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Torpids!
Hey, thought we should start a thread on Torpids considering it starts tomorrow!!! Perhaps everyone could say what crew they're in, division etc and any general banter (ie. organising crew dates 
)
I'm in Lincoln's W2 and we are *currently* the highest ranked Women's 2nd boat on the river (we're in Division 3) and I'm rowing in seat 4. Since I only started rowing last term, this will be my first bumps racing and I'm starting to get really excited (although nervous as well!!!!). Hopefully, watching True Blue this evening will help fill me with confidence
)I'm in Lincoln's W2 and we are *currently* the highest ranked Women's 2nd boat on the river (we're in Division 3) and I'm rowing in seat 4. Since I only started rowing last term, this will be my first bumps racing and I'm starting to get really excited (although nervous as well!!!!). Hopefully, watching True Blue this evening will help fill me with confidence
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Reply 1
ooooh good luck to everyone! 
I row and love it! and am so looking forward to rowing at oxford if i get there (fingers crossed), torpids and bumps all sound like so much fun!
I row and love it! and am so looking forward to rowing at oxford if i get there (fingers crossed), torpids and bumps all sound like so much fun!
Reply 3
Someone tell me what Torpids are!!
Elles
you should come & watch, very exciting! 
shall leave explaining to a proper boatie..
shall leave explaining to a proper boatie..
The question is, am I a 'proper' boatie yet? Technically I'm still a novice but I'm an incrediably enthusiastic boatie...so does that count?
I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry, my nickname within my crew isn't Keen Bear for nothing
)Anyways, a quick summary of torpids:
*There are several divisions for both men and women. Basically, like football, the aim is to finish top of your division and ultimately top of the first division and be crowned HEAD OF THE RIVER
*On each of the 4 days each division races
*Every boat in the division lines up one behind each other (I *think* it's about a boat length and a half apart or so). Then everyone starts racing!
*The aim is to 'bump' the boat in front of u. Generally this means either hit part of it, or completely overtake it - much harder!!! The other boat can concede if they want to (sometimes this is advantageous and safer!).
*If you BUMP a boat, u stop racing and you now move ahead of that boat in the division!!!
*If you get BUMPED you move down a place in the division AND have to keep going!!! Thus you can get bumped several times and move down lots of places.
*If you move up 4places in the division you are honoured by being presented "Blades" which are like ornamental rowing blades, all painted and varnished with your names on. If however you move down 4 places, you get awarded with Spoon (not real ones, but a type of blade).
*It's supposed to be very exciting (this is my first bumps race!!!) as there are lots of boats all on the river at the same time, lots of bumping, cheering and frantic fans running along the bank screaming their college's name and occaisionally (not that this is a good thing, especially with it being so cold) people fall in. Lot's of people often go to these races who aren't even boaties - lots of people from my college just came along to support us. Next term, we have the Summer equivalent, called "Eights" and they're almost the same (except if you get bumped you don't keep rowing) and apparantely 10,000s of people line the bank. I'll find a photo our cox last term sent us...
omg bumped boats have to keep rowing!? that's so harsh! as far as I am aware that doesnt happen here at cambridge thank god! When you get bumped or you bump someone both crews pull over! I was sure thats how they do it at oxford? Perhaps it's cos the oxford course is shorter than at cam.
Oh and yup as shiny said, you most definitely are a boatie.
I realised I was a boatie two days ago when for the first time I felt like I wanted to significantly neglect my studies to try and improve my rowing. Obviously an outing this morning in the freezing cold corrected that, but non the less. Urgh 6:10 outing tomorrow, I'm so stupid!
Oh and yup as shiny said, you most definitely are a boatie.
I realised I was a boatie two days ago when for the first time I felt like I wanted to significantly neglect my studies to try and improve my rowing. Obviously an outing this morning in the freezing cold corrected that, but non the less. Urgh 6:10 outing tomorrow, I'm so stupid!
Willa
omg bumped boats have to keep rowing!? that's so harsh! as far as I am aware that doesnt happen here at cambridge thank god! When you get bumped or you bump someone both crews pull over! I was sure thats how they do it at oxford? Perhaps it's cos the oxford course is shorter than at cam.
How long is the course in Cam? In Summer Eights you both pull over, but for some reason Torpids isn't the same...now a proper boatie would know why, but I don't. Ask Grandad_Bob.
Willa
it's about 2.5k for the head boat i think (goes up to 2.7k for the 10th boat). Tbh I'd rather go for the quick bump than slog it out for the 9 minutes it takes to do the course.
Yeah, our coach has been making us work on our sprints so we can bump really early on. We were told that it was a 2k course, but just been speaking to a Univ M1 rower on the concept 2 page (Xavier) and he said it's actually only around 1.7K.
Reply 18
Where are the torpids? what time!
Clodagh
Where are the torpids? what time!
basically where the Oxford boathouses are.. from round the corner by Hilda's i think, then through the gut, then along the straight & up to the end.. i'm so technical!
& Wed - Sat
lats race starts at 5pm.. & the one to watch!
not sure when they start.. ~12 ish?Related discussions
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