Bumps, Blades, and Bowballs- Cambridge Boatie Chat

Well, trialling usually involves two sessions a day, morning ones in Ely, and when you have to be in vet school all day or at night or whatever, it becomes rather difficult. It might be a tiny bit more possible for vets than medics, where I know it's pretty much impossible due to being placed out of Cambridge and 8am surgical starts.

With College Rowing, how is that trialed? Also, I'm guessing some college's are better than others from what you've said. Which are the better colleges for rowing? I'm obviously not going to base my college application on just that, but I'm looking at St Catherine's at the moment

http://www.cucbc.org/charts?year=2010&event=M&day=Fi&sex=M

The results from last year's Mays. St Catz are a pretty solid college for rowing.

As for how it's trialled, colleges have a variety of methods, seat racing, erg scores, past performances etc... (Same way you might do anything else). At the smaller colleges it's probably less competitive.

http://www.cucbc.org/charts?year=2010&event=M&day=Fi&sex=M

The results from last year's Mays. St Catz are a pretty solid college for rowing.

As for how it's trialled, colleges have a variety of methods, seat racing, erg scores, past performances etc... (Same way you might do anything else). At the smaller colleges it's probably less competitive.

http://www.cucbc.org/charts?year=2010&event=M&day=Fi&sex=M

The results from last year's Mays. St Catz are a pretty solid college for rowing.

As for how it's trialled, colleges have a variety of methods, seat racing, erg scores, past performances etc... (Same way you might do anything else). At the smaller colleges it's probably less competitive.

I've been stalking results on the FaT website - it's a bit depressing with the exception of M2 (who had their run of being a spoon barge while I was there!) It just really shows how colleges who aren't in the top flight can really vary hugely over just a few years - in my 2nd/3rd year, Clare W1 were one of the best on the river; then M1 pulled their socks up and were good for a few years, now it's all changing again.

Sadly I won't be able to come down to watch Lents but might try to make it for Mays. My cousin is in Christ's M1 who actually look like they might have a chance (in, I think, a boat named after his grandfather!), and is now coached by our old coach - it's a small world!

Do you actually row or do you just erg? Very few people make it into the (male) Blues squad as undergrads fresh from school if they did not do a LOT of rowing at school. You need the technique as well as the erg times. Also, who taught you to erg? I ask because you see an awful lot of people at the gym using the machines with terrible terrible technique and who could improve their times massively, and stop damaging their backs, with just a bit of tweaking. Even some gym instructors aren't great at teaching you how to use them.

As has been said, 7:20 is a long way off the required standard - at some colleges that wouldn't even get you into their first boat. Keep working at it, and if you get in, get involved at a college level first, and if you do well at that, think about trialling.

oh please please please don't base 'good' and 'bad' college rowing by bumps charts! this makes me very sad and a little
bumps charts reflect how lucky a boat may or may not be, and although can reflect training, it often reflects past and not current standard.

7:20 wouldn't get you into the first boat at any college.

7:20 wouldn't get you into the first boat at any college.

As I said in my post, when I did the 7:20 2k I hadn't even been rowing for 2 weeks. It was just a casual erg, and my fitness has improved after about 4 months of rowing So IF I got into Cambridge, I would've been rowing for 2 years, so I'm pretty sure I could get a sub 6:55! I wasn't expecting a 7:20 to do anything, but I just wanted to know how people did on their first 2k in comparison to their 2k now

I'm a girl, so obviously my times are higher, but just as an example of how things change. At the start of term (6 weeks ago) I did my first 2k, with people shouting at me etc. I went off too fast and ended up with 8:27.3, but that didn't seem too shabby with other people's first ones for comparison.
Two weeks ago I did our 2nd test (without the shouting :P) and pulled 7:53.8, with a feeling I could squeeze a couple more seconds out, as I'd be advised to aim for 8:05 and suddenly realized I was going to beat it. That puts me solidly in the middle of our college first boat (admittedly with 4 triallists gone). That's after just over a month of 4 outings, 1/2 ergs and circuits a week, and I learnt to row last term

On another note, bumped again today

As I said in my post, when I did the 7:20 2k I hadn't even been rowing for 2 weeks. It was just a casual erg, and my fitness has improved after about 4 months of rowing So IF I got into Cambridge, I would've been rowing for 2 years, so I'm pretty sure I could get a sub 6:55! I wasn't expecting a 7:20 to do anything, but I just wanted to know how people did on their first 2k in comparison to their 2k now

awww shame about the bump - we got bumped too, but murray edwards are incredibly good this year. i don't know what tit hall have done this year, but they are doing amazingly well, no shame in being bumped by them!

for an ex-novice you are really good!! the benchmark for dev sqaud and considering trialling for women is an 8min 2k - so congrats! everyone left, so we have 4 exnovices in w1, so my nowherenearsub8min 2k puts me 5th out of our 8, but i have the experience that comes with being old (4 yrs rowing as opposed to 1 or 2 which is the norm for our boat), so hope i add that value! i think i saw your boat rowing down today...

have a look at the video of maggie crashing on girton's youtube channel, it will make you smile