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Why rowing? And why Rowperfect?
Rowing has been described in many ways. Baron Pierre de Coubertin who founded the Modern Olympics described it as the most graceful sport a man could do.
Stephen Kiesling, writing in the introduction to ‘Regatta’ described it as being like a special old friend. ‘Rampaging’ Roy Slaven has, among other comedians, accurately summed it up as “Sitting down going backwards as fast as
possible!”
So—why do we do it, what is the attraction? Since ancient times writers including Homer and Walt Whitman, have tried to convey the sense of rhythm conveyed by watching rowers glide smoothly across the water.
Perhaps what Cas Rekers, the inventor of the Rowperfect wrote in 1993 best sums up the question of WHY we row: “Good rowing gives immense satisfaction.” It certainly sums up why he felt compelled to produce the Rowperfect: he
realised that a single action rowing machine could never approach the magical feeling of dynamically interacting with a lightweight rowing shell while suspended on water. So the Rowperfect came about from a desire to share this
graceful, rhythmic, special friend with those who could not make it to the water; and to ensure that when that sport was practiced on land, we would be training to produce good
rowing as well as reducing the injury potential he believed to be inherent to fixed ergometers. (His calculations regarding injury potential were later proven correct).
He began Rowperfect BV, a company producing
limited numbers of the original Rowperfect.
Now Rowperfect P/L, which acquired Rowperfect BV in 2004, exists because two children were born almost simultaneously at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, in 1995. That
coincidence brought two former crew-mates together. Engineer Jim Battersby and veterinarian Mark Campbell, who had rowed together at Mosman Rowing Club and Sydney University in 1978 and 1979, and remained good friends after
Mark stopped serious competition to concentrate on his studies (Jim however had continued, winning a bronze medal in the Men's Eight at the 1983 World Championships and at the Los Angeles Olympics, as well as the Australian
championship in the Single Scull in 1983!). Their wives Justine and Gill were also rowers; Justine won a silver medal at the World championships of 1988 (WL4-) and Gill had represented Australia in the Double scull at the World
championships of 1990 and 1991, and the Barcelona Olympics of 1992.
Mark and Jim began rowing regularly in masters competition for Mosman RC. Eight birthdays and many early morning rows later, Jim and Justine joined
Mark, Gill and Casper Rekers in producing the Rowperfect simulator, with the aim of making the world's best rowing machine available in a more ‘user-friendly’ and marketable form. Mark and Gill had acted as the Australian
agents for Rowperfect BV since 1998, successfully selling to innovative coaches and athletes, as well as using the Rowperfect to great effect in coaching crews from Pymble Ladies’ College in Sydney, where Gill was employed as
the Head Rowing Coach. However they found, as had been the case throughout the world, that the lack of an LCD interface and some aesthetic limitations of the original Rowperfect limited its appeal to a wider audience. Jim had
at first been a little sceptical about the Rowperfect philosophy until he actually tried it. He then realised that the machine was not only providing a more realistic rowing simulation session but that it was also forcing
accuracy in catch, finish and recovery timing. The benefits of the machine then became obvious to Jim and the partnership was formed.
Rowing is a great sport. It can get you fit faster than almost any other activity. Its
low impact dynamics can keep you fit and active for a lifetime. But until now, you could only learn and practice rowing by traveling to a boatshed, usually at odd hours of the early morning. The Rowperfect can make rowing
accessible more easily than ever before—and that is our aim at Rowperfect
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