Steve Fairbairn

Steve Fairbairn (25 August 1862 – 16 May 1938) was a rower and an influential rowing coach, notably at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century.

Early life

Fairbairn was born in Toorak,cite web |url=http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080484b.htm |title=Fairbairn, Stephen (1862 - 1938) |accessdate=2007-08-31 |author=Michael D. de B. Collins Persse |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8 |publisher=MUP |year=1981 |pages=pp 459-460] Melbourne, Australia the son of George Fairbairn (1815-1895), an early Victorian pioneer. Faibairn was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and Geelong Grammar School, where he was regarded a good Australian rules footballer and cricketer.cite web |url=http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogF.html#fairbairn1 |title=Fairbairn, Stephen |accessdate=2007-08-31 |author=Percival Serle |work=Dictionary of Australian Biography |publisher=Angus & Robertson |year=1949]

Rowing career

While studying for a law degree at Jesus College, Cambridge Fairbairn rowed for Cambridge University four times in the Boat Race, in 1882, 1883, 1885 and 1886. He also won the hammer throwing and putting the weight at the Freshmen's sports. He also raced regularly with Jesus College Boat Club, with success in the Cambridge University bumping races and Henley Royal Regatta, where they won the Grand Challenge Cup. He later rowed with Thames Rowing Club in London.

Fairbairnism

Fairbairn was an early proponent of training his crews to slide in their seats to facilitate leg-drive. He had realised that the secret to world-champion sculler Ned Hanlan's uncanny successes was not that he rowed a longer stroke, but rather that he used his legs to great effect during the stroke. He was also an advocate of fitting longer slides into boats to better allow the use of the legs. Fairbairn's observations led him to develop a revolutionary rowing style featuring concurrent use of the legs, back and arms at the catch.

He also coached that crews should not focus unduly on positioning their bodies according to rigid rules but should instead concentrate on the movement of the blade, creating an easy, flowing movement. His philosophy was that rowing, when done well, should be a sublimely enjoyable experience.

All of these features of his coaching are referred to as "Fairbairnism". There is continuing debate among rowing coaches and historians as to whether Fairbairnism better describes a style of rowing or philosophy of coaching.

Influence

Fairbairn was an iconoclast with strong views and great charisma. Opinions of him and his methods tended to be extreme.

In the 1920s and 1930s, many coaches followed his lead completely. Fairbairn corresponded widely and wrote four volumes on coaching; his views were therefore adopted by many coaches across the globe.

However, others felt Fairbairnism to be anathema to the principles of "English Orthodox" style. To these observers, Fairbairn's crews rowed sloppily.

The schism between "Orthodoxy" and "Fairbairnism" had largely disappeared from rowing by the 1940s. Fairbairn's books were collected, reprinted in 1951 and again in 1990.

Distance training and head racing

Fairbairn was a strong believer in the benefits of distance training; part of his philosophy was that "mileage makes champions". As such he developed the concept of the head race, a long-distance race against the clock to mark the end of winter training, thus encouraging crews to train over longer distances.

In 1926 he founded the Head of the River Race, for men's eights held annually since on The Championship Course on the River Thames in London. Similarly he donated a trophy for a head race to be held annually on the River Cam. "The Fairbairn Cup Races" are now held on the first Thursday and Friday after the end of the University of Cambridge's Michaelmas Full Term (typically early in December).

Memorial

Fairbairn died in London, 16 May 1938 and was survived by his wife and two sons. His ashes rest beneath the shadow of Jesus College chapel. A portrait by James Quinn hangs in the college.

A memorial to Fairbairn is situated on the southern bank of the Thames between Putney and Hammersmith. This memorial, a stone obelisk popularly known as the Mile Post, is exactly one mile from the Putney end of the Championship Course. In the Boat Race and Wingfield Sculls the Mile Post is a formal intermediate timing point, and it marks one mile from the finish of the Head of the River Race.

A bronze bust of Fairbairn by George Drinkwater is the winner's trophy for the Head of the River Race.

Bibliography

* "Rowing Notes", 1926.
* "Slowly Forward", 1929.
* "Some Secrets of Successful Rowing", 1931.
* "Fairbairn of Jesus" (autobiography), 1931.
* "Chats on Rowing", 1934.

References

Additional sources listed by the "Australian Dictionary of Biography"::F. Brittain and H. B. Playford, "The Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge" (Cambridge, 1928), and "The Jesus College, Cambridge, Boat Club", 1827-1962 (Cambridge, 1962); "Dictionary of National Biography", 1931-40; A. Gray and F. Brittain, "A History of Jesus College, Cambridge" (Lond, 1960); Geelong Grammar School (1) "Annual", 1875-76, and (2) "Quarterly", 1877-80, and (3) "Corian", May 1921, May 1926, Dec 1932, Aug 1938, Oct 1974, June 1975; Jesus College Cambridge, "Chanticlere", Easter 1925; 'Obituary', Times (London), 17 May 1938, p 18; Geelong Grammar School Archives