Welcome to ROWING!
From the Editor
A few months ago, I was catching up with a former teammate when he asked if we had anything exciting in store for the magazine this year. I explained to him how we had been working for a while on a significant reboot of the publication as a way to better serve readers. “Oh, and we’re dropping the word ‘news’ from our title,” I added. “From now on, we’ll just be Rowing magazine.” “What took you so long?” he asked.
He had a point. Regardless of our format and trim size, we have always seen ourselves as the magazine of rowing. So simplifying our name to reflect who we are and what we do was never a matter of if, but when. And what better time than as we get ready to celebrate our 20th year?
Along with our new name, we have a new look and feel, one that we hope better captures the energy and excitement of our sport. We have also significantly enhanced our editorial offerings with the redesign—changes intended to inform and inspire newcomers while deepening experienced rowers’ knowledge and connection to the sport. From the high school walk-on to the veteran single sculler, our goal is to be the companion piece to readers’ on-water experience.
We’ll do that by giving you more of what you love—more beautiful photography throughout and a third feature of long-form storytelling you can’t find anywhere else—and more of what you need. Our new Training section features an array of reader-service content designed to enhance your on-water performance regardless of your skill level. This issue’s lineup of training miscellanea includes practical tips, from staying fit on the road to improving your seat blade timing to get the maximum out of each stroke you take. You’ll also find essential coaching and nutrition intel, along with a side-by-side comparison of dynamic and static ergs.
Meanwhile, for those who are still interested in the latest rowing news, our Quick Catches section includes a lively mix of race reports and longer stories that provide context to the issues that shape our sport. There’s a lot that’s new here. And as always, we want to hear from you. Tell us what you like, what you don’t, and what you’d like to see more of in these pages.
Ed Winchester
Our New Look