Amsterdam Ergohead aims to increase participation

The format of the event is unique in that races are held over a specific amount of time (either 10 or 20 minutes) and the winner is determined based on the longest distance rowed with the fastest splits within that time.

Only one race, or “heat”, is scheduled per event. More than 43 categories are on the programme, from junior under-16 rowers to masters 50+ rowers to para-rowers.

The biggest age group represented this year was in the junior events with more than 140 participants in total. The junior women’s under-18 category registered the biggest number of entries with 37 participants, followed by the junior men’s under-16 category with 25 participants.

The championship saw a decrease in number of participants and, compared to previous years, no international entries were accounted for. The scheduling of the Ergohead seemingly collided with training and tests at the national under-23 level.

To increase participation in the future, the organising committee is thinking to combine the Amsterdam World Ergohead with a test recommended by the National Rowing Association and also to make the Amsterdam World Ergohead part of a classification system in the Netherlands. 

The indoor rowing machine set-up this year was based on a new model called the “herringbone model”. Its aim was to create more interaction between the rowers and the audience. This was copied from the Japanese indoor rowing championships. “Rowers could look at each other during the race,” said Sjoerd Verhallen in an interview with NLRoei. “That was experienced as more pleasant than looking at someone’s back.”

The venue of the championship, the Friendship Sports Centre, is a site located in the north of the city where people with a disability can train. The Ergohead supports this centre through the donation of the championship entry fee and sponsorship.

The next edition is provisionally scheduled for Sunday 20 January 2019.

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