An annual World Rowing Championships was introduced in 1962. Rowing first featured in the modern Olympic Games in 1900. (It was orginally suppose to debut in the Oympics in 1896 but the rowing events had to be cancelled due bad weather.) -
Birth of modern white-water kayaking
In 1931, a man named Adolf Anderle became the first person to kayak down the Salzachofen Gorge. This may have been the birth of modern white-water kayaking. The International Scale of River Difficulty was established not long after to classify how dangerous a river's rapids were -- the same classification system used today. -
Rowing in the Olympics
Kayaking and canoeing officially become part of the Olympics. -
Fibeglass kayaks (technology)
Fiberglass "rigid" kayaks came on the scene in the 1950s. A company known as Valley Products began producing the first fiberglass kayak. Today, most sprint cnoe and kayaks ued for flat water racing are made of a combination of fiberglass and carbon fiber. -
Ergometer invention (Technology)
In the early 1960s an Australian company built a machine called an ergometer; a machine to measure work capacity. They were very large steel devices with flywheels and leather straps applying resistance. These machines were used to test the output of some of the 1968 Olympic team hopefuls and were subsequently used to do the first aerobic testing of oarsmen by Dr. F. Hagerman - 1968-1970. They have since been used worldwide for training in not just rowing but for other rowing forms too. -
Composite boat (technology)
In 1972, in preparation for the Munich Olympics, the German federation supported an equipment development program. The result was a couple of state-of-the-art shells made of glass/carbon fiber/honeycomb and epoxy resins. These row boats weigh less and are much stiffer, more durable, can be more easily repaired and require less maintenance. In just 2-3 years since its creation, a majority of boats racing at the World Rowing Championships were made of such material and are still being used today. -
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Rowing event
Rowing between colleges are fun -
First modern dragon boat event (political)
Traditional dragon boating has existed in Southern China for over 2000 years. However, modern dragon boat racing was developed in Hong Kong by the British, when the British-controlled governemnt of Hong Kong began conducting dragon boat races in 1976 to encourage tourism. Over the next ten years, other locations around the world (especially in Asia, Europe and Canada) began holding festival races based on the hong Kong model. -
Plastic kayaks (technology)
Plastic kayaks were introduced in the 1980's, and kayaks continue to become lighter, sturdier, and more versatile. Now there are several types of kayaks designed with various materials suitable for a variety of sporting events. -
International Dragon Boat Federation established
The International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) was only formally constituted in June 1991. It was formed after modern dragon boat spread thorughout the world and became an established sport following the success of the annual Hong Kong race. The respective continental federations act as the representative bodies for the sport, enacting rules and regulations and organise dragon boat championships for their member associations while recognising the IDBF as the world governing body for the sport. -
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do rowing
haha
