From the President Dear Friends,

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1 Summer 2014, Issue 14 From the President Dear Friends, This year for UCBC has been successful on many levels. It was inspiring to see such a strong turnout at Summer Eights from Univ crews, Old Members, families and supporters: we are very proud to be part of such a widereaching and supportive UCBC community. The Men s and Women s 1 st VIIIs approached the challenge of their high positions in division one with unwavering determination and commitment. Every position held in the top divisions is hard won and fully deserved and future gains will come off the back of such dedicated training and passion. The blades awarded to W2 show that these traits run throughout the club. This year our desire to take Univ beyond the intercollegiate events resulted in fantastic performances in the Women s Eights Head of the River Race, Bedford Regatta and Henley Women s Regatta. These huge achievements and invaluable experiences were made possible by the support of UCBC Friends and Old Members. I have been overwhelmed many times this year by the enthusiasm of our members and hard work of the committee. From the charity ergathon in Michaelmas Term to the huge number of boats we coached and organised to enter Summer Eights, people s willingness to get involved and put themselves out for the club is vital to enable UCBC to grow and develop. Coming to the end of four years with UCBC I feel honoured to have been able to work, train and have fun with such a great group of friends. Once again I would like to thank you for all your support of the club without the generosity of Old Members many of our events and successes would simply not be possible. I have no doubt that Ali Cigari and next years committee will continue to drive UCBC with their enthusiasm and passion to bring the club to the highest level possible. Lizzie German, UCBC President UCBC members, Summer Eights

2 From the Captains The men s 1 st VIII had an unfortunate start to the racing season with the cancellation of Head of the River for the second year running. This was not the outcome we had wanted. We were looking to put in a strong performance, despite having to call in two substitute rowers at the last minute, one coming all the way from Derbyshire on his birthday. However with the boat half full of water by the time we came under Hammersmith Bridge and the waves showing no sign of relenting, it was understandable they were forced to cancel the event. I look forward to a year as Captain, and would like to thank Friends of UCBC for their donations to which we are extremely grateful. I would also like thank our coach Oliver Collins for his expertise over the last year. Tom Everitt, Men s Captain Trinity term started on a better note with the 1 st VIII putting in lots of mileage on both the Isis and the Radley stretch on weekends. In the build up to Eights, we had organized a fixture against Green Templeton 1 st VIII over the 1km stretch at Radley. Off the start we moved ahead swiftly and continued to extend our lead, finally crossing the line more than 2 lengths up and with a new UCBC record. The first day of Eights started with bow seat shearing the backstay off during the warm up paddle, leading to a frantic repair on the start line. Thankfully it was fixed in time and resulted in a solid row over with Wolfson never coming closer than a length off us before they were caught by Magdalen. Thursday we had Magdalen behind us, we started well but as we neared the gut they were moving closer, and by the exit, a swift tap on our stern and we unfortunately had to concede. Friday saw us line up with Trinity behind. Another strong start saw us through Donny Bridge, and a huge push caught them by surprise and we started to move towards Magdalen ahead of us. Unfortunately, despite the valiant effort, they too caught us at the exit of the Gut, with our cox receiving a large smack on the back from their bowman s blade. On Saturday we had Wolfson behind and they put push after push to try and gain on us, but we fought them off with a strong row over to finish our Eights campaign 6 th on the river. Above: M1 in Head of the River Race; Below: M1 on the Saturday of Summer Eights The Women s First VIII have had a successful term, building on their achievements in Hilary, after an intense two week training camp to start the term. With two fours to train in, all the girls made massive improvements, so the opportunity to race in the 4+ at Oxford City Bumps was exciting. The first four successfully bumped up one, finishing 3 rd on the river. The second four had a rather nightmarish start which involved firstly the bank, secondly the bungline attaching to the rudder, leading to a bungee start (funny for the spectators, not so funny for the rowers) and thirdly all the boats ahead of them bumping out. But the girls didn t give up, and their determination paid off ending on a high by bumping Wolfson. The squad continued to put in the hours, and their hard work showed at the 150th Bedford Regatta. UCBC won Novice 8+, beating King s School Chester RC by 1 and a ½ lengths in the final, and winning British Rowing points. We also placed 2 nd in College 8+, after being defeated by a Blues-heavy Emmanuel College boat in the final, missing out by 1 and ¾ lengths. 2 2

3 This highlights the massive commitment of the girls, who had multiple successive races, without even getting out of the boat. Following on from this success, we were keen to show Oxford what we capable of at Summer Eights. Surrounded by strong crews in front and behind, we had four strong and gutsy races. A special mention must go to Ann Laube, who didn t let exams prevent her racing, jumping straight into the boat after her exam. Our first race went well, although the nerves showed, with the crew struggling to hold the rate. However we rowed better each day, and despite rowing over every day, everyone gave it their all and it s a credit to eveyone s determination that we were able to hold our position as 8 th on the river. Training didn t stop after Summer Eights, as five of W1 trained hard in preparation for Henley Women s Royal Regatta and the rest of the crew prepared for Oriel Regatta. The Oriel Regatta crew had rowed together once before the race and a last minute change in the line-up before our first race meant we feared that crew may not get to row together again. Fortunately, Niamh Broderick (our super sub ) moved from the coxes seat to bow and a solid performance from the crew meant we quickly pulled away from St Peters in the quarter-finals. Our success continued and we easily beat Johns and Green Templeton in the Semis and Finals respectively meaning we won the Women s 8+. We have all made massive improvements in our rowing this term thanks to the commitment and brilliant coaching we have received from John Ewans. Well done to all the girls for their dedication which has definitely paid off. We are excited for next year; hopefully our success will continue and we will move up towards the top of Division 1. Vicky Olive, Women s Captain W1, Saturday of Summer Eights 2014 Vice-Captains Reports After a limited amount of rowing during Hilary Term due to the flooding it was great to see so many rowers returning this term. We were able to enter a men s 4 th VIII in Summer Eights, with Univ submitting a total of nine crews, which was more than any other college. M2 had a strong, tight crew and trained hard all term. Unfortunately during Summer Eights they struggled with equipment including the stroke s seat coming off mid-race and the cox box failing in the first two days. As the regatta progressed they were able to show everyone what they could really do with a solid row-over on the final day. M3 consisted of a group of very able rowers and cox. After training hard all term they were successful in qualifying for Summer Eights. The first day saw them get bumped but they then went on to row on and then bump twice in the following days. M3 have also set themselves up nicely so that they stand a very good chance of reaching the fixed divisions next year. M4 were very enthusiastic and committed this term and also saw the addition of two novice rowers rowing for the first time. They rowed well to be able to qualify in Rowing On and improved every day of Summer Eights to the point where on the last day they were able to prevent getting bumped in a strong row over. The lower boats have worked very hard this year and stuck with it even when the conditions were not ideal. The progress that has been made is set to continue well into next year. Tom Davis, Men s Vice-Captain W1 with their tankards at Bedford Regatta 3 3

4 Trinity Term was really strong for the women's side of UCBC, with 5 boats entered in Summer VIIIs including W2, W3, a graduate boat and a coxes' beer boat. W3, W4 and W5 all had to compete in Rowing On to qualify for Eights. All three boats qualified, making Univ the boat club with the most boats on the river. The women's 2nd VIII did a lot of training, putting in laps after many crews had left the river each morning, followed by plenty of crew breakfasts to keep spirits up after rainy sessions. It all paid off in Eights, as W2 bumped both Hertford II and Worcester II quickly on the first day to secure their place in Division 3. They then went on to bump Christchurch II, Pembroke II, and Linacre II to earn 5-bump blades, bumping before Donnington bridge each time They are now the 4th W2 crew on the river. W3 also put in a lot of training and posted a quick time in Rowing On, but had an unfortunate draw in Div 5, surrounded by W2 crews and schools' boats. However, they put up a good fight each day and displayed all of the grit and determination that we have come to expect from our girls They were bumped by Somerville II, St Hugh's II, Green Templeton III and Keble II to secure spoons, which are at least a good reminder of the fun had training this Trinity. W4, the graduate boat, rowed over triumphantly on the first and third days, holding off St Hugh's III past Univ on the second day but eventually succumbing, and were bumped by St Peter's II on the Saturday. We also had a heroic sub due to a last-minute injury: W3.5, as the girls with no fixed crew for VIIIs came to be known, were all called upon at some point in this Eights and responded like the heroes they are to fill spots in W3, W4, and W5, so that everyone got to race as much as possible. Top to bottom: M2 and W2, M3 and W3, M4 and W4. W5, the coxes' beer boat, qualified for VIIIs, much to the surprise of everyone, including themselves With just two sessions together before Rowing On and never having done a racing start, the crew had a relaxed row over on the Wednesday as the two crews behind bumped out. They were bumped by a fast and furious St. Peter's II on Thursday, demolished St Anne's to row over behind the grad boat on Friday, and went for the bump on Keble III on Saturday. Fittingly, the bump was gained not only through faster rowing but through a coxing error on the part of Keble, who crossed too early in a desperate effort to try and avoid the wrath of the Univ coxes' bow ball bearing down on them. Overall the term was one of great participation from everyone, as evidenced by the large number of boats we had, and lots of fun too Niamh Broderick, Women s Vice-Captain Left: W2, postwinning blades; Right: W5, Coxes beer boat, Summer Eights

5 UCBC Social Events Trinity has been a successful and popular term for UCBC socially as well as on the water, helped along by significantly better weather than the rest of the year We started off the term with a UCBC formal hall, where the excellent turnout made it a great way to get to know our crews better in preparation for Summer Eights. For the first time the Master s Garden Party was held in the boathouse, which was made a great success by the lively racing atmosphere down by the river. After the launch of the new Acer Nethercott we moved onto the Summer Eight s Dinner, the focus point of this term s social calendar. With an almost full turnout from all of the crews, it was a wonderful way to celebrate the successes of UCBC this year as well as finishing off a week of hard rowing in Summer Eights. The day finally concluded with a night out at Camera, which was equally well attended It was a pleasure to welcome back alumni of UCBC and we hope to see you again in the coming year. Next term looks to be equally exciting, with a whole host of events to welcome the novices into the UCBC community. Lauren Gordon, Social Secretary Supporters outside Univ boathouse on the Saturday of Eights 2014 Summer Eights Crew Lists 2014 Men s1 st VIII Men s2 nd VIII Men s3 rd VIII Men s4 th VIII Str:SamCornish 7:John;HenryCharles 6:AndreaSchiavi 5:DougSexton 4:AliCigari 3:StuartPerrett 2:TomGourd Bow:TomEveritt Cox:%Kitty%B.%S.%Hunter% Coach:%Oliver%Collins% Str:OliverVince 7:EamonByrne 6:JamesCoote 5:DanFess 4:TomDavis 3:RobHammond 2:SebMurphy Bow:EdBeard Cox:%Ilaria%Confalonieri% Coach:%Lorna%High Str:ElliotSmith 7:BenSkuse 6:JohnLidwell;Durnin 5:LukasKobis 4:JeffreyHawke 3:JoePage 2:MackGrenfell Bow:Hung;YuanCheng Cox:%Hannah%Edwards% Coach:%Ilaria% Confalonieri/Ali%Cigari Str:AlexArnold 7:TaimurAbdaal 6:JulianOstrowski 5:JulianGray 4:OctavianMovilianu 3:WaseemAslam 2:LewisRuks Bow:LingkaiDong Cox:%Sian%McGibbon/% Emma%Bridgeman% Coach:%Ilaria% Confalonieri/Ali%Cigari Women s(1 st (VIII( Women s(2 nd (VIII( Women s(3 rd (VIII( Women s(4 th (VIII( Women s(5 th (VIII( Str:HannahFarley Str:DaisyHutchison Str:JessLiley Str:ElleCostigan Str:NiamhBroderick 7:JuliaSchollick 7:LucyAmbrose 7:GabyShorney 7:InbarLevy 7:IlariaConfalonieri 6:HannahBaddock 6:MelissaSidnell Toledano 6:MandyRojek 6:ChloeHall 5:JojoBowman 5:CiaraBurgess 6:ClaudiaHerresthal 5:LeticiaVilleneuve 5:ClaireBarraclough 4:AnnLaube 4:ClaireWeaver 5:LauraStokes 4:LiseButler 4:PriyaShah 3:EllieJones 3:Stella 4:GabrielaCaldwell; 3:TeresaPhiri 3:EmmaBridgeman 2:VickyOlive d Ambrumenil Jones 2:CateLaporte;Oshiro 2:BeckyCollins Bow:AmyHughes 2:LizzieGerman 3:HannahEdwards Bow:LucieLarripa Bow:SianMcGibbon Cox:%Chloe%Hall% Bow:BeckyMcCann 2:LizzieWalker Cox:%Mikolaj% Cox:%Dave%Buckley% Coach:%John%Ewans( Cox:%Niamh% Bow:GraceSegall Barczentewicz% Coach:%Stella% Broderick% Cox:%Becky%Collins/% Coach:%Eamon%Byrne% d Ambrumenil% Coach:%Argyris% Priya%Shah% Sub:%Shannon%Mitchell Subs:%Abi%Reeves,% Stasinakis Coach:%Lizzie%German/% Samvartika%Bajpai,% Kitty%B.%S.%Hunter%% Holly%DigneQMalcolm,% Subs:%Lauren%Gordon,% Alex%Wilson,%Sarah% Shannon%Mitchell DixonQClarke 5 5

6 Univ at Henley Women s Regatta Training did not end after Summer Eights for five members of UCBC as we prepared to enter Henley Women s Regatta for the first time in too many years. In the end, three weeks of intense water work and committed erging paid off, with a solid performance from the crew. We entered the Cathy Cruikshank Trophy for intermediate academic coxed fours. Racing began on Friday 20 th June with time trials; we were already familiar with the stretch of the Thames at Henley, having come over for a paddle the night before. With the landmarks firmly entrenched in our minds (and written on the leg of our coxswain), we boated and headed up to the start with the other entries in our category. With 17 entries and 16 to qualify, we were confident, but still looking to put in a solid row. Rowing over at rate 34, our qualification was confirmed over lunchtime. We spent the remainder of the afternoon resting in the shade and conserving energy for the race that afternoon. Whilst back on the water, we readied ourselves for the next couple of minutes. Our competitors were Hatfield College, Durham their 1 st VIII had placed one above us at the Women s Head this year, se we knew they had the potential to be solid competition. The nerves kicked in as we tapped round the stake boats and got attached - especially when we saw the umpire stand up in the following launch. A strong start meant we soon took and maintained the lead over Hatfield, committing fully to the race and producing a stronger row than our qualifying time trial. We eventually won by a length and a half. Univ (Berks station) against Hatfield College (Bucks station) at Henley Women s Regatta Our next race was Saturday evening against University of London Boat Club. We knew that they d be fast they had rowed their quarter-final a second faster than we had ours despite never really being challenged by their opposition (they won that race by five lengths). However, we resolved to give it our all in true Univ fashion regardless we might just be college rowers, but we weren t going down without a fight. Again, our training paid off with the start we held on for a bit, but ultimately, they were the faster boat, and won by two and a half lengths. We went to watch the finals on Sunday, and it was some consolation to watch UL convincingly beat Exeter University to win the entire event; the strength of women s rowing at Univ was confirmed by the release of the time trial results, which showed us to have been the 5 th fastest boat. All in all, Henley Women s Regatta was a brilliant experience, and looks set to become a regular fixture (and highlight) of the UCBC women s calendar. Our gratitude goes to David Hunter for his donation to the boat club of the Acer, and we look forwards to competing at Henley again next year. Hannah Farley, Women s Captain From bow to cox: Jojo Bowman, Melissa Sidnell, Julia Schollick, Hannah Farley, Kitty B.S. Hunter. 6 6

7 UCBC Committee Position( President( Vice9President( Men s(captain( Women s(captain( Men s(vice9captain( Women s(vice(captain( Secretary( Treasurer( Captain(of(Coxes( Social(Secretary( Name( AliCigari CiaraBurgess TomEveritt VickyOlive TomDavis NiamhBroderick John;HenryCharles Stellad Ambrumenil IlariaConfalonieri LaurenGordon Univ Blues Rowers Univ boat club members Hannah Roberts and Hannah Baddock have been training with OUWBC this past year, which took them to Henley as they competed in the 2014 Henley Boat Races. Rowing in Osiris, the women s reserve crew, they had a difficult race against Blondie, the Cambridge reserve crew. After a promising start where Oxford took a slight lead, Cambridge challenged them for most of the course, creating an extremely close race with several blade clashes. It was only in the last 500m that Osiris managed to pull ahead, securing a win of ½ a length. Oxford continued to dominate in the Boat Races this year, with other wins in the women s collegiate, women s, lightweight women s, men s and men s reserve races. UCBC has also gained knowledge and strength from our other members who have been training with the university squads this year. Kitty Bourne Swinton Hunter has been coxing OUBC this year while Crispin Smith and Thibaut Lienart have been training with OULRC. Osiris crew, Henley Boat Races 2014 Kitty recently coxed the Oxford Alumni crew at the Bommen Boat Race, which was created this year in the honour of the 400 th anniversary of the University of Groningen, Netherlands. The race is the beginning of a new tradition between the universities of Groningen and Münster, inspired by the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Races. Oxford and Cambridge alumni crews were invited to participate in the first ever edition of the race. On an exceedingly narrow course with bridges only just wide enough for one boat, Kitty steered firstly the 2.8km time trial, followed by a 400m side-by-side sprint, beating Cambridge by 4 seconds in the former. 7 7

8 The Acer Nethercott The Summer Eights celebrations this year also came with the launching of a new boat: the Acer Nethercott. The Acer is a new Janousek coxed four, given to UCBC by David Hunter, former Univ cox. David decided to name the boat in honour of Acer after he lost his battle with cancer early last year. So far, the Acer has played a large part in the success of W1 this term. Beginning with seat racing, the freedom of having a second four has enhanced the training of the women s 1 st VIII, leading them to excellent performances this term. Crews in the Acer have already bumped in Oxford City Bumps and reached the quarter-finals in Henley Women s Regatta. Hannah Farley, Women s Captain , says: Racing at Henley is always special, always memorable. This year was particularly so for us, as we were racing in the Acer Nethercott. Whilst waiting at the start of the course for the time trials, we could hear the conversation going on in the UL boat a couple of the girls were explaining who Acer was to their crew mates. It s hard to think of more powerful inspiration. Univ Men s 1 st VIII, Summer Eights 2014 Above: The launch of the Acer Nethercott at Summer Eights Below: The Acer in Henley Women s Regatta Supporting UCBC The generous support of our old members has allowed UCBC to become the largest and most inclusive boat club on the Isis today. We need your help, not just to continue to welcome and train new rowers and coxes, but also to build Headship winning crews in the near future. You can donate online at Just choose Other under Designation, and add 1990 Headship Fund or Boat Club in the Comments section. Thank you, we appreciate your support. Please feel free contact the Boat Club President (ali.cigari@univ.ox.ac.uk) to discuss our future plans. 8 EditedbyCiaraBurgess.ManythankstoMikolajBarczentewicz,DavidHunterandArgyrisStasinakisforthephotographs andthehenleyboatraceswebsitefortheirracereports. 8