THE SPORT OF ROWING 164. “Swing” and the Entry Metaphysics – Backsplash? – Boat Check The word “swing” has been given several meanings by rowers and coaches over the years. Early in 19th Century Britain it meant the recovery, as in the “swing” back to the entry. Later in the century it denoted the motion of the back during the pullthrough, but during the 20th Century throughout the English-speaking world it took on a more metaphysical meaning, describing when the boat is really going well. Here are a few historic quotes describing the elation of swing, though not all actually use the word. Edmond Warre, 1909: “The boat seems to swing on her way. The labour is as nothing – the elasticity of movement is sweet – and Horace’s fine insight expressed in the line, ‘Molitor austerum Studio fallente laborem,’8475 is justified and appreciated by those who have the good fortune to experience such a result achieved by a good crew in a good boat.”8476 Robert F. Kelley, 1941: “The satisfaction of pulling an oar when you were in great physical shape, the shell coming to life beneath you and the crew fitting in as one man – it is a peculiar and unique sensation not to be described.”8477 8475 “When the charm and delight Puts the toil out of sight.” 8476 Warre, pp. 49-50 8477 Qtd. by Taylor, xviii George Pocock, 1966: “Rowing is naturally all human effort. A man is rated at 1/10th of a horsepower, and in an eight, that only makes 4/5th of a horsepower. On a sprint they’ll get 16, up to 20 mph, and for 4/5th of a horsepower, that’s pretty good. The power there is so small that they’ve got to conserve every bit of it. “That’s why the boat has to respond with the rhythm, the swing of the crew, and when the boat and the crew are in rhythm, in unison, in harmony, boy it’s a delight to row. You hear them scream with delight. There’s no effort to it, but if they’re all at sixes and sevens, it’s just agony.”8478 Allen Rosenberg, 1970s: “The body of the oarsman moving into the stern in a slow and seemingly effortless manner at the same time that the boat accelerates in the opposite direction produces swing. “It is an unmistakable sight. While creating the illusion of a lower rate of striking, swing allows the boat to move through the water faster than it appears.”8479 Eric Sigward, Harvard 1966: “The coxswain screams, and you feel a magnificent burst of speed that takes you away from the water, the bleeding hands and the slicing oars into the metaphysical realms of flight, and light, and love.”8480 Cleve Livingston, 1972 U.S. Olympic Silver Medal Eight: “Most boats spend their training time searching for what oarsmen 8478 G. Pocock, KCTS-TV 8479 Ferris, p. 8 8480 Sigward, p. 51 2384
