Question for rowers about regattas? (trivial and weird)?

Question

I'm a novice college rower, and I was just wondering what female rowers do to avoid starting a race with a full bladder. I've heard you're on the water over an hour before the actual race starts, so what do you do to keep going when you have to pee?

Answer 1

All the New Zealand (where I live and row) races are 2k, and so we have to leave the pontoon about 30min before the race actually starts. The best thing to do is to get your boat all rigged and ready with plenty of time spare, get a drink and get ready to roll. Leave your tent (or your equivalent) a few minutes earlier than the rest of your crew, and just go to the toilet and try to get rid of it all.

As gross as it sounds, the tension of needing to do what you need to do can stuff your race.

If the **** hits the fan and you really need to go to the toilet, use a drink bottle. People in my crew have had this problem during traning rows and regattas, and a drink bottle can be a life saver. As a female. you may need to improv though, us males just stand up and go off the side  : /

Hope I wasnt too rude with my answer!

Answer 2

You should begin hydrating well before the race-the day before is better than the morning of. take small sips instead of guzzling your water. If your mouth is dry it may be because you're nervous rather than really thirsty. Chap stick can help with dry lips.

it's really hard to row when you have to pee. forget compression or applying power. my team mates and i try to follow the above suggestions but we make several trips to the porta potty immediately before launching. one of my team mates did pee out of the boat (female) at one regatta a few years ago. the start was in a secluded area (Not like Head of the Charles!)

I think there's a rule about that now...

Answer 3

Um.... well at practice you're on the water for at least two hours --- I don't see what the difference is.  The only reason why crews get on the water so early is because they have to row down to the start. Usually, once they're down there, they have to wait for about one or two races to start before theirs. 20 minutes to a half hour is usually the MAX wait. So you're really not sitting still for that long. Unless you have a bladder infection or something, you should be fine. Anyway, I feel your pain. It's kind of unfair that men can just whip it out and take a leak whenever.

Never EVER use one of the portable toilets at a regatta. You will regret it for the rest of your life. Go find a bush instead. Trust me.