News Archives
Head of the River Race
Despite our best efforts in preparing for the Head of the River Race, and more specifically our training camp to Banyoles, Spain, the weather let us down for what we hope will be the last time this year and the HORR was cancelled for only the second time in recent history. We had entertained high hopes for this race, the 1st VIII looking for a top-70 finish, and having had all 4 of our 8s accepted into the race we really were looking forward to celebrating some good racing, but this year it was not to be.
We arrived knowing that there was a strong chance of gusty winds, but despite this the morning passed well. The race was due to start during mid-afternoon, and so many crews were to be seen in the morning paddling in preparation. We too went out and though it did seem that the wind was strong the organisers knew that they could only wait and see what would happen once the tide changed. We therefore boated with everyone else in time to arrive at the start line, but once the race was under way it was clear something was wrong. The start had been delayed, and the start of the second division was delayed further before it was cancelled. There had been reports of the first 45 boats experiencing a lot of sinking, floodings and general problems with the waves, and this can be seen from any of the official race photographers.
We can only hope next year's head season will be better, and for now just look forward to the regatta season.
-JL.
written by JL on 22nd May 07
Men's Training Camp, Banyoles
The Easter holidays are, for some, a period during which they can ‘let themselves go’ a bit, especially with the inclusion of lots of chocolate. Not for the University men’s squad rowers however, who spent the first half of the holidays preparing themselves for the up-coming Head of the River Race by going on a training camp to Banyoles, Spain. On the 21st March thirty-six of us (three senior eights, a novice eight, five coxes and two coaches, with a van and trailer full of boats being driven by three of the rowers already on its way) assembled in the airport to jet off for a week in Spain.
To say that it was easy would be a lie, but it was definitely enjoyable. With three outings on the lake planned for every day and the sun regularly out, the rowing was hot and strenuous. We were situated in the ‘Alberg De L’Estany’, a youth hostel right next to the two kilometre ’92 Olympic lake on which Matthew Pinsent won his first Gold medal with Steven Redgrave, so getting out for pre-breakfast outings was simple – throw on some kit, wander down to the boats, get on and get going. There were odd occasions where the weather sadly got the better of us, but this couldn't be helped and in truth only disrupted one or two sessions on the water. At these times, we were to be found on the rowing machines, perfecting our timings on body movement and power and making sure we were all applying our effort as efficiently as possible.
On the weekend, and the Saturday especially, we had planned a day to really test ourselves. We had our normal water sessions in the morning and mid-afternoon, but then did a 'crew 5km test', involving keeping a steady rating in time with the stroke man, while attempting to apply the same splits and achieve roughly equal scores. The 1st 8 did well, producing an average time of around 17.50 despite the amount of training that had already been done, and pretty much every crew was progressively around 20 seconds slower down to the 4th 8. This was encouraging, and was quickly followed by a 2km regional race that Banyoles themselves were hosting, the idea being that we would then have rowed around 7km, the Head of the River distance. In truth this proved slightly too much, as we raced the 2km at head-race level, and so did not perform brilliantly in Saturday's race. This was their regional championship though, so tough opposition was to be expected. On Sunday, however, the 1st 8 managed to finish 3rd overall in the Senior 8 competition, which was much better especially considering the hang-over’s which were evident from the previous night's celebrations (the one designated 'crew bonding' night for the camp).
Before we knew it the final day arrived, and with it some trialling to see how the crews had progressed. We needed to prove we were HORR ready so we went out and raced the HORR distance again - three laps of the lake, pausing only to turn as quickly as possible and build the rate back up, attempting to maintain a more or less steady split the whole way. Another couple of paddles and the camp was done, and all that was left to do was hand out prizes, relax in the evening and get the early flight home.
It was undoubtedly an extremely worth while camp, and while unfortunately not everyone could come along those that did made some clear improvements, as well as some big and painful blisters. Our thanks must go to our coaches in particular who made the effort to get time off work to come over with us.
-JL.
written by JL on 22nd May 07
Women's Head of the River Race
The Easter holidays were welcomed in on the 17th March by a very good days racing on the Tideway for the Women's Head of the River Race, marking the end of the Head race season. Southampton University had three boats racing, with two Senior 3 crews, and one novice crew racing. For all of the novices and a few of the seniors this was the first time that they had raced on the tideway, with the atmosphere being notably different from smaller provincial head races. Starting order is based on previous years performances, so after a good year last year for the first eight, the first eight this year went off in the first division at number 42. A very quick start to the race gave them a good morale boost, and a strong row for the rest of the race saw them coming home 31st, with a time of 20.04.09. This placed them second in the Senior 3 University division, just 7.5 seconds behind the winning Osiris (Oxford) crew, and 0.6s ahead of the Oxford Lightweights. This time placed them 5th overall in the senior three division, marking the highest finishing place for SUBC women. 
The second senior three eight were plagued by injuries and illness in the run up to the race, resulting in a number of substitutions, including a last minute substitute meaning the crew had not been out in that combination previous to the race. Starting at 174, they finished at 211, in a time of 22.03.81, placing 14th in the senior 3 University category, 61st overall in senior 3.
Starting at 183, the novice eight came home to a placing of 266, with a time of 23.31.96, finishing behind Manchester University, and ahead of Glasgow University.
written by Charlie on 20th April 07
BUSA Head race
Despite the river Trent being somewhat in flood, BUSA big boats Head race went ahead on the 27th of February. Time recorded were on average around 4 minutes faster than last year, with the river being nearly 5 foot above its normal level due to the amount of rain!
The first division saw two men's novice eights racing, finish 24th and 25th in their category of 34. The men's junior eight finished 11th in their category of 14, with the championship men's eight finishing 15th out of 21. Oxford Brookes dominated the men's racing, with wins in all three of the eights categories.
This division also saw a strong performance from both women's fours racing in the championship fours category, with the A crew finishing in first place 22 seconds ahead of Reading university, and the B crew placing 7th out of 28.
Division 2 was the turn of the women's eights, with two novice eights racing, the A crew finishing strongly to get 6th place, and the B crew finishing 23rd.
The championship women's eight came in third in their category, 14 seconds behind Oxford Brookes, and 10 seconds ahead of Bristol University.
After so many races being canceled it was good to see nearly the whole club racing, and hopefully the forthcoming BUSA Regatta will see a good weekends racing for the whole club.
Full results can be found here
written by Charlie on 20th April 07
Thames Valley Head
Although the club had never previously attended this race, it was decided that the men's squad would benefit from some post-exam-period racing in order to build up towards the bigger races of the Head season, and so on the 4th February we ventured up to Dorney Lake to begin what will hopefully become a term's worth of successful rowing.
As we arrived Dorney was crisp, frozen and perfectly still. We did arrive at 7 o'clock in the morning though before the sun had risen so this wasn't saying much. The conditions stayed the same for the first division however, and this would prove to be the fastest race of the day. The men's '1st VIII' had a clear aim - get the fastest time of the day. In all 3 divisions. We therefore boated early and had a long warm up, getting in several bursts on the side course of the soon-to-be Olympic venue and realised that the water conditions were literally perfect. We went off first and did not disappoint, winning in a strong time of 6.19, a good result for a rate 30 1.9km head race and one which shows clear potential for the 2km regatta season. We beat our main opposition, a Surrey/Bexhill composite who were rating 34, by 6 seconds. The 2nd VIII were unfortunate in that there was no S4 division for them to race in, so they were in S3 with the 1st VIII and so unfortunately winning may have been an unrealistic target, but they too pulled in a fast time of 6.46. This gap of around 20 seconds would stay constant throughout the day, undoubtedly a good thing as it proves all our fitness levels are up to scratch. The 3rd VIII truly outdid themselves and managed to win the Novice 8 division at the first time of asking, despite many of them racing their first race and therefore setting themselves a good platform for the rest of the season.
The rest of the races continued in the same vein. The 1st VIII achieved their goal of coming first in each race, but the times were progressively slower as the conditions played up. Heavy fog led to some interesting coxing from many crews in the second division, while a strong headwind kicked up in the third and final race. However, all our crews proved equal to it and it seems that for once we truly don't have anything to fear from racing into blustery weather. A proper novice VIII raced for their first time in the last division too and it proved to be a good opportunity to prepare for the more 'serious' events to come.
All in all the racing was good, the attitude exemplary and it is hoped that all those who raced for the first time will have learnt a lot, especially those who managed to win their very first race.
written by JL on 4th February 07
Men's Squad Hereford Training Camp
On the 15th December both the Senior and Novice Men departed for the now traditional winter training camp at Hereford Rowing Club. This is the third time the men have been there, and though each year brings some unexpected surprises it is also a time in which both squads start to come together, where the squads start to form proper bonds and make the most of the lack of distractions which normal university life might provide.
In comparison with last year, it has to be said the first day of the camp was not as successful for the Seniors. After a not-so-restful first nights sleep, we had our first rate 24 5km test, and after our previous rate 22 tests this proved quite a task. There weren’t as many PBs evident as last year, but that was to be anticipated as we spent the majority of the first term really working our low-rate endurance and strength – we have set a very firm aim to peak at the end of March! Many of the oarsmen’s lungs weren’t able to cope with the higher rate of breathing, especially outside in the freezing air, but with plenty of fitness work to come this Easter term there is no need for concern.
That blip aside the rest of the camp proved extremely positive. The novices managed far, far more rowing than they were used to, both in the tank to correct obvious mistakes and on the water where they even mixed in with some of the seniors in later sessions, and both squads were given beastings in the weights room with circuits of 16 different exercises. Despite the lack of a few Senior oarsmen, a ‘potential 1st 8’ was made up for the last few outings, and it was felt we greatly improved our power application, making full use of the strong stream to give a proper feel of the water.
On the last night, chatting with the locals in one of the many fine pubs in Hereford’s centre, the seniors agreed it had been a good camp. The sole novice who stayed to join us on our crawl got a thorough thrashing playing pool, and in future we might need to think about not giving people the option to go home on the train...
Our thanks go to GT, Bob, Ted and Neil for giving up so much of their time to coach us, especially when they all have work/family things to be getting on with.
written by JL on 22nd December 06
UBBC BUSA Head Race
The University of Bristol BUSA Head Race turned out to be a bit of a wet event for those who went. SUBC was the first club to arrive, turning up in the darkness to discover only a couple of marshals standing around in the soggy field to show there was indeed a race going on and the day did not improve much from then on. The conditions worsened steadily as the rainfall collected in the river, leading to a faster current, more flooding and several large chunks of various trees and other debris floating steadily down the river, with promises of broken fins and damaged hulls should boats continue to race down the course.
The first division did go ahead however, and the results were good for both squads. The men were unfortunate in suffering several cases of unexpected illness, with a few oarsmen suddenly prone to random bouts of nausea. This led to some changes in the Championship 8+, the stroke being replaced with a member of the ‘3rd 8’ who was due to race in the novice division. They were pleased with their race, and while their time wasn’t the best they have produced it was still competitive, finishing in a time of 10.03 placing them just one second behind Warwick and in front of Birmingham by 13 seconds. The Junior 8+ stuck to their line up and raced well though, winning in a time of 9.40, the joint second fastest of the division and they were well ahead of their opposition from Bath, who finished in 10.06. This was a good pair of times from our mixed 8s, and when compared with the other fixed university crews on show it is clear the strength in our numbers continues to put us in a good position for this time of the year. It was just a shame we didn’t have any bets with Bath again…
The women also proved themselves up for racing with the universities in the region, fielding a Championship 8+ and a Junior 4+ (the Championship 4+ was due to race in the afternoon). The Champ 8+ comprised of what looked like a potential 1st VIII and they finished in a strong time of 10.30, well clear of Bristol who finished in 10.53 and therefore matching the winning margin of the men’s junior 8 crew of 23 seconds. They also produced the fastest time of the day of a women’s boat. The junior 4+ nearly emulated the exact same result, but instead won by a margin of 21 seconds over 2nd place Swansea and gave SUBC 3 wins out of the 4 events we entered for the morning division.
Both squads were looking forward to more racing, particularly from the middle Novice division as this is traditionally the start of our intake’s racing calendar, but as mentioned the conditions grew worse and worse forcing the marshals to stop all racing around midday. We will therefore have to wait for more substantial races for the novices to really get a feel for how competitions work and until then we return to the Itchen to pray that Wallingford Head isn’t cancelled next Sunday…
written by JL on 26th November 06
Kingston Small Boats Head
On the 12 November, SUBC women's squad took four crews to race at Kingston Small Boats Head, racing over a distance of 4.8km downstream from Hampton to Kingston.
Whilst the men's squad trained a little further down the river, two women's senior 3 crews raced in the first division. With the usual senior 2 crew split between two boats, this was a good opportunity for others in the squad to show what they were capable of, with one of the crews winning the category in a time of 18.29, the other southampton crew finishing in fourth place.
The afternoon division saw some doubling up, with two more fours racing, this time in the senior 4 category. This was also won by Southampton, just 0.5 seconds ahead of the next crew (Kingston schools), in a time of 19.19, with the B crew finishing in 7th place in their category.
Full results can be found here.
written by Charlie on 20th November 06
Upper Thames
The Men's and Women's Senior squads of SUBC made the trip up to Henley for the Upper Thames Small Boats Head race on Sunday and the results prove that this year we are certainly on the right track. Conditions were for once extremely promising, with clear skies, warm sun and only a slight tail/cross wind for the coxless boats to worry about once past the start line.
Traditionally this race has been a bit of a mixed affair, as it is our first of the year and it is hard to choose crews so early in the season, but there was a hunger evident in many individuals to prove themselves which will hopefully give our coaches' many a headache over crew selection in the coming months. A total of 20 senior women and 17 senior men made the trip up, crews being slightly limited due to the number of small boats we are able to put out, but they had been chosen according to proven partnerships and promising talent to ensure that all boats would be competitive in their categories.
The Men's squad fielded one S1 4-, one S3 4+ and two S1 2-s in the morning division, and one S2 4-, one Novice 4+ and two S3 2-s in the afternoon, some individuals racing in both divisions. Entering Senior 1 means racing extremely strong opposition, especially as we start our term and therefore training late compared to many other unis and especially clubs, but despite this all the boats raced well and particular mention must go to the Senior 1 ‘A’ 2-, who showered they were capable of competing in an extremely tough division despite a last minute crew change, the Novice 4+ who pushed hard to win but were held to 3rd place, the Senior 3 ‘B’ 2- who beat many of the opposition in the category above them and also finished 3rd, and the Senior 1 4- who achieved the fastest SUBC time of the day.
The Women’s squad entered five 4+s, two in the Novice category, two in S3 and one in S2, each athlete racing once on the day. All crews were clearly looking for an advantage over the others, yet in the S3 competition especially both 4+s looked strong and unwilling to give an inch over to the other, the ‘A’ crew eventually beating the ‘B’ crew by only 9 seconds. The clear favourite for a medal though was the S2 4+, comprising of the same crew that had competed and won at EUSA who obviously want to continue their run with one another and they comfortably overtook their opposition from Oxford Brookes to claim Southampton’s sole win of the day.
Overall the event was a definite success for the club, almost everyone coming away happy with the day’s results and knowing there are bigger and better things to come from everyone.
Full results: http://www.mikrotime.com/rowing/row2006/utsbh06.html
written by JL on 30th October 06
36 Hour Ergothon
Southampton University Boat Club raised over £2000 for Leukaemia Busters and
the club in a 36-hour charity ergothon.
It is not uncommon to see Boatclub members on their beloved ergos
(rowing-machines), nor are they alien to hours students usually only
encounter if Manzils have been overly slow with the Tikka Masala.
So combining their efforts in an overnight non-stop row has become an annual
event in their calendar and the sight of this greeted students on the
Students’ Union concourse from 8am on October 2 to 8pm on October 3.
Some passers-by looked baffled as to why this feat might be attempted yet
still gave generously, out of either admiration or pity.
Others drunkenly staggered up on their way home from the Cube and proceeded
to rather enthusiastically try out the ergos out for themselves;
discovering that the unorthodox movement is even more difficult when
alcohol-fuelled.
As expected, when the partygoers dispersed, a hush descended on the
concourse.
Those rowers unlucky enough to have been designated the early morning shift
watched the sun rise in peace before the clock returned to a more
conventional hour and the students once again invaded.
The boatclub are very thankful to everyone who gave a donation and also to
those who kept them amused in the early hours on Tuesday morning!
written by Faye on 12th October 06
Freshers Week 06
For those new to Southampton interested in rowing there are a number of important events designed to give you a taster of what rowing at SUBC involves.
- "Meet the Boats" - Sunday 8th October, meet at 11am outside the union. This event is for both those interested in rowing or coxing, attendees will be divided into groups relevant to their interest.
- Membership Meeting - Tuesday 10th October, meet outside the union at 7.50pm or be at Physics lt A by 8pm.
The Board of Filth can now be found at www.filth.subc.co.uk.
written by Giles on 4th October 06
EUSA 2006
It was with great excitement that a crew from Southampton University took
part in the 2nd European Universities Rowing Championships in
Brive-le-Galliard, France in August. With 87 members, the British
Universities Team made quite an impression as we travelled down through
France, arriving at the championships with the largest squad from any
country competing.
The Southampton crew was racing as the Women's coxless
four, made up of Jo McEwan (stroke), Lucy Aukett, Charlie Best and Alex
Nichol. This was bit of a challenge for the crew, especially for Alex at
bow, as the crew had never raced in a coxless four before, and it was down
to Alex to steer. Worries about steering were soon put aside during the
'race for lanes' when we discovered that our steering was actually the best
of the lot! Winning the race for lanes ensured that we had the best lane in
the final, sandwiched between our opposition, Nottingham University (GB)
and University College Dublin (Ireland). Both of these crews posed a
threat, as the Nottingham girls came from their championship eight, and the
UCD four were part of the winning elite 8 from this years Women's Henley
Regatta.
Going off with a very quick start, we established an early lead,
and from that position were able to control the race and stay out in front.
Some interesting steering from UCD saw them starting in lane 2 and then
coming down the course in lane 1!
The BUR team, supported by Concept2, was drawn from ten Universities and
headed the EUSA Medal table with 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 4 Bronze medals,
dominating the EUSA Salver points table from Germany, France and Poland.
Being described as 'perhaps the pick of the bunch were the “New Faces” on
the International scene, Southampton and Newcastle achieved two of these
gold medals, whilst Bristol achieved silver and Birmigham achieved Bronze.
It was a fantastic way to round off the year for the crew, after a place in
the final at Women's Henley Regatta saw them as the first Southampton crew
to ever reach a Henley final, losing by a length and a third to a very
powerful crew from Agecroft. Their performance and that of the whole squad
is proof of the dedication and support received from coach Mike Beresford.
written by Charlie on 22nd September 06
Sponsorship Deal with Fairview New Homes
Southampton University boat club has managed to secure a major sponsorship deal with Fairview New Homes Ltd. The agreement is for a minimum of three years and the substantial investment from Fairview will be used to expand the clubs equipment and facilities.
For more than forty years, Fairview's high standards and value-for-money have won recognition throughout the new homes sector. Their developments have received several top awards, including the coveted Which Home Housebuilder of the Year.
The club is looking forward to working with Fairview over the next few years and is grateful for the generous investment from the company which will help massively in the success of the club in the future. Our thanks also go to Mr Cobb who helped make it all possible!
For more information about Fairview new Homes please visit the website: www.fairview.co.uk.
If you are interested in sponsoring SUBC please visit the sponsorship pages or email Giles Ritchie (PR and Sponsorship Sec).
written by Giles on 20th September 06
World Rowing Championships
The 2006 World Rowing Championships were held in England at Eton-Dorney Lake from the 20th to the 27th August. Great Britain fielded a strong team and has solid results across a range of events. Southampton Univerisity Boat Club was well represented, with four Southampton alumni gaining selection in the GB squad.
Ali Leighton-Crawford (Geog 2003) and Tim Male (Music 1997) both competed in the Mens Lightweight quad (4x) placing a respectable fourth having lead for a good part of a very close and exciting final. Ali rowed in the SUBC first VIII in 2001, 02 and 03, racing at Henley Royal Regatta in 2003. Tim opted for the single scull during his uni days and has since been a regular and successful member of the GB Lightweight squad, competing at both the Athens and Sydney Olympics.
Antonia Van Deventer (Psychology 2002) competed in the Womens Lightweight single sculls (1x), achieving 3rd in the B final in a notoriously competitive event. Antonia rowed in the SUBC womens first VIII coached by Mike Beresford. Antonia has previously represented Great Britain in the Lightweight quad (4x) in 2004 and was reserve for the 2005 squad.
Charlie Palmer (Sports Studies 2004) attended the World Championships this year as reserve for the Heavyweight Mens squad. Charlie started rowing at SUBC in 2002 and rowed with Ali in the first VIII in 2003 and also in 2004. Charlie went on to study at Cambridge University and was a member of the victorious Goldie crew in the 2006 Boat Race and finalist for the second year running in the prestigious Diamond Sculls event at Henley Royal. Charlie rounded off a very busy season by marrying Liz Barlow whom he met while they were both rowing at SUBC.
It is hoped that the achievements and continued success of Antonia, Tim, Ali and Charlie will provide inspiration for current SUBC members who aspire to take their rowing to a higher level.,
written by Charlie Palmer on 16th September 06