A BRIEF HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ROWING
National Women and Girls in Sports Day by Coach Sam
This Wednesday, February 1st is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. First observed in 1987, this day is meant to promote equal representation for women in sports and celebrate the advances made by Title IX, codified in 1972.
Today, women’s rowing is just as competitive as their male counterparts, with women participating in regattas worldwide. But when did women’s competitive rowing begin?
Rowing has long been recognized as a male-dominated sport. Some of the first recorded races took place in ancient Egyptian funerary games. Others sprouted up in the hoplite-powered ancient Greek triremes and later in British royal regattas down the Thames, but in all of these men have been the ones in the boats, as women were barred culturally and legally from taking part.
Much like in other sports, women figured the best way to spearhead their participation in sports was to create their own clubs. ZLAC was one of the first such clubs for women’s rowing, founded in 1892 in San Diego, CA. The club still rows to this day and is recognized as the oldest women’s rowing club in continuous operation in the world. ZLAC was instrumental in getting the San Diego Crew Classic started, and the club has been rowing at the classic since its inception.
The first international races for women were introduced at the 1951 European Championships as a test event, with the event at the Women’s European Championships starting officially in 1954. However, it wasn’t until 1976 that the sport was added to the Olympics as a 1k race.
This slow inclusion at national events wasn’t the champion of equality it seemed to be. 1976 Canadian Olympian Tricia Smith says:
“Women in most countries faced challenges within their country’s structure in terms of access to equipment, selection to teams, recognition of accomplishments versus that afforded to men. We had to raise money and buy our own if we wanted the best equipment (equivalent to what our competitors were using).”
Title IX was codified in 1972 and slowly implemented in sports programs throughout the 1970s, though some schools with existing women’s rowing programs were fighting for equality predating the bill. The Yale women in particular protested against the athletic department, as they weren’t provided locker rooms or adequate shower facilities, and were forced to make do with old and ragged wooden barges for boats. The women had enough, and staged a protest against the athletic department in 1976 due to the lack of adequate facilities and the lack of respect.
Women’s rowing has come a long way. Today olympians compete in every boat at the 2k distance, with teams from all over the world producing elite women athletes. Thanks to Title IX, rowing is one of the best ways for female athletes to earn athletic scholarships at the university level.
As women’s sports continue to reach new heights, it is important to recognize the women that paved the way. Without the first competitors at the European championships, or without the brave women at Yale who stood up for their right to row, women’s rowing may not be nearly as globally recognized as it is today.
