But "rowing" helps domestic university rowing to thrive, while "Niujian" jumps reflect the gap in strength among Chinese universities
The third Shanghai Rowing Open has recently concluded, welcoming for the first time the Cambridge University and Oxford Brooks University rowing teams to join the elite group. These two high-level teams did not compete in the same group as the 14 Chinese university rowing teams, but jumped to participate in the elite group competition, competing with the Australian national rowing team and strong domestic teams such as Shanghai, Shandong, and Jiangsu, which have some Chinese national team players.
From the results of the men's eight person boat 4.2km chase, the elite group champion Cambridge University rowing team is 12 seconds ahead of the Australian national rowing team, which is the runner up of the group. Compared with the university group champion Xi'an Jiaotong University team, the lead is actually 1 minute and 58 seconds.
In the crowd at the finish line of the university group, Sun Jian, the coach of the Shanghai Ocean University rowing team, eagerly waited for his team to cross the finish line of the 500 meter urban sprint race. In the view of this participating coach, although there is currently a gap between the rowing sports of Chinese universities and high-level universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, "rowing" has improved the level of rowing sports in domestic and Shanghai universities, and has also expanded the "circle of friends" of relatively unpopular rowing sports, allowing more Chinese student athletes to experience high-level practical competitions.
To befriend a rowing boat
Sun Jian, 43 years old this year, was a male rower and joined the Chinese national rowing team in 2004. In his career as an athlete, he has participated in world competitions such as the World Cup, Asian Games, and Asian Championships, as well as national level events such as the National Games and the National Rowing Championships.
On September 17th, 2023, the Shanghai Rowing Open entered its second race day, mainly featuring 500 meter city sprint races for each category.
Years of training and competition have given him his own understanding of rowing. He believes that the good development of rowing in foreign countries is mainly due to the long history of the project, deep rowing culture, and good rowing skills, which naturally result in a high level of sports.
In contrast, the rowing culture in China is not yet mature enough. After retiring from the national team, he also had his own thoughts on rowing skills. Rowing is a technical sport that requires mastery of rowing skills, such as mastering the strength of the oar and improving the efficiency of rowing with the helmsman.
The boarding event, which started in 2021, provides a "scene" and convenience for students to compete at their doorstep.
Sun Jian believes that college athletes should first practice the basic skills of rowing. Secondly, it is to enhance physical fitness. Rowing is a physically demanding sport that requires sufficient physical reserves, especially cardiovascular function and muscle endurance. The third is to improve endurance and speed. Rowing requires long-term rowing, sufficient endurance and speed, and aerobic exercise and strength training should be strengthened during training. Without a doubt, universities will be a main battlefield for the future development of domestic rowing. With these thoughts in mind, after retiring in 2013, Sun Jian entered Shanghai Ocean University and became a physical education teacher, engaged in teaching and training water sports such as rowing. In his own words, "continue to contribute to the development of water sports in our country and contribute to it.".
Teaching at universities
Teaching at universities
On September 17th, 2023, the Shanghai Rowing Open entered its second race day, mainly featuring 500 meter city sprint races for each category.
On September 17th, 2023, the Shanghai Rowing Open entered its second race day, mainly featuring 500 meter city sprint races for each category.
In the eyes of many college sports teachers and rowing coaches, the most ideal situation is for students to enter rowing teams and clubs in their freshman year, starting from being "novices" and upgrading. Even so, after several years of polishing, students will still face problems such as taking postgraduate entrance exams and leaving the rowing team in their senior year. Therefore, every autumn, Sun Jian almost always starts teaching new members from scratch.
However, students from Shanghai Ocean University also have advantages. One is that the training venue is close. Compared to other university students who require transportation to participate in rowing training, students from Shanghai Ocean University, located in the Lingang area, can walk a few steps to the training venue. If it is land training and simulated rowing training, students participating in rowing training do not have to spend extra time costs. In this way, the attendance rate and training volume of students are guaranteed to a certain extent.
On September 17th, 2023, the Shanghai Rowing Open entered its second race day, mainly featuring 500 meter city sprint races for each category.
On September 17th, 2023, the Shanghai Rowing Open entered its second race day, mainly featuring 500 meter city sprint races for each category.
By carrying out and promoting rowing sports in universities, rowing is of great help to students, at least in the following aspects. Firstly, promote physical health. Rowing is a long-term, high-intensity exercise that exercises cardiovascular function, enhances physical fitness, and helps to strengthen the body. Secondly, promote teamwork. Rowing requires teamwork among team members, which helps cultivate students' collaborative spirit. Thirdly, temper willpower and character. Rowing is a highly challenging sport that can cultivate students' perseverance and boost their confidence through long and somewhat tedious training. Fourthly, it helps with social communication. Ordinary students participate in rowing teams, expanding their social circle and social circle through exercise and competition.
Of course, the height, weight, exercise foundation, and training age of ordinary students are definitely not as good as professional athletes. Sun Jian believes that if participating in rowing competitions, the student army still has problems such as lack of experience and lack of coordination, which require better skills, physical fitness, and mentality to overcome.
The Shanghai Ocean University Rowing Team won the 5th place in the men's eight person single oar with helmsman 4.2km in the college group and the 3rd place in the 500m urban sprint race at the 2021 Shanghai Rowing Open. In 2022, they won championships in two events: 4.2 kilometers and 500 meters.
Come and compete on the boat
The Shanghai Ocean University Rowing Team won the 5th place in the men's eight person single oar with helmsman 4.2km in the college group and the 3rd place in the 500m urban sprint race at the 2021 Shanghai Rowing Open. In 2022, they won championships in two events: 4.2 kilometers and 500 meters.
Aerial photography of the 2023 Shanghai Rowing Open on the Suzhou River, where contestants pass through four rows of warehouses.
In order to participate in the 2023 Shanghai Rowing Open, the school has almost created a completely new rowing team through summer on campus training. This "new" refers to new team members. Many team members are ordinary students without experience in rowing competitions. Sun Jian explained that the team has undergone a transformation from being a helmsman to an oarsman.
Among them, two veteran team members took on the role of "teaching assistants" by "guiding the new with the old". They help new team members quickly learn rowing techniques, adapt to high-intensity physical fitness training, and complete the formation and adjustment of the rowing team's rowing style within a limited time.
This year, the results of the rowing team at Shanghai Ocean University have improved, ranking third in the men's eight person single oar with helmsman 4.2km in the university group. At the same time, rowing team members have also seen the performance of domestic and foreign rowers, which is a rare growth.
The champion of the men's eight person single sculls with helmsmen in the 4.2-kilometer pursuit race in the university group was the rowing team of Xi'an Jiaotong University. After the award ceremony, the team members bit their medals and took a photo with the landmark building in Shanghai.
On September 11th, participants from the Cambridge University Rowing Team, Oxford Brooks University Rowing Team, and the Australian National Rowing Team participated in a "Cultural China Tour" event. These world-class rowers went to landmark buildings along the "One River, One River" route to check in, taste local snacks in Shanghai, learn to write calligraphy, walk into pear orchards, learn Shanghai dialect, experience Kunqu opera, participate in calligraphy and other traditional Chinese cultural experiences, and experience the cultural charm of Shanghai.
Kong Qingtao, the leader of the Shanghai Ocean University rowing team, believes that "this year's rowing level is relatively high, and the number of participating universities has increased. There are also foreign universities, which is a good platform for communication. Our 4.2km race is one minute faster than last year, and last year we won the championship. This year we only finished third, and other teams have made faster progress. For example, the Tsinghua University rowing team has also achieved good results this time."
Kong Qingtao believes that domestic university rowing is moving towards specialization and scientificity. He introduced that the rowing teams of Tongji University and Xi'an Jiaotong University will undergo summer training in Shenyang and Inner Mongolia. Without the strong support of schools, it is definitely impossible.
Author Introduction:
Tongji University, Shanghai Lixin Institute of Accounting and Finance, and Shanghai University of Science and Technology almost participated in all rowing competitions. Students from Shanghai Lixin Institute of Accounting and Finance and Xi'an Jiaotong University were selected for the rowing events at the Chengdu Universiade.
