Simple, cheap, and very effective!

If you look closely at the rower’s hand, you can see a rubber band right next to it around the handle. Athletes who are visually impaired sometimes need to be creative to find a solution to things that come naturally for a seeing rower.

Hans, now 71, is blind and decided to start rowing when he was 25 years old. After having rowed for a while, he realized he could not see the position of the blades of the oars, which caused some difficulties. He took a rubber band and tied a knot in it. When the blade is positioned the correct way for going into the water, in rowing terms the catch, the knot will point upwards. He asked the postman to give him a handful of these rubber bands, and an idea was born. After 40 years of rowing, Hans is still a fanatic rower, together with his wife Marleen. Nowadays, the participants of Rowing Blind still use this trick with rubber bands. It requires very little effort, but is a great convenience for the rowers and a very effective solution.