Sports: Olympic sports the visual aspects.

I think I have mentioned about my olympic adiction on this blog already. Yes, I have been watching the Olympics. I begin a series of blog posts on how I interpret olympic sports and also asking questions about them. It occurs to me how visual sports are. Unless you have done a sport, you cannot truly be sure of what it is like to do. I was a competitive swimmer and paralympian in the past. In gym class, I did some track, threw a shot put badly, a javelin comically, a discus terribly. I've riden a tandem bike but not a racing one. i have canoed and been in a kyak. I have felt the balance beam and paralel bars and rings. I've bounced on a trampolene. So, some sports involving these things, I understand. comretitive swimming I understand best as I spent hours and hours doing it. but, there are things I really donot understand. What are the rowing boats like? Are they different depending on the type of rowing for example?