Keeping Time
From the land of precision timepieces, this year’s Lucerne Rowing World Cup marks the tenth anniversary of the FISA Rowing World Cup racing series.
I first raced in Lucerne in 1998. What I’ve noticed over the years is how deep the fields have become, and how this produces really exciting racing. This year, I counted twenty-four countries represented in the finals of the Olympic-class events. That is unbelievably encouraging for the sport.
I am so impressed by how rowing is growing around the world. It is a tribute to the beauty of the sport, certainly, but also it is also a credit to the work of FISA. This year, FISA has organized Junior, Senior, and Under-23 championship regattas in Europe, the Far East, and South America, plus an Olympic qualification regatta in Africa. It’s wonderful to see the sport be spread and embraced globally.
Rowing is, to me, a quintessential amateur Olympic sport. It is a balance of physiology, technique, and fair competition. It rewards teamwork and lots, and lots, and lots of hard work. As the Olympic movement evolves in the age of big money television, I’m thrilled to see the Lucerne World Cup broadcast live around the world. Hopefully it will have staying power in the face of glitzier sports that produce two-second clips of dramatic flips and hard hits.
So far, so good, thanks to FISA. Developing rowing worldwide generates not just exciting racing to watch, but also broad international support for the sport to stay in the Olympics. Here’s to another great ten years, and seeing everyone in Lucerne 2017.
Great,
Greg
Greg Ruckman trains out of Riverside Boat Club in Boston, which daily launches sixty boats with rowers of all ages and abilities (mostly between 5 and 7:30 A.M.) He was pleased to see how well the two Dutch fours did in Lucerne (gold, silver), and that Rasmussen is in yellow.