Rowing is one of the oldest and most physically challenging sports in existence today. It requires tremendous muscular strength and endurance. Like swimming, rowing utilizes every major muscle group in the body: legs, abdomen, chest, back, and arms.

Rowing originated not as a sport, but as a means of transportation and warfare.  All of the major ancient civilizations used rowing to advance their cultures, both in peace and war. The victors of many of sea battles were those that could outmaneuver their opponents on the water.  The Athenians frequently won because they used a form of a moving slide in order to incorporate the oarsman legs. The Vikings were successful in sea battles, in part, because of  the speed of attack they could achieve with their rowing ships.  Viking ships were equipped with a single square sail, but could only use it when a tailwind prevailed.  The key to their movement was the number of oarsmen each ship used. The best-known of their warships were the drakkar, the dragon-ships of song and story. These were developed in the 11th century by kings such as Olaf Tryggvasson. The largest of the dragon-ships, the Ormen Lange, required 60 rowers. 

Competitive rowing is one of the oldest and most traditional sports. Races between oared galleys were held in ancient Egypt and Rome.  The first mention of rowing as sport (rather than as transportation) is found in the book The Aeneid, written by the Roman poet Virgil between 30 and 19 B.C. -- over 2,000 years ago!  Although rowing was always popular with fishermen and sailors, it was not until the 1700's that the sport became popular with ordinary citizens when watermen would race in long barges on the Thames River in England. The Thames  is the setting for three of the most celebrated rowing events in the world: Doggett's Coat and Badge Race, the oldest rowing contest in the world, held annually since 1715; the annual boat race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge; and the Henley Royal Regatta.

The sport of rowing as we know it today began in 1829 with the first  Oxford-Cambridge race. The Henley Royal Regatta was started in 1839. The Yale-Harvard race on the Charles River marked the beginning of competitive rowing in the United States in 1852. Rowing became the first organized collegiate sport in the U.S., complete with its own governing body. Today, men's collegiate rowing in the U.S. remains independent of the NCAA, while women's rowing became a NCAA sport in 1997. International championships were first arranged in 1893, and remain under the direction of the Federation International des Societes d' Aviron (FISA).

As a sport, rowing has two distinctive forms. In the more common form (also called crew or sweep-oar racing), two or more crew members sit facing the stern of the boat, each rower pulling one oar. In the 19th century crews of 8, 10, or 12 members were popular; in the 20th century crews of 2, 4, or 8 are most common. With 8 rowers (also called strokes), the vessel is steered by a non-rowing coxswain, or cox. The coxswain steers the boat, decide on tactics, and establishes and maintains the speed and rhythm of the strokes of the rowers. The other form of rowing is called sculling, or scull racing. It is performed singly, by a pair, or by 4 rowers; each rower faces the stern and pulls a pair or oars.

Competitive rowing became an event at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896.  International rowing is contested in two weight categories for men and women, lightweight and open. Lightweight oarsmen are restricted to a body weight of 72.5 kg (men) and 59kg (women). The average weight of the open class (heavyweight) in international competition is about 92 kg (200 lbs) and 79 kg (173 lbs) respectively.  International rowing (and collegiate rowing) competitions are standardized at 2000 meters. Masters championships (both national and international) are contested over a distance of 1000 meters. At the elite level, 2000 meter race times average between 5:20 and 7:30 depending on boat type. Masters races last between 2:50 and 5:00, again depending on boat type as well as age of the contestants.