Compete

The league

• Rounds: this season's challenges and their entry deadlines.
• Results, the leaderboard and all-time records.
• Rules, and how handicapping adjusts results for weight and age.
• The event calendar and distance award schemes.

Running competitions in school

Indoor rowing suits every kind of competition, from quick races in a lesson to inter-school and regional events. You can use any of the ideas below in lessons or clubs, and they're a great way of getting pupils and staff involved.

Quick competitions

You can set up very quick competitions with the monitor, which are ideal for lessons and for getting pupils engaged.

Wireless racing. Up to five PM4 monitors can be connected wirelessly for a quick race (eight is possible, but the machines need to be close together, so four or five is more reliable). You can run individual races over a set time or distance, or a frantic relay with teams racing each other. You don't need a computer or any extra wires, pupils or teachers can set a race up in no time, and the screen shows where each rower is in the race.

To set up, turn on one monitor and press Games, then Racing, and it will search for a wireless race. If it doesn't find one, press Create a race and choose a distance or a custom time. Then start the other monitors and press Games, Racing and Join race on each, and once they've all joined, press Start race on the first monitor.

Wired racing. Up to eight PM4 monitors can race at the same time when they're connected with Ethernet (RJ45) cables. Plug the cables into the back of the monitors so they're linked in a daisy chain, then set up the race as you would a wireless one.

Leader boards and ladders

Even with little knowledge of the machine, you can quickly set up a competition ladder across a class, a year group or the whole school, including pupils against teachers. Agree a set time or distance (500m or two minutes, for example) and record each pupil's or teacher's result on a display board in a public area. Set a closing date, and it's amazing how quickly pupils get excited about it, especially when there are teachers' times to beat.

All you need is a display board and a closing date. You can post scores on a timeline, or on a leader board that you rearrange as results come in. Where possible, have a responsible person witness each result so there's no doubt about anyone's score, pupil or teacher.

Racing on a big screen

You can project races onto a screen, or even a wall, with competitors' names up in lights, which really appeals to kids and adults alike. Pupils can race individually or as relay teams over a set distance, and you can even link several machines to act as one boat: with eight machines you could race two teams of four, or four teams of two. Each team member's score goes into the team total, so slower pupils can take part on an equal footing without standing out, which makes it perfect for house competitions.

Concept2's free ErgRace software runs these races, and our race software page explains how to set one up.

RowPro

RowPro connects the monitor to a computer so you can watch yourself rowing as a 3D character, tracking your speed and stroke rate on screen. You can use it to set up training plans for each rower, get coaching and log workouts, which is ideal for GCSE or BTEC students. You can also connect up to 16 monitors for a 3D venue race, or go online to race other schools and rowers without leaving your own site.

RowPro is made by Digital Rowing and is available from digitalrowing.com. These guides explain how to set up a RowPro venue race and online racing:

• RowPro venue racing guide (PDF, 0.6MB)
• RowPro online racing guide (PDF, 0.6MB)

National competitions

At various times of the year, schools and sporting bodies organise large venue races where pupils race individually or in teams against other pupils from their area. The event calendar lists upcoming events.

The standard race distances for individual junior categories are:

Each event's organiser decides the terms of entry for age categories, but there are generally two options for juniors: age on the day of the race, or categories based on school years. With school years, J15 is for anyone who turns 15 during the current school year, whether they're 14 or 15 on race day, which is the method the British Indoor Rowing Championships use.