INTRODUCTION

This experiment will look at whether or not experienced rowers have a different hip angle at the catch than inexperienced rowers on the Concept II rowing machine. By looking at this difference, we hope to determine if the hip angle at the catch has a major impact on overall power application, and if it could be a possible contributing factor for back injuries in rowers. This is an important area of study because if we are able to determine that the hip angle at the catch is one of the most important factors determining power in the rowing stroke, then we will be able to train new rowers more efficiently, highlighting the parts of the stroke that are most relevant to power application. Secondly, it is important to investigate the hip angle at the catch because it may be directly related to back injuries. Because back injury/pain is very common in the sport of rowing, having an idea of what exactly causes it could be very helpful in correcting a rowers' stroke to promote injury prevention. "The frequency of peak stress in active rowing may possibly lead to early and augmented degenerative changes in the vertebral bodies. In 45 Austrian top oarsmen the spine was examined clinically and radiologically, 68% showed signs of a previous Scheuermann's disease, while degenerative changes of vertebral bodies were found in 48%"( Endler M. et al, 1980). Using biomechanics to study a sport can be very useful. As given in the previous example, rowing can be traumatic on the back. Looking at the rowing stroke in a biomechanical way could help prevent some injuries, as it is known from research done on lumbar spinal kinematics, that "rowing technique is related to performance and injury. There is a consistent style of 'good' rowing technique on an ergometer." (Bull AM, McGregor AH., 2000). This means that poor technique could lead to injury. "Research in sports biomechanics may take the form of describing movement from a performance enhancement (such as matching of impulse curves in rowing) or injury reduction perspective (such as diving in swimming or the assessment of knee joint loading during downhill walking). However, the strength of sports biomechanics research is the ability to establish an understanding of causal mechanisms for selected movements... The growth of modelling and computer simulation has further enhanced the potential use of sports biomechanics research (such as quantification of knee joint ligament forces from a dynamic model and optimising gymnastics performance through simulation of in-flight movements). Biomechanics research may also play an integral role in reducing the incidence and severity of sporting injuries (such as identification of the causes of back injuries�)"(Elliot B., 1999).

The purpose of our project is to see if there is a difference between a novice rower and an experienced rower by looking primarily at the hip angle at different times during the drive, however, we will be focusing on the hip angle at the catch. The drive is the portion of the stroke where the rower is moving backwards. It is the time that power is applied. The catch is the point where the rower has reached maximum compression, which means that both the hip and the knee are fully flexed, and the rower is as far forward on the slide as they can go. The catch comes right before the drive in the stroke. Both subjects are female, and twenty years of age. One of them is an experienced rower on the University of Michigan Crew Team, and the other has never tried rowing. Both subjects will perform the activity, rowing on the Concept II rowing machine, at a stroke rating of 16-18 strokes per minute. The Concept II is a machine that allows rowers to work on their technique and power while training indoors. We will then compare the body angle of each of these subjects at the catch, and at several points during the drive. We expect to see results that show that the experienced rower has a smaller angle at the catch, meaning that she gets more compression than the inexperienced rower. We also expect differences in the time it takes to complete a stroke because the experienced rower should have a higher velocity through the drive.