This film is part of Free

Rowing

Want to get into rowing? Here's a 1926 masterclass by a rowing eight and champion single scullers Jack Beresford and Ted Phelps.

1926 11 mins Silent

Overview

This instalment in a series of films by John Betts - snappily titled Sporting Life and What Not to Do but How to Do It - provides a beautiful illustration of technique for rowing in eights and single sculls. Demonstrating the single sculls is Jack Beresford, a champion amateur rower and long-time holder of the record for medals won in consecutive Olympics - in his case each of the five interwar games. This record was eventually beaten in 2000 by Steve Redgrave. 19 year old Ted Phelps would go on to become professional world sculling champion in 1930.

Another film about Beresford, World's Amateur Sculling Champion, is also available on BFI Player in the Olympics on Film collection.

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