A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

The catch, or catch position, in rowing is the first of the four phases of a rowing stroke: the catch, drive, finish, and recovery. The catch is the starting position with the rower’s knees bent and the oar blades first placed into the water.

The Chicago Sprints is a regatta hosted by the Lincoln Park Boat Club and held annually at the Lincoln Park Lagoon in Chicago. In Chapter 8, Coach Jessica tells the team that they will be competing in the Chicago Sprints in a few months and describes it as “one of the biggest Midwest races” (104).

In Chapter 5, when the team visits the University of Wisconsin to use its rowing tank, they learn that the coxswain is “the person who usually sits in the stern of the boat, facing the bow” (48). Additionally, the coxswain must be a slight person who “coordinate[s] the power and rhythm of the rowers” (48).