Over the weekend, a debut trip to the tideway for much of the club saw a strong showing at Quintin Head over the weekend. The club sent seven VIII’s, including novice-senior combination crews, to London. All hoping to make a mark on the first major race of the season. The day showed an impressive start to the year and a strong progression as we head into the rest of the season!
Men’s 1st VIII:“After a heavy training block during the exam period, we were eager to put out a strong performance. After a solid start we quickly caught up to the next crew, Lea, sticking on their stern the whole race. As ever, the choppy waters of the Tideway proved challenging, however the crew was able to stay relaxed and technical. The final stages saw a strong surge from our following crew, Oxford University, a last sprint meant we were able to hold them off. The crew finished fourth, just 1.5 seconds off third. This is a strong starting point for the season, and we are looking forward to proving our speed at Henley Fours & Eights Head soon.” Arnav Jain, Stroke seat. Men’s 2nd VIII:
“A solid start. We went up and over the rating and it felt long and strong, I liked the shift in the early part of the race. But when the wind hit, the boat was not running as smoothly as it could have been. I tried to re-establish a rhythm that was well received, and the boat picked itself back up again. The final dash to the line was great, we rated high and hit solid splits, we sent it home with full commitment to the line. Overall, a pretty good race and definitely a good platform to move on from as a crew.” Anthony Duncalf, Stroke seat. Men’s 3rd VIII:
“With only one session under the belt and most of the crews first time ever rowing on the Tideway, we had a tough challenge to face. We set out with a strong start, battling the choppiness of the river, quickly overtaking 2 crews before Chiswick pier. We then settled into our race pace holding a high rate through the Barnes bend. We pushed again to take another crew before our last sprint through Chiswick bridge. I thought the race went very well bearing in mind the inexperience of the crew and we should be happy with our result.” Theo Hayes, Stroke seat. Men’s 4th VIII:
“The rest of the crew and I thought that the race went well. Despite letting the recovery pace get slightly carried away with the speed at which we were going; I felt that the majority of our strokes were in time, although we do still need to work on it. Overall, I was happy with how we performed.” Sam Whitfield, Stroke seat. Women’s 1st VIII:
“Having trained in fours to hone our technical skills for the past few weeks, stepping into the eight for the first race of 2020 was an opportunity to implement the changes we’d made. With an aggressive line from Ophelia, and a focussed crew, we executed our race plan well in challenging conditions. We’re looking forward to a strong progression into the rest of the season!” Anna Roe, Stroke seat. Women’s 2nd VIII:
“Our novice/senior combination crew had very little tideway experience, but we were focused on body stability and sharp catches. After a shaky start we managed to regather and rowed well as a boat, in a steady rhythm for the remainder of the course. It was a great experience for the whole crew, especially given the difficulties beforehand with us having to find a stand in rower! It was a really good effort given this was the first tideway race for most of us.” Eleanor Griffin, Stroke seat. Women’s 3rd VIII:
“We were all very excited for Quintin Head – our first away race ever, and rowing on the Tideway was bound to be an experience. We were forewarned about being freezing cold on choppy water but, we marshalled quickly, and then we were off! The race adrenaline really kicked in, as none of us noticed that we were at rate 27 for the entire race (something we’d really struggled with in training). We thought we rowed really well (for novices, anyway!), and were thrilled to cross the finish line without a single crab. An excellent start to Head racing in 2020.” Astrid Blee, Stroke seat.
The day proved to be a good experience for all involved. For some much needed R&R, we also spent the day after Quintin with a battle of Bowside Vs Strokeside paint balling!
We are now looking forward to working hard towards Henley 4s & 8s Head and, our next trips to the tideway at HORR/WEHORR later this season!
UBBC x BUBC:Before our next races on the water, we are going head-to-head against Bath University Boat Club in a 5km cross-country run, in order to reaffirm our position as the ‘Best of the West’! We are fundraising for RTHM (‘Rowing Together for Healthy Minds’, a charity co-founded by former club captain Tommy Nicholson) and for the funds to train a mental health first aider as a club “Welfare Officer”!
We are just under £400 from our total so any last donations to help us get there would be hugely appreciated, if you are able to, please head over to the link below to donate. Pounds or pennies, it all goes to such a good cause!
Justgiving: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/universityofbristolboatclub? fbclid=IwAR2fCN99xlHfw1JKi2xeO6sSEe2AEpepPLBBmwxTFaJTZc4eX- fnDxS0ydU
Men’s 1st VIII: 4th, Open Senior
Men’s 2nd VIII: 2nd, Open Intermediate 2
Men’s 3rd VIII: 4th, Open Development
Men’s 4th VIII: 16th, Open Development
Women’s 1st VIII: 9th, Women’s Senior
Women’s 2nd VIII: 10th, Women’s Development
Women’s 3rd VIII: 12th, Women’s Development