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Coxmate is sponsoring Adrian Oest , a final year engineering student at Adelaide University, in a project to determine the optimum fin/rudder design.  He is also investigating the effect of speed impellers in fins. We will reveal more results as they are known.

Ideally impellers should be outside the boundary layer, to provide a ‘clean’ signal which gives the greatest accuracy and the most value for analysis.  To achieve a ‘clean’ signal you need to have impeller mounted very near to the bow, or some distance from the shell. The thickness of the boundary layer increases as you get further from bow.  If the impeller is mounted within the fin, then it can be some distance away from hull.

We have a graph of his early results showing the degree of turbulence at three points on a scull: 1, 2 and 5 metres from bow waterline.  The impeller was 38mm from hull in all instances. Adrian found that as you get further from the bow, the graph becomes more ragged as a result of increased turbulence – the small eddies of swirling water cause the speed reading to change. In order to use the stroke-velocity profile to analyse rowing technique, a ‘clean’ signal is imperative.  We have experimented with a small impeller mounted near the bow.  Apart from difficulties of mounting the impeller, it offers low drag and a ‘clean’ signal.

Coxmate will be revealing its new, ultra-small impeller in the summer.  A photograph in the Newsletter shows a comparison to NK impeller.

The Coxmate impeller will work with the NK Speed Coach.  You might want less drag on your boat while racing! 

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We have heard from Coxmate that they now offer a mounting "plug" to fit into NK cups which many UK boats have pre-fitted.

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Jim has kindly done some more research to answer Sarah-Kate's questions

Charlie Simpson made some further suggestions for links to articles on 'communication in rowing coaching', he's happy to have them published, see:

http://www.skhs.queensu.ca/employees/faculty/publications/cote/ 
 
 
Another good source to try is Brent Rushall . He has a rowing background and a definite interest in psychology. At his website he provides brief summaries of key articles across various disciplines including psychosocial aspects. I had a quick scan on the communication topic and came up with the following summaries that may be of interest.  http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol121/mjaavatn.htm
 
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol91/amorose.htm
 
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol61/horn.htm
 
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/csa/vol35/dibernar.htm

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Dear Rowperfect community

It’s the racing season! We will be sharing a stand with Cambridge Racing Shells at the National Schools Regatta and will have our now-traditional warm-up Rowperfects at the Henley Womens Regatta.

Congratulations to Duncan Holland our seminar speaker 2006 whose CUBC crew won the Boat Race using Magik oarlocks. They also won the Goldie : Isis race and the reserves race.

We have a fantastic interview with Tim McLaren, Australian international coach who works with California Rowing club. His insights into coaching and language are worth savouring.

Our blog is growing on the website news page. Here you can comment on articles and start ‘conversations’ with other coaches and athletes about the topics we write about. Some of the comments relating to the Seminar and the new Rowperfect design are below.

The video of the new Rowperfect we launched onto YouTube got over 2,000 nearly 3,000 views!

Thanks for your continued support and interest.

There is a new brochure for Dreher oars and sculls with photographs of all the spoon shapes. We can send you a printed copy.

Rebecca Caroe and Grant Craies,

Rowperfect UK

Download the Rowperfect Newsletter May 2007

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Video of Xeno Muller coaching with the athlete using Dreher sculling oars.  They are the Apex design - notice how cleanly they enter and exit the water.  That's hydrodynamic lift in action!

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The Rowperfect post-bag had an interesting email from Sarah-Kate Millar, Head Coach of Kings School Worcester.  She had downloaded the slides from Jim Flood's Rowperfect Seminar "Coaching: Achieving the best results possible".

Hi Jim, I was reading your notes from your presentation in London in March and had a couple of questions for you. I am currently completing my MSc in sports coaching and looking at rowing coaches' behaviours. I have used four expert rowing coaches here in England as my subjects. Have you found any articles specifically on rowing and communication? I have one good article fromCanada, but that's about all. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

 And here is Jim's response

    Hi Sarah-Kate
    Thanks for your interest - and I'm keen to share information and ideas. I've not found anything specific to rowing and communication. I'll check with my colleague Charlie Simpson and I'll have another look myself. Have you looked at this book Athlete Centred Coaching

    Can you let me have a reference for the Canadian article?

    Do keep in contact.

    Best wishes
    Jim

Anyone else who wants to see the slides from the event, they are available for free download.  Please circulate them to your rowing coach - and remember to credit Rowperfect and Jim Flood. 

[Sarah-Kate approached Rowperfect to ask for advice on the coaches she studied for the MSc.  We provided introductions to the Cambridge University Lightweight Mens Boat Club head coach, Nick Brown.]

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Rowperfect was contacted by the University of Chester a month ago.  Due to accidents they were suddenly without a row boat and rowing oars for their preparation for the BUSA regatta.

We introduced them to a couple of people who could help with a boat and offered a set of our Dreher Apex sweep oars for them to use as blades.

BUSA was fantastic thank you, we got both our mens and womens novice 4+ crews to the finals of their events so a good weekend all round, thanks for all your help over the past few weeks.
Andy Gilmore, Captain

Daz Ventham and Andy Gilmore set the whole arrangement up.

If your boat club or crew has a minor 'crisis' and needs to borrow equipment, please ask.  Rowperfect stocks rowing oars, cox boxes, sculls and magik oarlocks.  We may be able to help.  Rowperfect has a wide network of friends in British Rowing and we make introductions and help facilitate arrangements like this quite frequently.

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