Ten years ago it is hard to imagine anyone rowing in gloves. Calluses and blisters were the skin coverings of choice for rowers. Search for images of rowing blisters on the internet and you can be entertained for hours.
The idea of rowing in gloves to protect your hands was as offensive to many rowers as the idea of rowing in a life-jacket or PFD.
And then Andy Holmes died. Holmes was a great British rower, “tough as nails,” with two Olympic Gold medals to his credit, before he died of a rare disease thought to have been contracted from dirty river water through open blisters.
Now search for “rowing gloves” on the internet and you can choose from a dazzling array of expensive options.
It’s interesting how perceptions change in the rowing community.