How many indoor regatta offers have you noticed in the last few weeks? With an erg indoor regatta we could show how hard you have been training. Many private organisations tried to organize an event. The erg manufacturer and the national associations did it. Even FISA World Rowing had a challenge.

What is the motivation behind the organisation of these events? Is it difficult to organize an event like this? We met Sebastian, an experienced marketing person having organized fundraising events. He is working on a very interesting project: An indoor rowing regatta, ERG – an indoor rowing competition, different to the ones we know.

TQM: Sebastian, you are planning an ERG Indoor Racing Competition. Are you a rower or indoor rower?

Sebastian: Yes I am planning the ERG, which stands for Electronic Rowing Games, a real regatta with your erg at home – and hopefully will be the biggest virtual rowing regatta! I know the community well. I rowed at Imperial College Boat Club a few years ago. Off course I know indoor rowing – unfortunately I was not able to get my hands on an indoor rowing machine during lockdown.

2020 WRIC Paris, Credit World Rowing,  Igor Meijer

TQM: How did you come up with the idea of having an indoor rowing competition like this?

Erg Indoor Regatta: Show how hard you have been training

Sebastian: I try and keep in touch with a lot of my old crewmates and friends from when I used to row at University. They were all training really hard all season and as for many people, all their races were cancelled. I thought it would be a good idea to organise a race online which anyone could join, and show how hard they have been training! Also, all profits from the 10 GBP entry fee will go to charities fighting Covid-19, to try and finish off with this crisis as soon as possible!

TQM: Presently, there are many competitions around the world. Private erg races, races sponsored by companies or associations. What is the difference of your race?

Sebastian: Yes over the past few weeks more and more races have been popping up, it’s been both exciting and overwhelming! I saw British Rowing, Canada, New Zealand and Australia have all teamed up in order to do a series of challenges, I think this is great! The difference with our race is that it is live.

ERG – Electronic Rowing Game Regatta is 1vs1, it’s live.

ERG – Indoor rowing regatta

All rowing challenges at the moment require you to complete your workout and then enter in your results into their website.

We see probably 5 differences:

• With our race, you are racing live, 1vs1,
• You row against someone else worldwide.
• Your results are uploaded directly through the software and are posted on a proper website, with all your 500m splits, rating etc…
• Our races are also the only race to have a regatta format:
• there will be a time trial in order to sort out the first round pairings, and then 1 vs 1 races until the final day!

From Juniors to Masters and Para Rowers

TQM: This sounds great. So you target young athletes as your audience? Which rowers are you targeting with this event.

Sebastian: Not at all. Anyone with a rowing machine! Haha but seriously, no matter how seriously you are involved in your rowing, I think that everyone loves competition. We have decided to have 5 categories per gender : masters, adults, students, juniors, and para/adaptive rowers. Hopefully we get all ages and types of rowers involved!

TQM: What is the real challenge for the participation?

Sebastian: We have developed a very complex, easy to use access to the race. It can be used world wide. The real challenge of this race will be the worldwide reach it will have. Personally, I have never rowed against anyone from a different country, so I am looking forward to that, but also nervous about it. We already have rowers signed up from Chile, South Africa, China, and lots of European countries. It would be great to have every continent represented at least!

TQM: Good luck with your regatta. We will be supporting and following during the next few weeks. All the Best

Sebastian: Thank you for supporting us.

If you like to participate to this unique indoor regatta, feel free to sign up here. ERG will instruct you and the home race instruction guide will help you.