Mondo Knows Facts

The sliding seat transformed rowing speed

It let rowers use their legs, adding power that fixed seats could not The sliding seat was developed in the 1850s and 1860s, and by the end of the century it had replaced the fixed seat in racing boats. Rowers could now drive with the legs as well as the back and arms, which raised boat speeds sharply. It is one of the few equipment changes that altered the technique of a whole sport. It sits in Mondo's sports collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

World Rowing

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Tags: rowing, equipment, history

The sliding seat transformed rowing speed: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
It let rowers use their legs, adding power that fixed seats could not. The figure is taken from World Rowing, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a sports fact?
Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?
The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.