Boat Race rowers

Hi everyone,

I have a question I couldn't find the answer to anywhere online, perhaps because it's naive or rude. I'm genuinely wondering so please don't take this the wrong way but here goes.

Given that all the rowers in the boat race are seriously good, (even Olympic standard sometimes) and train many hours every day, do they have time for studying? Are they actually at Oxbridge for education, or are they basically just there to row? I just find it baffling how someone can do a postgraduate at Oxford or Cambridge and yet dedicate that much time to rowing. Like, does their admission into the university have absolutely nothing to do with their rowing ability..?

Like I say, I’m genuinely wondering the answer to this question. Sorry if it's in the wrong forum. Wasn't sure where I'd get answer to this question.

Reply 1

Theflyingbarney

15

As I understand it, most of the rowers are recruited in largely for their rowing skills, and usually study for an easier postgrad course that allows them to dedicate lots of time to rowing. Not sure how accurate this is though, or whether it's an explicit or covert policy.

Reply 2

qwertyuiop1993

16

I think some of the postgrad courses that these rowers are on are not as intense workload-wise as undergraduate degrees.
That's why it's all the more impressive that Constantine Louloudis is rowing in the Boat Race, given that he is an undergrad and that he had his Classics Mods last term (10 three hour exams to prepare for along with training!)

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Helenia

20

A lot of them are doing post-grad courses which effectively allow you to arrange your own time. I have no idea whether their workload is genuinely less than any other post-grad course. There are a few people each year who make it while doing a normal undergraduate degree though. You see more of them in Isis and Goldie because often they're a bit younger and a bit less experienced, but they do the same amount of training as the Blue Boats do. They just have to be hyper-organised and basically do nothing but row, work and eat. A friend of mine trialled alongside 2nd and 3rd year medicine.

Reply 4

NHSFan

11

Original post by Theflyingbarney

As I understand it, most of the rowers are recruited in largely for their rowing skills, and usually study for an easier postgrad course that allows them to dedicate lots of time to rowing. Not sure how accurate this is though, or whether it's an explicit or covert policy.

This seems to be the case for some of them.

www.theboatrace.org/men/blue-boats

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 5

natninja

21

Original post by ziroic

Hi everyone,

I have a question I couldn't find the answer to anywhere online, perhaps because it's naive or rude. I'm genuinely wondering so please don't take this the wrong way but here goes.

Given that all the rowers in the boat race are seriously good, (even Olympic standard sometimes) and train many hours every day, do they have time for studying? Are they actually at Oxbridge for education, or are they basically just there to row? I just find it baffling how someone can do a postgraduate at Oxford or Cambridge and yet dedicate that much time to rowing. Like, does their admission into the university have absolutely nothing to do with their rowing ability..?

Like I say, I’m genuinely wondering the answer to this question. Sorry if it's in the wrong forum. Wasn't sure where I'd get answer to this question.

I may be able to tell you a bit about rowing at Oxford,

Rowing for college will vary with college and standard - some college's will have rowing training on the river most days before lectures at 7 am whereas some will have maybe one or two earlies a week. My girlfriend used to row for our college W1 and they had 1-2 earlies/week when the river was ok and did ergs and other training for maybe an hour everyday and it did mean she had to be pretty organised but she coped as she is a really hard worker and is now rowing in the dev squad for women's lightweight which takes much more time but is still compatible with the workload for an undergrad degree but does mean that due to time she would have to drop other hobbies and drop college rowing. Basically you can choose to excel at one hobby and do well academically - you can't do both a sport and a musical instrument to a high level and still have time for studies.

Reply 6

NHSFan

11

Original post by Helenia

A lot of them are doing post-grad courses which effectively allow you to arrange your own time. I have no idea whether their workload is genuinely less than any other post-grad course. There are a few people each year who make it while doing a normal undergraduate degree though. You see more of them in Isis and Goldie because often they're a bit younger and a bit less experienced, but they do the same amount of training as the Blue Boats do. They just have to be hyper-organised and basically do nothing but row, work and eat. A friend of mine trialled alongside 2nd and 3rd year medicine.

Exactly! Rob Williams managed to finish a Science PhD at UCL and win a Silver in the LM4- last summer, so I suppose it's all about good time management.

Reply 7

nexttime

22

Original post by ziroic

Hi everyone,

I have a question I couldn't find the answer to anywhere online, perhaps because it's naive or rude. I'm genuinely wondering so please don't take this the wrong way but here goes.

Given that all the rowers in the boat race are seriously good, (even Olympic standard sometimes) and train many hours every day, do they have time for studying? Are they actually at Oxbridge for education, or are they basically just there to row? I just find it baffling how someone can do a postgraduate at Oxford or Cambridge and yet dedicate that much time to rowing. Like, does their admission into the university have absolutely nothing to do with their rowing ability..?

Like I say, I’m genuinely wondering the answer to this question. Sorry if it's in the wrong forum. Wasn't sure where I'd get answer to this question.

Its partially because they do less intense degrees. Its partially because their grades are secondary to their rowing. Its partially because these people have no free time. Its partially because some people are just exceptional and can do a degree alongside effectively professional sport! Lots of factors.

Boat Race rowers

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