Restricted Drag Factors At Venue Race..

[[old] Krysta Coleman]

I was just browing the Alberta Rowing website and noticed that for the Alberta Indoor Rowing Championships next weekend, there will be restrictions on our maximum drag factors.<br /><br /><br /><!--quoteo--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--quotec-->Alberta Open Rowing Championship - 11 March, Vermilion Alberta. Race at the AB Open on stage at the Lakeland College main theatre. The racing will be done using the ARA's Concept 2 Model C ergometers and e-Row software. In keeping with Rowing Canada's new policy on drag factors, the following are maximums (maxima?) (athletes may set their drag factor to anything up to these numbers):<br /><br />Open Men - 130 max<br />Open Women - 120 max<br />Lightweight Men - 120 max<br />Lightweight Women - 110 max. </td></tr></table><br /><br />I am in the LWT Women category and 110 DF is going to feel really light in the handle since all my training has been done around 120. Not a big deal, since my times are not that competitive yet, but I thought it was an odd ruling. Anyone else encountered this for a race? Was this the case at Monster Erg and the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship?<br /><br />- Krysta<br />

[[old] Thomas]

No, I have not encountered a maximum drag factor for an erg race, but I did come upon just the opposite. A couple of years ago, I saw advertised for one of the Canadian erg races that the maximum drag factor would be used for the Men as part of national testing. I think it was for the erg race that occurs at the same time as Monster Erg. Having personally raced Monster Erg in 2004, there was no drag factor restriction that year. <br /><br />Just to note: Monster Erg was probably the best racing venue I have competed at excluding the WIRC and the BIRC. They had everything but on a slightly smaller scale. Very professional.

[[old] hjs]

<!--quoteo(post=58385:date=Mar 4 2006, 06:12 AM:name=Krysta Coleman)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Krysta Coleman @ Mar 4 2006, 06:12 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I was just browing the Alberta Rowing website and noticed that for the Alberta Indoor Rowing Championships next weekend, there will be restrictions on our maximum drag factors.<br /><br /><br /><!--quoteo--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--quotec-->Alberta Open Rowing Championship - 11 March, Vermilion Alberta. Race at the AB Open on stage at the Lakeland College main theatre. The racing will be done using the ARA's Concept 2 Model C ergometers and e-Row software. In keeping with Rowing Canada's new policy on drag factors, the following are maximums (maxima?) (athletes may set their drag factor to anything up to these numbers):<br /><br />Open Men - 130 max<br />Open Women - 120 max<br />Lightweight Men - 120 max<br />Lightweight Women - 110 max. </td></tr></table><br /><br />I am in the LWT Women category and 110 DF is going to feel really light in the handle since all my training has been done around 120. Not a big deal, since my times are not that competitive yet, but I thought it was an odd ruling. Anyone else encountered this for a race? Was this the case at Monster Erg and the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship?<br /><br />- Krysta<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br /><br />Never heard off it before, but don,t worrie drag 110 of 120 won't make much differance. You will pull what you are able to. Drag is not that much off a issue. It,s not that chanhing the drag make you all of a sudden able to do 10 % more or less. You still have the same amount of power but you have to apply it a bit differantly. <br /> <br />

[[old] mpukita]

<!--quoteo(post=58385:date=Mar 4 2006, 12:12 AM:name=Krysta Coleman)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Krysta Coleman @ Mar 4 2006, 12:12 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I was just browing the Alberta Rowing website and noticed that for the Alberta Indoor Rowing Championships next weekend, there will be restrictions on our maximum drag factors.<br /> </td></tr></table><br />Krysta:<br /><br />Two comments:<br /><br />1) You are extremely competitive ... chances are you will win this event. Mark me words.<br /><br />2) I'm going to predict, knowing a few of the coaches and/or past Canadian national team members, that there is some very serious method to their madness here. Looking for new talent, enforcing some training regime, etc. The Canadian national rowing organizations do nothing by chance. They are some of the best in the world.<br /><br />If you get an answer from the organizers, please post it here. I'd be really interested in it.<br /><br />Thanks ... Mark

[[old] NavigationHazard]

<!--quoteo(post=58385:date=Mar 4 2006, 12:12 AM:name=Krysta Coleman)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(Krysta Coleman @ Mar 4 2006, 12:12 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>I was just browing the Alberta Rowing website and noticed that for the Alberta Indoor Rowing Championships next weekend, there will be restrictions on our maximum drag factors.<br /><br /><br /><!--quoteo--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--quotec-->Alberta Open Rowing Championship - 11 March, Vermilion Alberta. Race at the AB Open on stage at the Lakeland College main theatre. The racing will be done using the ARA's Concept 2 Model C ergometers and e-Row software. In keeping with Rowing Canada's new policy on drag factors, the following are maximums (maxima?) (athletes may set their drag factor to anything up to these numbers):<br /><br />Open Men - 130 max<br />Open Women - 120 max<br />Lightweight Men - 120 max<br />Lightweight Women - 110 max. </td></tr></table><br /><br />I am in the LWT Women category and 110 DF is going to feel really light in the handle since all my training has been done around 120. Not a big deal, since my times are not that competitive yet, but I thought it was an odd ruling. Anyone else encountered this for a race? Was this the case at Monster Erg and the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championship?<br /><br />- Krysta<br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Krysta, those numbers are the official Row Canada specifications for submitting test scores for national-team consideration. Maybe the organizers are hoping for some submittable results?! Still, the restriction seems strange to me on several fronts. To begin with, they're still going to have to check/verify the DF for any machine on which anyone rows a good time -- AFAIK there's nothing in the electronic timing that tracks DF, or can track it, and they'll need manual inspection. Second, I doubt that most of the entrants are going to be submitting their scores to Row Canada. In that case, why not let people row at whatever DF they please, provided they don't change it during the race?!<br /><br />For the Row Canada 2006 guidelines for test scores see <a href="http://www.rowingcanada.org/en/teams/selection06.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.rowingcanada.org/en/teams/se ... pdf</a><br /><br />I don't understand why they've imposed a restriction on everyone. <br />

[[old] PaulS]

It looks like a Rowing Canada thing, and of course they seem to be getting it backwards, IMO.<br /><br />Why is that? You ask.<br /><br />Well, who moves the boats the fastest? Open Men. <br />Which DF's have a faster flywheel and handle speed? Higher ones.<br /><br />The amount of force that is input by the Rower, is completely controlled by the rower, all that the DF changes is the quickness at which the rower must be able to apply that force.<br /><br />A small change down is probably only going to have minor effects on the eventual time, but if you are going to confrom to their rules, look at the number of workouts that you will do between now and then, and reduce the DF a bit for each of them so that the last two workouts are at 110. Then give them the "smack-down" under their own silly rules. 8)

[[old] kinley]

Krysta,<br /><br />This is your first race, isn't it? If so, you'll probably be a messed up anyway from excitement & adrenalin. Everything will seem ridiculously easy in the first 500, but that will be because of nerves, not a lower drag factor.<br /><br />In my experience, it's actually helpful to decrease the DF (from what I practice at) for racing. I don't notice any difference in the early and middle parts of a race, but at the end when my legs are exhausted & trying to slow down, the lessened resistance helps me maintain a rate consistent with the rest of the piece.<br /><br />I'm sure you will do very well. Good Luck >>>------> Kinley<br /><br /><br /><!--quoteo(post=58413:date=Mar 4 2006, 09:58 AM:name=PaulS)--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(PaulS @ Mar 4 2006, 09:58 AM) </b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'>Which DF's have a faster flywheel and handle speed? Higher ones.<br /> </td></tr></table><br />????<br />