A Logical Solution: BAT Logic
The start of the rowing season is quickly approaching and for rowing coaches its that time of year to get stuck in and figure out what needs to be ordered. We stick our heads under the boats to take a look and that terrifyingly familiar stench hits us… the smell of rotting wet shoes that haven’t dried in months. They always seem to be falling apart or held together with zip ties and string to the point not even that will hold anymore. We then quickly realise all of our available funds need to go to shoe replacement. The price is staggering to replace all those shoes… we could have bought some new oars or even a single scull!
For the teams that carry on with the floppy old shoes, their athletes are putting their feet in shoes that don’t fit and they are spreading diseases like athletes foot, toe nail fungus, and warts. Okay… if you’re repulsed then you’ve possibly also realised that no other sport besides rowing have accepted these conditions for decades. Imagine running a marathon in wet shoes that are five sizes too big? Well our rowers are doing that with the long KMs completed every day.
The solution is quite simple with a low cost one-time set up. Instead of replacing shoes at $200+, for $22 excl GST each you could install the BAT Logic BasePlates. The whole system works pretty similar to a bicycle shoe clipping into a pedal. The BasePlate is the pedal and the ShoePlate attaches to most brands of rowing shoe. If you look at what most clubs using the Quick Release System have done, the athletes purchase their own shoes and ShoePlate ($65 excl GST each). The athlete then guarantees they have shoe that fits and can dry them out. Those funds that would have gone to shoe replacement are now available to purchase other necessary equipment.
West End Rowing Club has been using the BAT Logic Quick Release System since 2018. Club Captain David Vallance testifies that“We’d long struggled with our shoe replacement costs which were $5000 per year. BAT Logic has reduced our costs for shoe replacement and people take better care of their shoes now as their own property. It’s an overall positive cost saving and switching to BAT Logic has improved not only the comfort of our rowers, but their performance through enhanced leg muscle use, improved power and increased efficiency.” Read more...
Aotearoa Boat Company Director Nick Dawe has been involved with the BAT Logic system since 2016 as both a rower and coach. “In 2019 I was working with a very talented single sculler who was aiming to gain significant speed. In the final weeks leading up to the championship we were looking into ways we could improve his performance in a relatively short amount of time. Normally you wouldn't want to change your equipment weeks from a major regatta so we had some independent testing done to make sure any changes were worth it. We tested some equipment options to see if there was something he was missing. After several days of testing we found some staggering results around footwear. The best combination was the BAT Logic system (also designed with wedges to promote better foot force production) and a pair of Bont Shoes that fit the rower perfectly. The data showed a major increase in effective length. With a few rigging adjustments to compensate, an already great sculler was moving the boat even better and went on to win a gold medal. I have been a huge advocate for properly fitting rowing shoes ever since.”
Aotearoa Boat Company backs this system to be a game changer for the New Zealand rowing community. Like running, rugby, football, or any other sport, the BAT Logic system allows athletes to have a properly fitting shoe from a rowing shoe brand of their choice.
