Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Steve Fairbairn
Stephen Fairbairn (25 August 1862 – 16 May 1938) was a rower and an influential rowing coach at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century, and founded the prestigious Head of the River Race in 1925.
Fairbairn was born on 25 August 1862 in Toorak, Victoria. He was the son of Virginia (née Armytage) and George Fairbairn. His father, born in Scotland, was a wealthy grazier with significant pastoral holdings and married the daughter of his business partner George Armytage.
Fairbairn was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and Geelong Grammar School, where he took up rowing and was regarded a good Australian rules footballer and cricketer. He topped his leaving year in mathematics and was a senior school prefect.
Five of Fairbairn's brothers, including future Australian MP George, had attended Jesus College, Cambridge, and Steve followed them to read Law from 1882.
Fairbairn rowed for Jesus College Boat Club, like his brothers and six of his cousins had done. In Jesus College crews, he rowed to success in the Cambridge University bumps races and Henley Royal Regatta, where they won the 1885 Grand Challenge Cup. He also won the hammer throwing and putting the weight at the Freshmen's sports for Jesus College. He rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race, in 1882 and 1883 and later while conducting post-graduate studies in 1886 and 1887.
After university Fairbairn's senior club rowing was from the Thames Rowing Club in London.
Fairbairn was an early proponent of training his crews to slide in their seats to facilitate leg-drive. He had realised that the secret to world-champion sculler Ned Hanlan's uncanny successes was not that he rowed a longer stroke, but rather that he used his legs to great effect during the stroke. He was also an advocate of fitting longer slides into boats to better allow the use of the legs. Fairbairn's observations led him to develop a revolutionary rowing style featuring concurrent use of the legs, back and arms at the catch.
He also coached that crews should not focus unduly on positioning their bodies according to rigid rules but should instead concentrate on the movement of the blade, creating an easy, flowing movement. His philosophy was that rowing, when done well, should be a sublimely enjoyable experience.
Hub AI
Steve Fairbairn AI simulator
(@Steve Fairbairn_simulator)
Steve Fairbairn
Stephen Fairbairn (25 August 1862 – 16 May 1938) was a rower and an influential rowing coach at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century, and founded the prestigious Head of the River Race in 1925.
Fairbairn was born on 25 August 1862 in Toorak, Victoria. He was the son of Virginia (née Armytage) and George Fairbairn. His father, born in Scotland, was a wealthy grazier with significant pastoral holdings and married the daughter of his business partner George Armytage.
Fairbairn was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and Geelong Grammar School, where he took up rowing and was regarded a good Australian rules footballer and cricketer. He topped his leaving year in mathematics and was a senior school prefect.
Five of Fairbairn's brothers, including future Australian MP George, had attended Jesus College, Cambridge, and Steve followed them to read Law from 1882.
Fairbairn rowed for Jesus College Boat Club, like his brothers and six of his cousins had done. In Jesus College crews, he rowed to success in the Cambridge University bumps races and Henley Royal Regatta, where they won the 1885 Grand Challenge Cup. He also won the hammer throwing and putting the weight at the Freshmen's sports for Jesus College. He rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race, in 1882 and 1883 and later while conducting post-graduate studies in 1886 and 1887.
After university Fairbairn's senior club rowing was from the Thames Rowing Club in London.
Fairbairn was an early proponent of training his crews to slide in their seats to facilitate leg-drive. He had realised that the secret to world-champion sculler Ned Hanlan's uncanny successes was not that he rowed a longer stroke, but rather that he used his legs to great effect during the stroke. He was also an advocate of fitting longer slides into boats to better allow the use of the legs. Fairbairn's observations led him to develop a revolutionary rowing style featuring concurrent use of the legs, back and arms at the catch.
He also coached that crews should not focus unduly on positioning their bodies according to rigid rules but should instead concentrate on the movement of the blade, creating an easy, flowing movement. His philosophy was that rowing, when done well, should be a sublimely enjoyable experience.