Similar to Track and Field, Rowing has different events and heats at every regatta. Every team is first divided into Varsity and Novice. The novice rowers must wait a full year from their first race until they are no longer considered novice anymore. Any novice with experience may row on varsity if needed, however no varsity member can row on a novice boat.
Once separated into novice and varsity, there are quite a few different options for what type of boat one can row in. There are eight, four, two, and single person boats. The eight and four boats have coxswains along with them. In the majority of boats, the coxswain sits in the stern, facing forwards as the rowers face him/her. In a boat called a "bow loader" the coxswain is sitting inside the boat in the bow, in front of and facing away from the rowers. Bow loaders give the coxswain a better view of the course but reduce their ability to watch the technique of each rower. A lot of rowers prefer the bow loaders because it lets them focus on the body movement of the person in from of them, allowing them to mimic each other without distractions to be in perfect unison with each other. On the contrary, some believe that the coxswain should be able to watch every stroke the rowers take, in order to make sure Novice generally row in eights or fours, and the more experienced rowers will race in a double or single.
Lightweight boats are also an option for some schools, which generates more equal competition if everyone is the same weight. Lightweight usually means under 130 pounds for women, and under 155 pounds for men.
Sculling is another type of rowing seen in doubles and singles, where each rower has two oars instead of one. This is for remarkably experienced rowers.
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| Varsity 4 Bow Loader |
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| Novice Eight |
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