My impression as a rower who spent a lot of time with people rowing in the Oxford and Cambridge boat race is that the mix is not wildly different. The same rule

My impression as a rower who spent a lot of time with people rowing in the Oxford and Cambridge boat race is that the mix is not wildly different. The same rules seem to roughly apply as at lower levels where in an 8 you have people who are more powerful but with less technique in the middle of the boat, while the ends have the people with better technique. One other point is that it's not just about technique but ability to maintain it. What impresses me about Olympic rowing is how perfect their technique continues to be at the end of the race. Having good technique is one thing, but keeping that technique as your muscles tire is very difficult.