Boat Classes
In competitive rowing events, abbreviations are used for different boat classes.
- Weight
- L, LWT or Lt: Lightweight rowing
- If not present the crew is open weight
- Age
- J: Junior (Under 19 years of age)
- B: Senior B (Under 23 years of age)
- Masters: over 27, includes a letter designation for the average age of the crew:
- A - 27 years of age and older
- B - 36 years of age and older
- C - 43 years of age and older
- D - 50 years of age and older
- E - 55 years of age and older
- F - 60 years of age and older
- G - 65 years of age and older
- H - 70 years of age and older
- I - 75 years of age and older
- J - 80 years of age and older
- If none of these abbreviations are present the crew is Senior A
- These age categories are effectively common to both FISA (Bye-Law to Rule 27) and USRowing (Rule 4-104) rules. USRowing also designates a AA category for ages 21–26.
- There are no age restrictions for coxswains and their age is not factored into the average age of the crew.
- Gender
- M: Men's
- W: Women's
- Mixed: Equal numbers of either gender (excluding coxswain)
- Crew Size
- 1, 2, 4, 8: The number of rowers in the crew. It is common to use Roman numerals, especially when referring to a VIII.
- Discipline
- x: Sculling boat
- If not present then the boat is sweep-oar
- Coxwain
- +: Coxed (with coxswain)
- -: Coxless (without coxswain)
- If not present then the boat is coxless, except for an eight.
- Examples
- M8+ = Men's eight
- W4- = Women's coxless four (or "straight four")
- LM2- = Lightweight men's coxless pair
- BM1x = Men's single sculls under age 23
- JW4x = Junior women's quad
- Masters WC2x = Masters women's double sculls with average crew age between 43-49
- Mixed Masters 8+ = Eight with 4 women and 4 men as rowers and a coxswain of either gender
Read more about this topic: Glossary Of Rowing Terms
Famous quotes containing the words boat and/or classes:
“You and I were a couple of drunks on the sea of booze and the boat sank.”
—J.P. (James Pinckney)
“There were three classes of inhabitants who either frequent or inhabit the country which we had now entered: first, the loggers, who, for a part of the year, the winter and spring, are far the most numerous, but in the summer, except for a few explorers for timber, completely desert it; second, the few settlers I have named, the only permanent inhabitants, who live on the verge of it, and help raise supplies for the former; third, the hunters, mostly Indians, who range over it in their season.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)