News
Autumn Update
Since the start of term, UBBC has been a hive of activity. A return to full-time training has been a shock to the system, as has the return to academia (but not for arts students, obviously). A record number of seniors have been recruited to the senior squads and the novice squads are progressing well under a barbaric training regime. Your press officer can personally attest to the brutality of the novices' training; having just done a stairs set followed by two pyramids, I'm not sure I'll ever walk again.
Onto the Four's Head then…
An early season test every year it is a long, slow slog down the Tideway course with the weight of your bow man's summer beer belly spread between only four people. UBBC caused a standard level of chaos as we managed to break, lose or forget a monumental amount of equipment before even getting out on the water.
UBBC's men's squad braved Friday night on the M4 and made it to London for a comfortable night's sleep at casa de Farr. Once again, our captain's family was delighted to have a load of big brawny rower sleeping in their beds. Rumours about what may or may have not happened in a hot tub remain unconfirmed.
The women's brigade travelled up on race day. On arrival, it transpired that in the mania of leading the trailer they had miscounted their four oars, leaving them one blade short of a set. Women's captain Sinead, also charged with packing the lunches, was found to be one sandwich short of a picnic. Mortlake Anglian and Alpha BC kindly lent us a blade. Boating off a very steep embankment, the girls unfortunately found that they had forgotten their wellies, leaving them knee deep in cl-oying Tideway water before even getting in the boat.
Meanwhile, the men's squad were having something of a (Weston-super) 'mare themselves. The indestructible Barbara's steering fell apart just as they were boating. Thankfully, Tideway Scullers came to our rescue with some spare parts and tools. (UBBC equipment officers=spare parts/tools also?)
Finally then, to racing. The men's first boat, racing in IM1 4- had a stonking row, smashing their way to tenth place in category with a cool and relaxed row. Special mention must go to their beautiful line, nailing the coveted second lamp post from the left in fine style. The second boat placed in the top third of IM4+; a pleasant surprise after only one outing together. A particular highlight was how an overtake manoeuvre by the crew behind Bristol resulted in a spectacular crash and burn when our boys decided that the overtake was simply not happening. Coxswain Hattie put their success entirely down to her decision to cox the race wearing a Primark onesie.
The women's squad produced two solid rows, showing promise for later in the season with last year's novices getting a taste of senior level racing. Their 4+ (disguised as a Mortlake Anglian and Alpha/Bristol composite) didn't quite manage to produce their best and were disappointed to lose to a City of Bristol crew stroked by UBBC alumnus Lydia "Judas" Cammack. The quad, racing in WIM1 4x- was delighted to finish 28th, despite a disaster with stroke's shoes and a line that, to quote their coach "probably cost them a minute or three." Despite this frightfully barbed comment, steerswoman Kate Parrish and coach Ed Fenn are just about on speaking terms.
Since the Fours' Head, UBBC's rowers have been split up into crews for our winter head race. Race reports and gossip update from the Head Race Ball coming soon.
GB trials
UBBC had two athletes flying our flag at the first set of GB trials this spring. Andy Turner was comfortably under the 6:20 marker for his 2k and Kate Parrish made the cut too. However, both struggled the following day in a strong headwind that made it tough for two athletes used to the millpond that is the Avon. If anyone is thinking of visiting Skegness, our trialists can report that even in winter, it's a lovely vibrant place with some kick-ass sweet shops and a top amusement arcade.
Freshers 2011 - Welcome!
UBBC has a rich history of success, boasting nine BUCS medals, a crew reaching the final of Henley Royal Regatta and a win at Henley Women's Regatta in the last two seasons alone. Under the guidance of our full time coach Gordon Trevett, the club is flourishing, producing oarsmen and women who row at national and international events for the university and Great Britain. Our senior squads have a roughly equal mix of athletes who rowed before coming to Bristol and those who learnt to row here through our highly successful novice rowing scheme.
We have our own boathouse, situated in Saltford, midway between Bath and Bristol. Land training takes place in the university gym on Tyndall Avenue, in the excellent Olympic weights suite at Coombe Dingle and on Bristol's notoriously steep hills! The university has approved plans for a six hundred thousand pound new boathouse to be built on the existing Saltford site, with work due to start during the 2011/2012 season. Such investment in equipment and facilities supports UBBC's position as a top rowing university.
As well as training hard and winning the club also has an active social scene. Regular socials at the end of our training week invariably end up in Lizard Lounge. Two major dates in the social calendar are the head race and varsity balls, brilliant nights with incredible levels of incest. Once crews have raced at Henley Royal Regatta in July, the Pimm's is opened and UBBC's rowers celebrate the end of the season together on the banks of the river Thames.
Whether you're an experienced rower, sculler or have never been near a boat in your life, we would love to hear from you. Please click on the join tab to find out which squad suits you best, or click here to contact your squad captain. You can also follow UBBC on Twitter and join the UBBC 2012 Facebook group. Over the next few weeks we'll be posting videos on the latter, showing you what rowing at UBBC is all about.
Apologies for any stinky chat you may encounter.
UBBC is proudly sponsored by Ernst & Young. Click to see their graduate recruitment page.
Breaking news, you can now buy your UBBC season's membership by clicking here. UBBC absolutely does not think this system is a complicated confusing pile of codswallop. It's definitely much better that your membership fees get bounced around the internet for a few days before they get to us.
A few snaps from last season
Summer Update - UBBC ladies head to Moscow and Andy rows the Boston Marathon
Whilst UBBC's men brigade have been getting fat, training for the Boston marathon, bulkin' up and partaying the summer away, the fairer half of the club has been hard at work preparing for GB representation at the EUSA regatta in Moscow.*
Training throughout July, the girls were undoubtedly in the best shape of their lives as they kissed loved ones goodbye and departed for the motherland. Pleasantly surprised to find running water and an intact roof at the hotel, the girls saw the sights, did some training and generally did the whole Brit-abroad thing until regatta time. Mealtimes proved difficult though, as their hosts had only provided hammers and sickles to eat with.*
Much time was spent comparing Europe's male rowers to the fine specimens on offer back in Bristol. The men's squadron is pleased to learn that, by comparison, the French lacked both girth and length in the thigh department and that the Italians were short and sleazy. The Germans were reportedly a great looking bunch, but wouldn't divert their attentions from Poland. The Russians kept catching crabs.*
Onto racing then: The first race would be a competition for lanes. The girls used this opportunity to gauge their opponents' speed and perfect their rowing under the pressure of a race situation. Rowing a great first half they looked solid in second place at the K, trailing Reading University but ahead of Cambridge, Norway and Holland. The wheels suddenly fell off though and the girls limped home in fifth, unsure as to what had gone wrong. After this disappointing opening row, the girls were fired up for the final. Extensive chats with their coach, Ed Fenn, ensured everyone understood how to deliver the performance they wanted. A mature row in the final secured them fifth place, where consistency through the second half of the race put them three seconds off the medals. A fantastic achievement making the 5 weeks of additional training worthwhile.
With formalities out of the way, the real business of drinking every other European University under the table could begin. The girls again performed admirably. Their daily 12x330mls programme paid dividends in boat races**; circuit training also proved worthwhile as our athletes were accustomed to switching from one exercise (chugging) to another (knock back, swallow, grimace) with no break. Pale, nauseous and sweating profusely, the girls returned home safely, livers sacrificed at the altar of international sporting competition.
An excellent performance at an international regatta rounds off another fantastic season for the women's squad. With two medals at BUCS head, finalling at BUCS regatta in their first season at Championship level and an outstanding contingent of novice rowers joining them next season, UBBC's women are going from strength to strength.
*The views expressed are not representative of UBBC's official foreign policy. In fact, these are wholly individual comments that have been twisted for light hearted amusement and comic effect.
**Boat Race: Urban Dictionary Definition
In other news, Andy Robinson has been training for the Boston Marathon. Unfortunately, the race was cancelled at short notice. However, he and his crewmates rowed the 54kilometres on their home stretch of water instead. After a two day sleep and nursing a red-raw bum, Andy has said he would definitely do it all again! His crew have already exceeded their 750 pound target. Any further donations to their JustGiving page. LOROS is a charity providing hospice care in Andy's hometown of Loughborough.
Andy at stroke, leading his crew into the final few k
Henley Royal Regatta 2012
Race day brought excellent racing conditions, with a cross-tailwind promising fast times. The second eight were expecting a close race with Newcastle; amateur timekeepers at the qualifying races had put the difference in time between the crews as only two seconds in Newcastle's favour. Perhaps having noticed this, the Regatta's organisers had put the race in the prime-time slot of five past two, the second race after the luncheon interval. The race was indeed as close as expected. Bristol produced their fastest start of the season, leading Newcastle by three feet to the barrier (about 600 metres into the race). Newcastle's racing pace proved too fast however, and the by the half way mark at Fawley they had pushed out to a length's lead over Bristol. The second eight never gave up the fight though, raising their rate of striking and throwing everything they had (including an inspired 'twist the knife' call) at Newcastle to close the gap. The Regatta Radio commentator got quite excited towards the finish as Newcastle's lead was reduced to three quarters of a length at the line. Whilst it wasn't the result they had hoped for, the second eight couldn't have gone any faster. They are justifiably proud of their transformation from five novices and three seniors with very different rowing styles into a cohesive unit that qualified for Henley.
Regatta Radio highlights of the second VIII's race against Newcastle.
Following the second eight down the track shortly after was the first eight, up against Queen's University Belfast. Queen's would be tough opposition, having proved their speed earlier in the season with a high finish position at the Head of the River Race and a victory in the intermediate eights division at BUCS regatta. Incredibly, this was the second year in a row that UBBC's first eight had drawn Queen's on the Wednesday of Henley. As four of this year's crew had lost to Queen's last year, there was a score to be settled. Even more so for Hugh Cooper as this was the third year in a row that he would be racing an Irish crew on the first day of Henley. Boasting plenty of experience, with all but one of the crew having raced at qualifiers or the Regatta proper at least once before, the eight was determined to get one over their rivals from across the Irish Sea. For all Bristol's efforts, Queen's proved too much to handle, leading Bristol to every marker and recording a victory of a length and three quarters. The first eight produced a fine row though, their well drilled sprint finish drawing applause from the Stewards' Enclosure and a causing a neutral supporter to remark that they looked tight. A compliment indeed to Paddy Vickers' excellent coaching of the crew.
The mens 1st VIII, after keeping Queens Belfast honest
The crew in action
With both eights knocked out, all hopes were pinned on the 1st IV to bring UBBC some Henley glory. In the last race of the day, Bristol produced a clean and relaxed row under the evening sun, their victory over Trinity College Dublin never looking in doubt; the verdict two and a half lengths at the finish. Whilst the rest of the club celebrated the end of the season with a Pimm's or three on the riverbank that night, the four had an early night in readiness to face a selected and much fancied crew from Newcastle. The race would be a tough one as Bristol had been beaten by the same Newcastle four earlier in the season at Met and Marlow regattas. Thursday's race was hard fought by Bristol, forcing their opposition to smash course records to the barrier and Fawley on their way down the course. Despite UBBC's supporters screaming themselves hoarse, Newcastle's class showed through in the end, recording a length and three quarter victory over Bristol. Whilst the four could not repeat their success from last season where they reached the final, the Regatta was a success for UBBC. For the men's squads in particular, that three crews qualified for the student events at Henley demonstrates the strength in depth we have had this season. With a big group of novices having been integrated into the senior squad since Varsity, prospects look good for next season.
Henley Qualifiers - Pain in the Rain.
Henley Royal Regatta is the highlight of any oarsman's career and the final event of the season for most of UBBC's rowers. Crews who demonstrate good speed throughout the racing season are granted automatic qualification to the regatta by its organisers. The remainder are required to demonstrate their speed in qualifying races. They consist of time trails down the regatta course five days before it starts, where crews race against each other and the clock for one of only a few places at the regatta. Due to their consistent performances at a high level this season, the men's first coxed four and first eight were given automatic qualification to the regatta. Facing the qualifiers were the men's second eight, second coxed four and the women's first eight.
UBBC's women were out to qualify for the Remenam Challenge Cup. It is one of only three events for women at Henley Royal and always attracts entries from international crews. Qualifying, then, would be a tall order. However, they were given the best chance possible as coach Ed Fenn managed to borrow for the race a Hudson eight - arguably the best model on the market. The Henley course was familiar to the girls, having raced down it only the previous weekend. They put this experience to good use, striking a good rhythm and powering down to the finish. Ella Billson described the row as one of the best the crew had ever produced and said it was a great feeling to race past the Henley enclosures with strong support from UBBC's rowers. Despite their performance, the girls fell short of qualification. Nevertheless, they can be proud of their race in a field that included experienced club crews and several university composites. No doubt the experience will prove invaluable to the girls as they head to Moscow over the summer to race against other European Universities.
First out of the men's squad were the second coxed four, looking to join the first coxed four in the Prince Albert Challenge Cup. Another race saw another substitution at stroke, this time with Adam Moss jumping into the boat. As torrential rain began to fall, the four produced a mature row that belied the limited experience of the three novices in the crew. Again, their sprint finish was excellent, with the boys coming off the water feeling they'd given their all. So tired were the crew that, having landed, they accidentally let the boat flip over, sending bow man Gareth Lewis-Jones for an unexpected dip in the Thames! Luckily Gareth is a hardened Liverpudlian and he shrugged off potential hypothermia and laughter from the riverbank without (much) complaint. The standard of competition for the Prince Albert Challenge Cup was particularly high this year, with having raced through the season but not quite made it into Henley, all members of the crew are determined to return next season and row at the Regatta.
Last to race in the qualifiers was UBBC's men's second eight. Having come together only four and a half weeks previously, the crew had gelled and shown remarkable improvements in speed at every regatta they had attended. Qualifying was a realistic target, but it would require the crew to produce their best row ever. A pre-race talk from coaches Taylor and Oakley put the crew in a frame of mind where they were relaxed, but ready to push themselves to the limit. This translated into the race, where the eight blasted off the start but stayed relaxed enough to hold together their technique. A large group of UBBC supporters had gathered around the regatta enclosure (marking the last quarter of the race) and the crew heard a wall of noise as they began their wind for their finish. The support inspired the crew into producing a marked increase in power, spurring them on to the line. Just how much each member of the crew had committed to the race was evident from the looks of pain on their faces as they collapsed at the end. A few choice descriptions were; looking like Lord Voldemort, a red-faced baby throwing a tantrum and reminiscent of someone in labour.
The results from qualifying at Henley are delivered in the most agonising way possible. A list of the crews who have qualified is read out over a loudspeaker in alphabetical order. As the University of Bristol, the second eight had to wait for an age for the list to get to them, hearing the cheers of their competitors who had successfully qualified. When 'The University of Bristol B' was read out, scenes of jubilation filled the boat tent as the men's squad celebrated this fantastic result together. The following day came the draw, an integral part of Henley Regatta. Each crew's name is placed in a cup, names pulled out at random and thus crews are drawn against each other. Each UBBC crew avoided the selected (seeded) crews in the first round. The first four would race Trinity College, Dublin, the first eight Queen's University Belfast and the second eight would face Newcastle University's second eight. UWE drew Harvard University, ouch.
Women's Henley
This is the event of the year for the Bristol women. As many know, last year the Senior women won the Intermediate Academic VIII's category, so this year there was a lot of pressure in the competition and because of the number of points now obtained by the crew, Bristol's top VIII entered the Senior category. There were no qualifying races for this category so the girls were drawn against a conspicuous and scarily named crew called Nureus from the Netherlands. Their men's crews are known for their success, but the strength of their women was very much unknown to us. They turned out to be absolutely amazing. Although we had them on the start, they beat us by over 3 lengths with a time of 5:11 and went on to win the competition easily. The novice women qualified for the Intermediate Academic Eights category but unfortunately lost out to University College London by 4 and a half lengths in their heat. The weather was very much against us and it may seem from the outset that this year Women's Henley has not been a success for Bristol, but in hindsight the achievements are to be commended. Women's Henley shows the progression of the women's squad into crews that challenge international teams and show great admiration for the sport. We did not fail, we relished the challenge.
It was potentially the last race some of the novice women would ever have to do. A tough decision will have to be made as to whether to join the senior squad next year. There are many strong and talented girls in this crew, Ffion Evans and Sarah Segelman have been talent spotted for GB and would be an asset to the senior team next year. So continue to row next year please girls! We want to win everything next year. No exception. As it is very apparent from this picture, Nureus are nowhere to be seen, after beating us 'easily'. Always keen for more action, though, the girld were back at Henley the following week attempting to qualify for the Remenham Challenge Cup.
Marlow Regatta
One of the biggest races in the domestic rowing calendar is Marlow Regatta. Held at Dorney Lake - venue for the 2012 Olympics - on the same weekend as Women's Henley, it is hugely popular with men's crews looking for crucial race practice before Henley Royal Regatta. With good racing conditions forecast, the UBBC men's squads had four crews entered. In order of seniority, they were the first coxed four, first eight, second eight and second coxed four.
First out for UBBC was the 2nd VI, with Nick McNeil stepping into the stroke seat following injury to Mark Harris. Having had an extremely productive training session during the week, the crew was looking for a good performance, racing against tough opposition in the intermediate 2 category. The performance they hoped for was indeed achieved. Neck and neck with the University of London until 500 metres remained; the four produced a fantastic sprint finish, gaining a huge margin of 7 seconds on London by the end of the race. Next up was the 1st VIII, also racing in the intermediate 2 category. Blasting out of the blocks to an early lead, they proceeded to win their heat. However coach Paddy Vickers was not pleased. Whilst the VIII had won their heat as expected, they made life hard for themselves by not killing the challenge from other crews early in the race. They therefore had to row the entire race at full pressure, rather than saving their energy for the final. Following some harsh words from their coach, the VIII stepped up to the mark. Whilst their pace in the final couldn't quite match Hampton School, who looked imperious throughout, the VIII were pleased with their performance, where they rowed an absolutely blistering 3rd quarter to finish second, comfortably ahead of the chasing pack.
Marlow Regatta was a slightly disappointing affair for the 1st coxed VI, with the heavy training in preparation for Henley taking its toll on the crew. Fatigue, coupled with an extremely strong field in the senior coxed fours category resulted in Bristol being knocked out in the repechage, after being off the pace in the heat too. This was particularly disappointing after losing at Met Regatta so narrowly and rowing to victory at Reading.
The 2nd VIII had the busiest day, racing a heat, repechage and final. Drawn in the fastest heat, the VIII found themselves down off the start but found a strong racing rhythm to close the gap on the field and move through into second place. This position would have seen them through into the final but they were rowed through by an Isis crew in the last few 100 metres to be bumped into third place and down into the repechage. After a brief rest and chat around the trailer it was back out on the water. The pressure was on to win as only the first crew across the line would make it into the final. Immediately it became clear that it would be a two horse race as Bristol and a composite of Oxford colleges moved away from the rest of the field. A big push in the third quarter saw Bristol through to the final by around half a length. However, they paid the price as tired legs saw them off the pace in the final. Coxswain Hattie Simpole-Clark was convinced that the crew sneaked into sixth on the line, although the official results placed the crew in seventh and last place. Nevertheless, being competitive at Intermediate 3 level was a big step forward for the crew and showed how much their speed had improved compared to Met regatta two weeks ago.
Messy Conditions at Met
Held at Dorney Lake on the 4th and 5th of June the Regatta was faced with challenging weather conditions, a strong cross wind made it difficult for crews to straighten up at the start, and a good few gusts along the course made racing a challenge. Bristol entered two men's VIII's, two men's coxed VI's, a women's VIII and a women's VI. The senior men's first VIII won their IM2 heat beating Durham and Nottingham to head straight to the final with a time of 6:22.
Met was the first race opportunity for the newly reformed men's crews to execute their talents and prove themselves as established Bristol crews. The men's second VIII, comprised of mostly novices, entered IM3 coming forth in their heat narrowly missing out on a position in the final with a time of 6:47. The top coxed VI just missed out on a win due to Radley College beating them by 1 second! Bad luck boys. Many competitors were in the crux of their revision and exam period so for our athletes to participate was a great commitment to the club, I'm sure revising in-between racing was not fun at all.
Probably The Most Prestigeous Regatta In The World
As important a date in the calendar as Varsity, the UBBC scratch regatta involves a clear out of the boat house and a barbeque with racing in mixed eights in the afternoon. With everyone having finished exams, the afternoon was a lovely chance to relax and give the boathouse some much needed TLC. A highlight was undoubtedly the dismantling and breaking up of an old disused boat by any and all means possible. The chance to destroy something saw rowers jumping, smashing with hammers and dropping the boat from balconies in an effort to "dismantle" it in the most creative way possible.
The stern of Kit Hartley has never sat so low...
As the afternoon approached, tension could be felt in the air as the moment of racing loomed large. Seasons are judged as a success or failure based on scratch regatta; 200 metres of side by side racing in the oldest equipment available. Truly, this separates the men from the boys. Hot favourites to win were the crew named 'Araf' - the Welsh word for slow. Their stern pair and coxswain combination was surely unbeatable with GB rower Kate Parrish at seven, 1st four member and novice squad favourite Toby Perren at stroke and the experienced (if rather weighty at fifteen stone) coxswain Rhydian Harris. Their chances were scuppered however after what must surely be a conspiracy between Executive Committee members. A contentious clash between 'Araf' and a crew coxed by next year's boat club treasurer, Alice Munro, led to 'Araf' being disqualified by next year's club captain, Adam Moss.
The logical conclusions from this egotistical show of favouritism between captain and treasurer are that our captain is a) under the thumb of our treasurer and b) a power hungry maniac. Bad news for UBBC indeed. Justice was served though, as Munro's crew was imperiously defeated by a powerful eight coxed magnificently by Ben Bathurst - a post-university career option for him perhaps? A fun day was had by all and the boathouse is looking fantastic for next season. Thanks to Vice-Captain and scratch regatta stroke-man extraordinaire James Diaz-Sokoloff for organising the event.
Promising Results at Reading
It was a superb result for Bristol all round for this event. Throughout the day the weather went from glorious sunshine to torrential rain and the theme of the day was very much "the luck of the draw". The 2nd VIII came against Birmingham for their first round, and unfortunately lost to them by one length. They were, however, very pleased with their time as it was the fastest heat in their category. The men's 1st VIII beat Vesta in IM2 in their 1st heat by 1 and a half lengths with a time of 4:29 but unfortunately they lost out to Southampton University in the next round by half a length. The novice women were very lucky with their race day after having a row-over for their first race when University College Dublin was late to the start. They won their final against Tethy's boat club by just under two lengths. It's the girls first major win and they have now officially lost their novice status! Congratulation girls!
The senior women were racing in their new WinTech for the first time. Training sessions had been going very well for the girls and it was sheer bad lack that just as they were rowing up to the start of their first race, their quick release wing riggers failed them immensely. It was a rush and very flustered challenge to attempt to reattach a rigger before the race start. During the race against Groton College USA, a back-stay unclipped itself so prevented a smooth start and threw the race off its course. They disappointingly lost to Groton by just over 2 lengths. For racing practice only, the girls were entered into the senior category and lost to a faultless Thames composite easily. However they were pleased with the racing considering the circumstances and felt their times and efforts were admirable. The men's senior and top coxed VI beat Imperial College London in their first heat of Elite coxed fours by half a length with a time of 4:53. They went on to win their final against Thames Rowing club by over three lengths with a time of 4:54, which was a very consistent and well deserved result.
Bristol beaten at Varsity
The Senior Women saved Bristol's dignity with the only win of the day. With all 4 previous races being tightly fought but unfortunately lost by Bristol, immense pressure was put on the girls to show UWE that they could not and would not get a 5-0 win. The Bristol Senior Women's 1st VIII absolutely thrashed the UWE Senior Women's 1st VIII, beating them on the 1.4km course by over 4 lengths. In the four other races, UWE showed their class on home water, delivering victories against Bristol's Novice Men, Novice Women and Senior Men's 1st and 2nd VIIIs. Leading into varsity, Bristol could justifiably feel favourites to win the varsity blade, with all but one crew having beaten their UWE counterparts at BUCS regatta the previous weekend. Varsity brings new pressures, however, which UWE clearly dealt with better. Fuelling our training through the winter next season will be one aim - revenge.
Of course, no Varsity race is complete without the legendary ball that follows. With this year's event being held just a short drunken stagger from Bristol's Triangle, Lizard Lounge was calling us from only meters away. The temptation of Lounge's green jugs and legendary theme tunes led to us arriving unexpectedly early at 10pm (we were most definitely not forcibly removed from the ball venue). With successful documentation of the night by a Mr Alex Steventon, the evidence as to the extent of the UBBC incest is now displayed on Facebook as a permanent reminder to all.
Giles Gray faces up to his opposite man. Did someone say 6:07?
BUCS Regatta: Surfs Up!
UBBC came home with two silver medals with most crews having made their finals. However, many still wondered what might have been as things refused to go our way over the weekend.
Holme Pierrepoint lived up to its reputation, delivering howling gales and hazardous racing conditions. Determined to let the event run, the race organisers decided to shorten the racing to 1km for the first two days. Before this decision was made, however, Dave Pollard put in a gutsy performance in the ChLW1x over the full 2km course. Battling waves that were coming over the side of the boat, he sculled magnificently into fourth place. Despite his time being one of the 12 fastest down the course, only the top three from each heat progressed to the semi final. Valuable experience gained, and a story of peril to tell the grandchildren, but no place in the semi final.
With timing a novice would be proud of, the Bristol Men's senior squad was hit by injury the week before BUCS. An inflamed tendon led to a switch around of seven men (the two oarsmen sitting in the seven seats, that is), hindering some of the fantastic work the two VIIIs had done on their training camps in Belfast and Abingdon. Racing against Britain's top university crews, the 1st VIII fell just short of making the final, being pipped in the sprint to the line by local rivals Bath University. Having rowed well to make the final, the 2nd VIII found they were unable to make the step up required to compete for medals, placing 5th ahead of the University of London.
Bad luck also hit the Novice Men. Having sacrificed much of the fresher lifestyle enjoyed by their first year peers, the boys were aiming to have a medal to show for eight months' hard slog. A bent fin scuppered their chances. Having hit a rock and been knocked out of position, their rudder acted as a brake throughout the race, ruining any chance of a medal.
Bristol's senior women, racing in Championship VIIIs after their win at Women's Henley Last year, produced fine form and placed fifth in the final. Their Easter training camp, where the South of France and Southampton University's Men's squad combined to provide excellent views, had given them extra speed leading to them qualifying for EUSA, to be held on Moscow this summer.
The senior men's top IV donning Silver after day 2 at Holme Pierrepont.
The weekend's two success other stories came in the form of two silver medals. Picking themselves up from defeat in the VIII, Bristol's Men's top four found good pace in the repechage of the championship coxless IVs, rowing to a fantastic second place and joining the women's squad in qualifying for EUSA.
Bristol's Novice Women enjoyed a fantastic race. Rowing over the full 2km course after conditions had abated, they produced an impressive sprint finish, securing silver by a solid margin and closing rapidly on Queen's Belfast, who held on to win. The Novice women have subjected themselves to savage ergs throughout the year under the watchful eye of coach Ben Miles. Clearly, the pain paid off today and the club looks forward to their progression into the senior squad next year. To add to their success over the weekend, Emily Bates, Ffion Evans and Sarah Segelman were invited to trial at the GB Rowing centre in Carverham by scouts from British Rowing. Also joining them at the selection trials will be Ama Hughes, who reached the semi finals in her single scull before being scouted when she came off the water.
Men's VIIIs Head Of The River Race 2011
Held on the 17th of March 2011, the HoRR was a tense race as the men's crews psyched themselves up to race their last and longest head race of the year. The 1st VIII raced the IM1 division punching out their time card 41st overall with a time of 17 minutes 59 seconds. The 2nd VIII entered IM3 and came 103rd overall with a time of 18 minutes 26 seconds having suffered clashes with a Swiss crew just after Hammersmith.
The men's 2ndVIII in training shortly before HORR
The novice 1st VIII came 212th overall with a time of 19 minutes 10 seconds. Efforts now quickly turn to the high-octane sprint racing of regatta season.
WeHoRR 2011
The Tideway conditions were set for fast times with an exceptional spring tide bringing the Thames water up to the Steps of the Ship Inn. Aspirations where high for the women’s squads, with four boats entered: Senior women’s 1st VIII, Senior women’s composite VIII with Bath RC, and 1st and 2nd VIII’s from the Novice Squad. After 2 key members of their squad fell ill, the 1st VIII had to enter last minute subs which saved them from pulling out of the race completely. They came 55th overall which an exceptional result. The composite VIII came 101th, followed by the novice 1st VIII at 167th and their 2nd VIII at 264th. A great sign off to the head race season for both of Bristol’s Women squads that are steadily on the up.
Reading University Head 2011: Novice Women's First Win
The novice women have gone from strength to strength this year, training vigorously hard, holding nothing back in every session. The results say it all as they picked up first spot in the novice division in a time of 17:47. The girls are on track for the best season performance of the novice women’s squad in recent years.
The senior men's 2nd VIII winding up for the line. photo courtesy of Iain Wier Freelance Photographer.
It was a controversial result for the senior men’s squads at Reading Head. After the senior men’s 1st VIII strangely lost 3 of their seats for their boat, they had no other option but to borrow a downgraded Empacher from Southampton. This unfortunate set of circumstances affected their race with the senior men’s 2nd VIII finished 2 seconds ahead of the men’s senior 1st VIII with a time of 14:55. This was a shock to everyone but it only emphasises how hard each squad trains and the depth in our senior men’s squad this year. The results of Reading will be spurring both crews on to new levels of dedication in training.
The senior women came 4th in IM2 that came as a pleasing result after not having the race they had hoped for. There was a prominent head wind throughout, proving difficult for the girls, but they fought the wind and finished strong with a time of 17:05. The great rowing continued with the novice men, they had entered IM3 to challenge themselves in the morning division, and in the afternoon came 5th in the novice category with a solid time of 16:01.
1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals at BUCS Head 2011
What a fantastic weekend it was at Peterborough, we couldn’t have asked for a more superb result from all crews at Bristol. The challenging Head Race kicked off on Saturday 19th February with the novice divisions. Bristol’s novice men put in a great performance with their 1st VIII getting Bronze with a time of 9 mins 16s, beating Southampton and UWE. The novice women’s 1st VIII came 5th with a time of 10 mins 43s also beating the Southampton and UWE crews. With the help of their coach Ben Miles the girls have proved that if you put in a lot of hard work you get superb results. Bristol’s medal haul continued on into Sunday’s racing with the senior VIII’s and IV’s challenging the 5km Head Race. The senior men’s 1st VIII came 5th overall in championship VIII’s with an impressive time of 15 mins 56s. Having had strong competition from Newcastle and Imperial. The 2nd VIII got a silver medal in Intermediates with a time of 16 mins 35s, highlighting the depth found in both senior squads this year.
The Novice Womens 1st VIII taking one more crew before the finish line.
Bristol’s senior women put in an outstanding performance. It was a freezing cold day (thankfully not as traumatising as last year; taking a moment to reflect) and considering the girls had gone up to championship level from intermediate last year, they knew the race would be challenging. The senior women’s first VIII earned bronze with a time of 17 mins 38s despite the cox-box running out half way through the race. What an achievement! This year the girls are expecting to do extremely well and have their hopes set on another win at Henley and the possibility representing the UK at EUSA. The senior women’s IV+ didn’t disappoint and won gold in Intermediates with a time of 20 mins 44s, beating UWE and Edinburgh. The results from BUCS Head bode well for a tantalising race at WeoRR and HoRR, followed by BUCS Regatta in April, where Bristol will look to rack up a tidy medals tally. Come on Bristol!
Quintin Head 2011
Despite freezing temperatures and temperamental waters, it was another successful competition for Bristol at Quintin Head. With the standard of the opposition extremely high, the Men’s 1st Eight had a superb performance coming 7th overall and 2nd in IM1, with a time of 11 mins 35s. The Men’s II Eight raced in IM3 and had an outstanding win with a time of 11 mins 56s, coming 17th overall. The Women’s 1st Eight didn’t disappoint, coming 3rd in WIM2 and 69th overall, beating several men’s crews. Bristol’s Novice’s had their first tideway experience, both Men and Women’s crew’s rowed in matched Eights with the Novice Men coming 3rd and 4th in their category and the Novice Women coming 4th and 5th in theirs. Despite one of the Novice Women’s boats having a collision they did extremely well doing the best that the Novice Women have done at Quintin in 2 years.
The University’s several successes at Quintin are representative of what is to come from Bristol in 2011. Quintin Head was a great chance for the crew’s to practice rowing on the tideway in preparation for HoRR and WeHoRR, where Bristol will once again fight the tideway waters, accomplish the distance and confidently triumph. With BUCS Head held in Peterborough on the 19th and 20th of February, preparations and training continues as Bristol gets another opportunity to perform and undoubtedly succeed.
Winter Camp in Soustons
Winter training camp for both senior squads was spent in the idyllic surroundings of Soustons. A quaint town in the very south western corner of France. The rowing centre boasts a 4.5km long lake that the senior squads called home for the week, with the northern end wide enough to turn around without stopping.
Intense seat racing got underway on the second day, with some poor souls completing in excess of 15 seat races, highlighting the depth and raw talent of this years senior mens squad. After the grueling selection process the womens VIII, mens 1st and 2nd VIIIs began to gell as crews, racking up serious mileage in preparation for a packed head race season.
The UBBC Head Race 2010
On a very cold late November morning the 2010 UBBC head race got underway with some crews racing through light snow. A change from years gone by has seen the event become a two division only event, with Champs in the morning and Beginners in the early afternoon.
Our senior mens squads punched in a strong performance with the two matched VIIIs finishing 2nd and 4th respectively, with our local rivals UWE splitting the two crews. While the senior womens VIII dominating the championship division and winning by over half a minute.
A special mention must be made to Hugh Cooper and Tim Wood, the Head Race coordinators, who did an absolutely amazing job at keeping the head race running smoothly and on time. Mr Cooper later went on to deliver an epic speech at the Head Race Ball that shall not be forgotten any time soon.
Not long after the racing had finished, both students and alumni alike could be found in dinner jackets and cocktail dresses, making their way to Ashton Court Estate for the aunnual Head Race Ball. It goes without saying that the tradition of no hands puddings continues to this day, and a great evening was had by all.
The University of Bristol Boat Club Sponsored Row
On the 31st of October, the University of Bristol Boat Club rowed two VIIIs a total distance of 80km in one day, from Oxford to Henley-upon-Thames. This monumental challenge started before dawn and finished before dusk, and raised over ÂŁ1000 for the Help for Heros charity that does amazing work with injured soliders from our armed forces.
We would like to thank all individuals and groups who generously contributed to a great cause.
EUSA: The perfect way to say farewell to the Fantastic Four
The University of Bristol Men’s 1st Coxless Four once again made UBBC proud of their achievements at the EUSA (European University Sports Association) Rowing Championships. The competition was held from the 19th- 22nd of August at the Bosbaan rowing course in Amsterdame. A competition spread across three days; the first of the heats took place on the Friday, where the winners of the heats would head straight to the final on Sunday and the two fastest losers to the repechage the next day. Bristol didn’t disappoint, they achieved an amazing result during their heat where they were ahead for the whole 2k course with a time of 6 minutes and 14 seconds. Not only did they achieve this, but they also beat both the Durham and University of London teams to become the fastest crew representing Great Britain in the competition.
The pressure was on for the Four to continue their success through to the final and get that all important medal they hoped for. The final set off on the Sunday, but due to a crash between two crews at the beginning of the race, it had to be postponed to a later time because of race schedule. Finally, after an hour of waiting the race continued. Unfortunately, it was not an easy race for the Four, and they found it hard to recuperate and push through to beat the other crews. After such a good heat this result was disappointing.
However, what the Four has achieved this year has been spectacular for the club. I am sure I can speak for everyone when I say huge congratulations for all that they have achieved this year. They have clearly set a bench mark for what future UBBC crews can achieve. There is no reason why we can’t go back to EUSA next year and get that medal Bristol really deserves.
To conclude, I feel it is appropriate to say a sad goodbye to a great member of UBBC. Mr Benjamin McSweeney is leaving the club due to graduating from the University. After starting as a novice in his first year at Bristol in 2007, he has continued to represent the club at GB level and is partly to thank for how great the club has succeeded through recent years. Ben’s rowing career is far from over, Leander Rowing Club have offered him a place within their squad so he can continue the great success he had with Bristol with another rowing club. We wish you all the best in the future, whatever path you go down. It is definitely not the last we will see of you! You are sure to return for Alumni events and of course other important events on our social rowing calendar.