Separate but together: the power of teamwork in a sport of individual metrics

How do rowers come together to perform as a team when so much of the training involves solo ergs and refining individual technical skill? When it comes to racing, success is ultimately a product of team synergy. From coxswain to bow seat, every crew member plays a vital role and must commit to a unified goal. It’s difficult, however, to decipher how this ambition comes together for a group of athletes who are repeatedly pitted against each other for a seat in a boat. Rowing is undoubtedly a team sport, but how does that look in reality?

First and foremost, you cannot win a race on your own, even in a single. Coaches, strength and conditioning instructors, physios, and even supporters are all foundational for shaping a rower’s experience. Coaches act as a continuous driving force, improving technique and setting training programmes; strength trainers make sure athletes are robust and powerful; physios support injury prevention or rehabilitation needs; and supporters stand by, offering comfort in moments when you are tired, doubtful, or in need of guidance. These devotees mean each rower comes with a team of their own, a specialised group of people who are there to guide you towards accomplishing your goals. 

In a crew boat, a sense of teamwork is much more tangible. These are the spaces where individual ambition meets collective goals. Every rower contributes to boat efficiency, from timing to responding to cox commands as well as diligently executing race starts. This said, teamwork is more than just the technical aspects of rowing. Sometimes, it’s a rower in an adjacent seat providing words of wisdom that uplift you during a difficult piece on the water. Sometimes, it’s a hard erg made a little easier because someone is doing it alongside you. Occasionally, it’s as straightforward as knowing you are training in a boat with someone else who relies on you making it to training for their session to go ahead. These small moments create lasting bonds that build commitment to a sense of collective, rather than individual, endeavour. This evolves a group of people into a team who can rely on each other in the moments when perhaps you cannot rely on yourself. It is in these instances that the team nature of rowing is most prominent.

Rowing aside, the social aspect is equally essential for fostering teamwork. Because rowing demands high levels of commitment, it is common for athletes to spend numerous hours a day together, several days a week. This can help create a positive club atmosphere and an effective training environment too. It also means you get to know your teammates very well, a factor that strengthens teams where competing is concerned. Experiencing races, won or lost, with friends is really valuable – camaraderie that extends well beyond the sport, and is in many cases, the thing that keeps people showing up.

But how do these dynamics of teamwork, and friendship persist when so much of rowing comes down to metrics? When the focus shifts from who you are as a person, and instead to how fast you can make the boat go, what place does teamwork have then? Experiencing the performance-driven nature of rowing, I think teamwork can co-exist and even grow through individual ambition. With every athlete in a squad aiming to produce the best performance possible, people are fuelled to develop alongside each other. This means that instead of denying internal competition, it can become a factor that enhances teamwork. You work hard because the person next to you is working hard with you. Through this process of bettering yourself whilst bettering those around you, crews become stronger and more resilient, which in turn, elevates team performance. When competition rolls around, you are assured that you have developed through mutual growth, pushing each other to higher standards that benefit the entire crew. 

Rowing is a sport that uniquely blends individual effort and collective goals. Whether on the erg, in the boat, or during a race, the synergy of personal growth and team ambition propels a crew forward. Teamwork in rowing, therefore, is not simply about sharing the load. It’s fostered through lifting each other up and collectivising aspirations to achieve a larger goal.

About The Author

Georgia

Georgia is a PhD candidate and rower on the University of Edinburgh’s Beginner Development Programme. Starting rowing recently in August 2024, she has made a transition into rowing after fifteen years of competitive Fencing.

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