On Wednesday afternoon, Christ Church Regatta – the climax of the Michaelmas boatie journey – began in earnest on the waters of the Isis. Christ Church regatta is unique in the Oxford rowing season as it is solely a competition for those new to the sport, pitting the as-yet untested racecraft of novice coxes with the muscle of novice rowers. Throw in thousands of pounds worth of rowing equipment and maybe a swan or two, and understandably, carnage ensues.
It really can be a recipe for disaster. As St Anne’s Boat Club Mens Captain Eddie Rolls informed me, “anything can happen”, and although head-to-head racing lacks the obvious crashing intention that bumps provides, this prediction proved remarkably accurate. Boats designed to be aerodynamic and elegant careered down the river like drunken spiders. Crabs were caught, hulls were scratched and pulses were raised as the next generation of college rowers battled their way through the first round, desperate to avoid the ignominy of the repechage.
That said, in the wider context of novice Regattas Wednesday was a relatively tame affair. There was none of the tempestuous weather that has charged the atmosphere of previous years (when it hasn’t forced the whole thing to be postponed, curtailed or even called off). There was little carnage or the spilling of blood. I even caught the fine men and women of the St John’s Ambulance stifling their yawns.
Wind, rain and strong currents have prematurely ended three of the last four regattas, but clear skies and sunshine greeted the competitors and spectators on Wednesday. The 500m expanse of water looked like a sheet of glass, at least before the invasion of boat after boat of panicked oarsmen and women. The only other interruption to this halcyon scene were the intermittent cries of a motivational homeless man – complete with Tesco’s finest cider and a cigar – as he urged on helpless women’s boats to “work it”. This man single-handedly spurred on rowers more than any amount of expensive coaching could.
Christ Church regatta is the ultimate arena for the hundreds of novice rowers who have spent the last eight weeks training. All the sweat, lycra and incessant rowing chat comes down to the next few days. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the dawning of Wednesday saw a hotly contested competition. Out of a total of sixty-two races, at least fifteen finished with a winning margin of less than a length between boats.
Indeed, a photo finish was required to separate the likes of Keble WA and Exeter WA, who finished a matter of inches apart. At the other end of the spectrum, Hertford MA, Somerville MA and Trinity WA all looked to have strong crews, each victorious by two lengths or more. Although it is tricky to say at this early stage, New College’s fresher intake looks to have particular potential with all three of their mens crews finishing on top, with special mention to their MC who dispatched Oriel MA (traditionally the powerhouses of college rowing) by three lengths.
Despite being a smaller college, Lincoln also looked promising, with all four crews winning their races. Miranda Kent, Head of Lincoln Women’s Lower Boats, cited WA as ones to watch after their progress through to the semi finals of the Nepthys regatta last weekend.
A total of four klaxons over the day does hint at some instances of drama often associated with the rowing of novices. The first came after 20 minutes of racing when Univ MA prematurely landed on their own jetty, just ten meters into the 500 metre course. There were no fatalities.
An honourable mention must also go to the St Anne’s women’s crew who decided to take the blades out of their boat before climbing out themselves, thus resulting in a capsize with all of them on board. The capsize is an extremely rare event in rowing so congratulations are in order for the cold and bedraggled crew, who looked appropriately freezing.
All crews have a reason to look forward. For the first round losers the repechage and a shot at redemption beckons. Wednesday’s victors have earnt a days rest and can now dare to dream of progress deep into the competition.
Onlookers will also be interested to see which colleges appear to have a particularly strong crop, as a good intake of new rowers has a direct impact on future performance in the ongoing Isis dramas of Torpids and Summer Eights in Hilary and Trinity respectively, while those with no talent appearing will be looking forward with trepidation.
Be sure to cover yourself in college stash and bike down to the river this weekend. It promises to be dramatic and entertaining. The best thing about novice rowing is its unpredictability: Each boat is one crab away from despair, and races are often decided by the crew who makes the fewest mistakes, but this means the chance of glory is within reach of everyone. So come on down, enjoy the madness of both the rowing, and the inevitable after parties, where drinking bans will be broken and at least some people will make it to Escape. This is one of the most ‘Oxford’ of events, and it would be a shame to miss it.
On Wednesday afternoon, Christ Church Regatta – the climax of the Michaelmas boatie journey – began in earnest on the waters of the Isis. Christ Church regatta is unique in the Oxford rowing season as it is solely a competition for those new to the sport, pitting the as-yet untested racecraft of novice coxes with the muscle of novice rowers. Throw in thousands of pounds worth of rowing equipment and maybe a swan or two, and understandably, carnage ensues.
It really can be a recipe for disaster. As St Anne’s Boat Club Mens Captain Eddie Rolls informed me, “anything can happen”, and although head-to-head racing lacks the obvious crashing intention that bumps provides, this prediction proved remarkably accurate. Boats designed to be aerodynamic and elegant careered down the river like drunken spiders. Crabs were caught, hulls were scratched and pulses were raised as the next generation of college rowers battled their way through the first round, desperate to avoid the ignominy of the repechage.
That said, in the wider context of novice Regattas Wednesday was a relatively tame affair. There was none of the tempestuous weather that has charged the atmosphere of previous years (when it hasn’t forced the whole thing to be postponed, curtailed or even called off). There was little carnage or the spilling of blood. I even caught the fine men and women of the St John’s Ambulance stifling their yawns.
Wind, rain and strong currents have prematurely ended three of the last four regattas, but clear skies and sunshine greeted the competitors and spectators on Wednesday. The 500m expanse of water looked like a sheet of glass, at least before the invasion of boat after boat of panicked oarsmen and women. The only other interruption to this halcyon scene were the intermittent cries of a motivational homeless man – complete with Tesco’s finest cider and a cigar – as he urged on helpless women’s boats to “work it”. This man single-handedly spurred on rowers more than any amount of expensive coaching could.
Christ Church regatta is the ultimate arena for the hundreds of novice rowers who have spent the last eight weeks training. All the sweat, lycra and incessant rowing chat comes down to the next few days. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the dawning of Wednesday saw a hotly contested competition. Out of a total of sixty-two races, at least fifteen finished with a winning margin of less than a length between boats.
Indeed, a photo finish was required to separate the likes of Keble WA and Exeter WA, who finished a matter of inches apart. At the other end of the spectrum, Hertford MA, Somerville MA and Trinity WA all looked to have strong crews, each victorious by two lengths or more. Although it is tricky to say at this early stage, New College’s fresher intake looks to have particular potential with all three of their mens crews finishing on top, with special mention to their MC who dispatched Oriel MA (traditionally the powerhouses of college rowing) by three lengths.
Despite being a smaller college, Lincoln also looked promising, with all four crews winning their races. Miranda Kent, Head of Lincoln Women’s Lower Boats, cited WA as ones to watch after their progress through to the semi finals of the Nepthys regatta last weekend.
A total of four klaxons over the day does hint at some instances of drama often associated with the rowing of novices. The first came after 20 minutes of racing when Univ MA prematurely landed on their own jetty, just ten meters into the 500 metre course. There were no fatalities.
An honourable mention must also go to the St Anne’s women’s crew who decided to take the blades out of their boat before climbing out themselves, thus resulting in a capsize with all of them on board. The capsize is an extremely rare event in rowing so congratulations are in order for the cold and bedraggled crew, who looked appropriately freezing.
All crews have a reason to look forward. For the first round losers the repechage and a shot at redemption beckons. Wednesday’s victors have earnt a days rest and can now dare to dream of progress deep into the competition.
Onlookers will also be interested to see which colleges appear to have a particularly strong crop, as a good intake of new rowers has a direct impact on future performance in the ongoing Isis dramas of Torpids and Summer Eights in Hilary and Trinity respectively, while those with no talent appearing will be looking forward with trepidation.
Be sure to cover yourself in college stash and bike down to the river this weekend. It promises to be dramatic and entertaining. The best thing about novice rowing is its unpredictability: Each boat is one crab away from despair, and races are often decided by the crew who makes the fewest mistakes, but this means the chance of glory is within reach of everyone. So come on down, enjoy the madness of both the rowing, and the inevitable after parties, where drinking bans will be broken and at least some people will make it to Escape. This is one of the most ‘Oxford’ of events, and it would be a shame to miss it.
