Concept2
Encyclopedia
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
equipment based in Vermont, USA. It is best known for its air resistance indoor rowing machines
Indoor rower
An indoor rower, or rowing machine, is a machine used to simulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise or training for rowing. Indoor rowing has become established as a sport in its own right...
(a.k.a. "ergometers" or "ergs"), which are considered the standard training and testing machines for competition rowers and can be found in most gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
s . Both the CRASH-B Sprints
CRASH-B Sprints
The C.R.A.S.H-B Sprints is the world championship for indoor rowing raced over a distance of 2,000 m on Concept2 indoor rowers. It is held every February in Boston, Massachusetts, recently at Boston University's Agganis Arena. Previous venues have included the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center...
(which style themselves the world championship for indoor rowing) and the British Indoor Rowing Championships
British Indoor Rowing Championships
The British Indoor Rowing Championships is an indoor rowing event organised by Concept2. It first began in 1991 with the first event held in Henley-on-Thames attracting 200 competitors. Over the years it outgrew all of its venues and has been held since 2000 at the National Indoor Arena in...
indoor rowing competitions are rowed on Concept2 indoor rowers. Concept2 also manufactures oar
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...
s for sculling and sweep rowing (under the name Dreissigacker) and air resistance Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
trainers (SkiErgs).
History
The company was founded in 1976 by rowing brothers DickDick Dreissigacker
Dick Dreissigacker was a U.S. Olympic rower and is a founder of Concept2 . While studying engineering at Brown University he took up rowing and went on to represent the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics....
and Pete Dreissigacker
Pete Dreissigacker
Pete Dreissigacker is a founder of Concept2 . He founded the company with his brother, Dick Dreissigacker, who was an Olympic rower. Pete was introduced to the sport of rowing by his brother whilst at Stanford University. He trained for the 1976 US Olympic team, but he failed to be...
. The two brothers trialed for the American team for the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
and while preparing, they modified their oars with carbon fiber
Carbon fiber
Carbon fiber, alternatively graphite fiber, carbon graphite or CF, is a material consisting of fibers about 5–10 μm in diameter and composed mostly of carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are bonded together in crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fiber...
in an attempt to go faster. When they were not selected for the team, they founded the company and started selling carbon fiber oars. Their first office was in the back of a bread truck until they bought a farm in Morrisville
Morrisville, Vermont
Morrisville is a village in Morristown, Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,009. Morrisville has 2 country clubs, a hospital, a school featuring Greek architecture and an airport. The hospital and one of the country clubs are named after...
, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, USA.
Oars
Dreissigacker oars were well received by the rowing community and quickly established themselves as one of the major players in the market. In 1991, the company came out with asymmetrical "hatchet" oar blades. These improved a team's performance by 1 or 2% and became popular so quickly that by 1992 most of the Olympic crews were using them . Many elite rowers use Concept2 oars, and together with CrokerCroker
Croker Oars is a manufacturer of Rowing oars. The business was started by Howard Croker in Sydney, Australia. Howard was an enthusiastic coach and for some years 1975-76 he coached at The Scots College in Sydney. Howard was also a successful rower in the 1960s, winning both State and National...
oars they make up the majority of oars used in international competition.
Indoor rower (erg)
In 1981, the brothers had the idea of making an indoor rowing machine (the Model A) made mainly from bicycleBicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
parts. At the time the indoor machines on the market cost $3,000 but the brothers (with help from friend Jon Williams) sold theirs for $600. The product was an instant success and has been revised over the years with the Model B (1986), Model C (1993), Model D (2003) and the Model E (2006)
Until 2006 the company produced and sold only one model of indoor rower at any time. That changed in September 2006, when Concept2 upgraded their Model D and began selling a new prosumer
Prosumer
Prosumer is a portmanteau formed by contracting either the word professional or less often, producer with the word consumer. For example, a prosumer grade digital camera is a "cross" between consumer grade and professional grade...
-oriented Model E (priced around $400/£300 above Model D) that provides a higher rowing position with extra layers of paint/varnish, ships with a more advanced ("PM4") monitor and bundles an ANT+HR
ANT+
ANT+ is an interoperability function that can be added to the base ANT protocol...
-compatible Garmin
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. , incorporated in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, is the parent company of a group of companies founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao , that develops consumer, aviation, and marine technologies for the Global Positioning System...
heart rate belt. Both D & E models are used for indoor rowing events such as BIRC and CRASH-B.
The indoor rower's nickname comes from its measurement of the power output of oarsmen/women. As such it is a class of ergometer (Greek: measuring work), and competitive rowers rarely refer to the machine as an "indoor rower," but use the older name "erg" or "ergo" (short for ergometer).
SkiErg
In June 2009, Concept2 introduced their newest product, the SkiErg. The SkiErg is a ski ergometer that helps build strength and endurance specific to Nordic skiing. The SkiErg uses the same mechanical concept that the company's indoor rowers do, but the user is in a standing position pulling on two handles emulating the double-pole technique found in Nordic skiing. Each pull engages the arms, shoulders, core and legs in a downwards "crunch" making it a total body workout.Dyno
The Dyno was an air resistance strength training machine sold by Concept2 from 2001 until 2007. It was designed for Bench pressBench press
The bench press is an exercise of the upper body. For bodybuilding purposes, it is used to stimulate the pectorals, deltoids, and triceps. While on his or her back, the person performing the bench press lowers a weight to the level of the chest, then pushes it back up until the arm is straight...
, Leg press
Leg press
The leg press is a weight training exercise in which the individual pushes a weight or resistance away from them using their legs. The term leg press also refers to the apparatus used to perform this exercise...
, and Seated row exercises and used a flywheel to provide resistance.