THE SPORT OF ROWING the boat instead of moving back and forth along the keel. By eliminating the boat’s tendency to porpoise along with eliminating the Newtonian surge of the hull forward as the rower slides toward the stern,7086 the sliding rigger reduces boat check and hydrodynamic drag. The concept was not new, having been tried several times as early as the mid-19th Century.7087 FISA 1981 Video Peter Michale Kolbe, RC Hamburg rowing the Empacher sliding-rigger single in 1981. Look carefully. The riggers and footstretchers moved. The seat didn’t. and Olympic Singles competition since his international debut in 1975.7084 By contrast, Biglow was only 6’3” 190cm 188lb. 85kg and at his first World Championship in a single. In addition, Kolbe was rowing a revolutionary new sliding-rigger single built for him by Empacher Bootswerft of Eberbach on the Neckar River in West Germany.7085 In a normal boat, the footstretcher and riggers are bolted to the boat, and the seat slides along a track. In a sliding-rigger boat, the seat is bolted down, and the footstretcher and riggers slide as a unit along a track. For the rower, the mechanics of the stroke are identical, but his body’s center of gravity remains in a relatively stationary position in 7084 See Chapter 125. 7085 Biomechanist Volker Nolte (See Chapter 134.), now of the University of Western Ontario, was instrumental in assisting Empacher in the development of Kolbe’s sliding-rigger boat. – Bill Miller, The Development of Rowing Equipment, www.rowinghistory.net The Oarsman: “Biglow’s semi-final featured the unknown American and local hero Kolbe facing one another after each had won his heat. The West German, starting carefully in the chop of the first 100 meters, poured it on after that to open a big early lead. The American, not pressing, moved steadily from fifth to third in the second 500, and easily maintained that position for the rest of the race.”7088 The New York Times: “John Biglow of the United States managed a third-place finish in his [semi-final] of the singles competition to advance to the final. “But Biglow’s time of 8 minutes 7.71 seconds was well behind that of Rüdiger Reiche of East Germany, who won the second of two [semi-finals] in 7:50.66.”7089 The singles final was run into a slight cross-headwind with the water a little 7086 See Chapter 90. 7087 Bill Miller, List of U.S. Patents relating to rowing & training equipment, www.rowinghistory.net 7088 Bob Jaugstetter, Three Medals Highlight U.S. Men’s ‘Rebuilding Year,’ The Oarsman, October/November 1981, p. 15 7089 East German Oarsmen Gain 8 Spots in Finals, The New York Times, September 6, 1981 1980
