Rowing Chat

argh really annoyed. Had to miss a session (I've only missed 2 sessions since I started rowing and those were unavoidable, like when my train to london was cancelled so I couldn't make it down in time :p:

) just because I couldn't sleep at all due to some sort of allergic reaction causing breathing issues which were still there by the time I was meant to leave this morning.

I'm not bothered about my health, everything is curable by anti-histamines. Just missing my last chance to be on the water before I start exams :frown:

Reply 322

revisionnightmare

11

partoftheweekend

Where abouts are you thinking of going to uni?

As it stands Loughborough or Leeds. Not sure whether I'm going to have a gap year and then go in 2011 yet as there are things I want to do and some big opportunities with family friends. If I get an A*, 2As then I'll definitely take the gap year and probably go to Nottingham or Durham, haha.

The whole 6'2 thing is a joke though. I mean I know taller is beneficial, but Tim Foster (who was always listed at 6'2) is nothing more than 6' - I met him and realised I was the exact same height so I thought I was maybe 6'2, turns out they just inflated his height substantially.

Tom James (coxless 4 in 2008 Olympics) was at junior indoors last year and he's like 6'1.5 tops (despite being listed as 6'3).

It's double standards!

Out of interest how fast are people in the uni first 8 pulling 2ks? I'm doing 6.32 at the moment and wondering how much lower I need to get? Thanks!

Reply 323

revisionnightmare

As it stands Loughborough or Leeds. Not sure whether I'm going to have a gap year and then go in 2011 yet as there are things I want to do and some big opportunities with family friends. If I get an A*, 2As then I'll definitely take the gap year and probably go to Nottingham or Durham, haha.

The whole 6'2 thing is a joke though. I mean I know taller is beneficial, but Tim Foster (who was always listed at 6'2) is nothing more than 6' - I met him and realised I was the exact same height so I thought I was maybe 6'2, turns out they just inflated his height substantially.

Tom James (coxless 4 in 2008 Olympics) was at junior indoors last year and he's like 6'1.5 tops (despite being listed as 6'3).

It's double standards!

Out of interest how fast are people in the uni first 8 pulling 2ks? I'm doing 6.32 at the moment and wondering how much lower I need to get? Thanks!

Depends completely on the uni. At lower ones sub 7:00 might get you in. At better ones it might go all the way down to sub 6:20-6:15. Might also depend a lot on your experience and how well you can seat-race etc.

Out of the ones you listed Durham will probably be looking at 6:20 min as well as experience. Id imagine at loughborough/nottingham 6:32 would get you in the first boat. Leeds I have no idea they tend to be up and down depending on their intake.

Reply 324

Darn, have to do a pre-qualifying time trial for both the boats im racing in at BUCS :frown:

Reply 325

Anatheme

OP

18

partoftheweekend

Darn, have to do a pre-qualifying time trial for both the boats im racing in at BUCS :frown:

Awww! One of our boat is through, the others have time trials as well

Reply 326

dobbs

17

partoftheweekend

Out of the ones you listed Durham will probably be looking at 6:20 min as well as experience. Id imagine at loughborough/nottingham 6:32 would get you in the first boat. Leeds I have no idea they tend to be up and down depending on their intake.

Durham will take on complete novices, as long as they show potential. I've seen (and coxed) Durham Uni novices who are very weedy (but maybe quite tall) and who have never touched an oar in their life.

They just need to be prepared to give it absolutely everything in the first few months of first year to get up to standard - strength/fitness/power etc comes first alongside technique then it's all technique really.

I coxed a novice four at Notts City a couple of years back, which is in April/May time and they were dreadful, could barly balance the boat. But my god they had A LOT of power, and managed to come 3rd in the final even though at parts of the race they managed to get bow sides riggers UNDER THE WATER for several strokes :confused:

Reply 327

Mithra

2

dobbs

I coxed a novice four at Notts City a couple of years back, which is in April/May time and they were dreadful, could barly balance the boat. But my god they had A LOT of power, and managed to come 3rd in the final even though at parts of the race they managed to get bow sides riggers UNDER THE WATER for several strokes :confused:

Woah..

Also, I discovered tonight our novice first 8 got yelled at by Matthew Pinsent at HORR because the cox got them stuck in a tree :rofl:

.

Reply 328

Mithra

Woah..

Also, I discovered tonight our novice first 8 got yelled at by Matthew Pinsent at HORR because the cox got them stuck in a tree :rofl:

.

That's awesome :p:

We got stuck in a tree at the kingston head. It wasn't technically the cox's fault, it was more the fault of the boat in front of us which wasn't moving up the "queue" when it was told (it was a boat made entirely of immature school boys bullying their tiny cox probably no older than 12) and then we ended up going into a tree. It was only bow pair who got the hair stuck in branches/forehead scratches etc unfortunately, it sucks to be at 2 sometimes (also it was a bit difficult to row on as my cox kept screaming at me to do when your blade is literally tangled in branches that you have to snap to actually move). Sad times :frown:

Reply 329

dobbs

Durham will take on complete novices, as long as they show potential. I've seen (and coxed) Durham Uni novices who are very weedy (but maybe quite tall) and who have never touched an oar in their life.:

I didn't make it apparent but I meant 6:20min for 1st boat at Durham.

Reply 330

BUCS draw out now as well. Some of the races are going to be amazing to watch.

M Champ 8o
Heat 1 Nottingham, UWE, Cambridge, Bristol, Newcastle
Heat 2 Exeter, Imperial, Oxford Brookes, Manchester, Reading
Heat 3 Leeds, Warwick, Durham, Queen's Belfast, London, Glasgow

W Champ 8o
Heat 1 Leeds, Reading, Durham, Imperial, Cardiff
Heat 2 Oxford Brookes, Cambridge, Nottingham, London
Heat 3 Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle

1F, 2 & 3 to rep

Reply 331

ilovehotchocolate

8

Looking forward to getting back into BUCS racing, haven't done any races at all this year with my local club, since about June. Am currently in a four but we're constantly put with a novice 4 who think we're amazing because we can balance a boat. They have no power at all, unless its called for it every 8th stroke. Combine that with a 12yr old boy for a cox who's idea of coxing is to aim for every swan and count strokes in french or other silly voices, oooh dear.... Not the best outings I've ever had, but nice to be on the water terrorising the swans again.

Reply 332

Mithra

2

I think I saw people rowing in the 'shrewsbury' style for the first time today (watched the 1st 8 properly which I haven't done before. They seem to row watching their rigger/the gate almost all of the time, seems an odd thing to do :beard:

. I assume thats what it is as I know the shrewsbury boys do something noticeably different to what everyone else does and that was what really stood out.

Reply 333

Anatheme

OP

18

Mithra

I think I saw people rowing in the 'shrewsbury' style for the first time today (watched the 1st 8 properly which I haven't done before. They seem to row watching their rigger/the gate almost all of the time, seems an odd thing to do :beard:

. I assume thats what it is as I know the shrewsbury boys do something noticeably different to what everyone else does and that was what really stood out.

I thought it was the fact that they mess up with other crews at the beginning/end of a race? I've sure been told off literally every single time I looked somewhere that wasn't in front of me, so staring at the rigger seems like a weird thing to do, I thought it changed the balance of the boat the you put more weight on one side by doing that?

Reply 334

dobbs

17

Well we just had a successful day up at Wansbeck Regatta, which is a tiny local regatta but they offered a £750 prize for the winning sprint 8s (500 metres). We won. Yay :smile:

Though unfortunately the money goes to the club, not us :frown:

Boo

Reply 335

Anatheme

I thought it was the fact that they mess up with other crews at the beginning/end of a race? I've sure been told off literally every single time I looked somewhere that wasn't in front of me, so staring at the rigger seems like a weird thing to do, I thought it changed the balance of the boat the you put more weight on one side by doing that?

I guess if everyone's looking to their side, the weight balances out (unless someone's got an abnormally heavy head) :s-smilie:

Reply 336

Anatheme

OP

18

Jessaay!

I guess if everyone's looking to their side, the weight balances out (unless someone's got an abnormally heavy head) :s-smilie:

True I guess. Also, this is one damn weird boat. A VI with fixed seats opposite the rigger? Mmmmh :holmes:

Reply 337