Althouse: At the Scull Café...

June 28, 2011

At the Scull Café...

... skim along.

28 comments:

Gilbert Pinfold said...: Ann:
Scullers have two oars per person, and these shells are called "sweeps", where each rower has one oar. This is the dominant style in American collegiate rowing, but I'll bet that these shells are from Mendota Rowing Club,which has great training and high-level competitive programs for all ages. Olympians and world champ[ions have got their start at Mendota RC; 6/28/11, 6:07 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Republican Media Slut?

Ari Fleicher?; 6/28/11, 6:12 PM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: ... skim along.

Not in that water! I hear it's full of goose shit!; 6/28/11, 6:17 PM
Phil 314 said...: Whenever I see scullers I think of this painting

(PS But because a recent movie the word I think of "Winklevi"); 6/28/11, 6:23 PM
edutcher said...: Reminds me of Boathouse Row on the Schuylkill.

Water's probably cleaner.; 6/28/11, 6:37 PM
Ron said...: If Wiener had been a sculler, would that mean he was part of the Scull and Boners Society?; 6/28/11, 6:44 PM
Meade said...: @Gilbert Pinfold, thanks for that information. These particular shells were being rowed out of The Brittingham Boathouse onto Monona Bay and Lake Monona.; 6/28/11, 6:45 PM
Meade said...: Ron!; 6/28/11, 6:45 PM
Ron said...: I calls 'em as I sees 'em, Herr Meade! :0; 6/28/11, 6:49 PM
dbp said...: "So the new top commander in Afghanistan says Obama went outside the military's range of options to devise his policy, and the White House says the president's policy was within that range of options. Who is right?"; 6/28/11, 7:00 PM
edutcher said...: I think history will show it weren't Little Zero.

Kinda goes with Ann's post about the Khmer Rouge.; 6/28/11, 7:20 PM
Gilbert Pinfold said...: @ Meade:
Thanks for your info. I had coached at MRC while a postdoc in the Biophysics Laboratory at UW 1984-1988. At that time, there was no Brittingham Boat House, and Camp Randall hadn't formed yet, even as its early incarnation as the team name for UW oarsmen/women for non-university events. Happy that the rowing scene is even more vibrant in Madison, and I've read the blog for years to see shots of Madison, where I met my wife (who's not from Wisconsin, either!).; 6/28/11, 8:01 PM
themightypuck said...: I was a sweeper in college (5 seat). Thank you Gilbert for pointing out the difference between sweeping and sculling.; 6/28/11, 8:06 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Sweeping???!!!!

I tried to research the terminology...; 6/28/11, 8:07 PM
Methadras said...: Are there any blacks or people of spanish descent that are scullers?; 6/28/11, 8:46 PM
Michael said...: GilbertPinfold: Do you still row? I am thinking of taking up a single here in my dotage.; 6/28/11, 8:53 PM
Michael said...: David Halberstram (sic?) wrote a wonderful book about rowing and the competition for a place on an Olympic boat. The Amateurs.; 6/28/11, 8:54 PM
edutcher said...: Methadras said...

Are there any blacks or people of spanish descent that are scullers?

You're lucky if there are any Catholics or Jews. Usually it's a very WASP thing.; 6/28/11, 8:55 PM
ricpic said...: Old World/New World

What folly to dream of a balcony in Verona
Where up and down fine words were tossed
While doing the horizontal glide across
The antirhetorical waters of Monona.; 6/28/11, 8:57 PM
MadisonMan said...: When I flew into town today from OHare, I saw the sculls from way up high, and was surprised to see them on Monona. You get nice views on the ORD-MSN flight if you have a window seat on the left side of the plane. Lake Geneva was empty of boats, but Koshkonong had plenty.; 6/28/11, 8:59 PM
Gilbert Pinfold said...: @Methadras
Rowing is transnational. The Olympic Regatta has competitors from every continent except Antarctica. As just one example, one of the top scullers in the US in the mid 2000s was Aquil Abdullah, who lost the Olympic single scull 2004 US Trials final (of three races) by .03 second over 2000 meters. If you went to a regatta that draws from all over the US, you'd see many black and hispanic competitors. If you're judging a spot from a vido shot in Madison, please Google the statistical term "sample bias".; 6/28/11, 9:00 PM
MadisonMan said...: This is for pogo.; 6/28/11, 9:06 PM
Meade said...: @ricpic,
Mighty fine work there, ric.; 6/28/11, 9:10 PM
ricpic said...: Thanks, Meade.; 6/28/11, 9:13 PM
A. Shmendrik said...: I've said it before, I'll say it again. You need to get a Steadicam Smoothee - or make one of the DIY clones you can find instructions for online. The iPhone video is much better when it is stabilized. You have the audience, now step up the production quality.; 6/28/11, 9:27 PM
Gilbert Pinfold said...: @Michael:
No, not now--I'm a referee in the sport, working mostly university regattas in the Philly/NJ area where I now live. Have passed on the bug to the older son, who rows in a very nice "club level" i.e. non-varsity, university paid-for team at a Big 10 school. As a referee, I still "work" (we're all unpaid volunteers in an amateur sport) with former rivals who are now referees, and even with some referees who were filling that role when I was a competitor in college. I'm off to watch the US National Championships on Friday for the Finals!; 6/28/11, 9:42 PM
Lucien said...: These were 8-oared shells, and for some reason only the bow pair (seats 1 (starboard) and 2(port)) were rowing. The other 6 oarsmen (women) had their oars flat on the water. This keeps the boat set up, so that it does not tilt from side to side.

I'm not sure why they were doing this, except that the coach may have wanted to look at the technique of each pair -- perhaps because they are new to rowing, or new to rowing together.; 6/29/11, 7:55 AM
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