Sports: Report - Men's Rowing 2021/22
Woah! So THAT is what rowing in Oxford is really like! Post-Covid, and a year with only a handful of days on red flag river levels throughout the entire year, men’s rowing sprang headlong into relatively normal training for the first time in three years. With a culture to nurture back from hibernation, our success in regattas and bumps through the year is something I, my co-captain Max Risher and the rest of the squad can be incredibly proud of.
We started off the year with a beautiful sunny afternoon – the perfect time for a taster day to invite newcomers to the sport. We saw an impressive uptake from the first-year undergraduates as they learnt under the watchful gaze of some of our senior rowers on the towpath. As they got to grips, our senior men raced in Autumn Fours for some side-byside racing on the Isis to gauge fitness and begin gaining some race miles in DC Winfield. With Nephthys and Christ Church Regatta at the end of term, this meant that a huge proportion of the squad raced competitively in Michaelmas and must have caught the bug for it – rowing fever was on its way!
Over the Christmas vac, with help from our wonderful head coach Adam, the men set to work training through the cold to build up fitness for Hilary. Once it arrived, the squad was feeling fit and ready to prepare for Torpids. Come February, the first 2k test for apparently a long time was organised. Turnout to such a demanding test of fitness was incredible and was a testament to how keen our rowers are (as well as competitive). The shared ambition running through the squad was inspiring, and I believe it set the tone for the coming weeks. In Torpids, M2 were unfortunately bumped by several strong crews, yet showed impressive team moral to keep fighting for spots up the bumps charts every stroke they took. M1 began Torpids 13th on the river, at the top spot of Division 2. On the first and second day, they rowed over comfortably, making their first appearance in Div 1 since 2001. On day 3, they bumped Magdalen M1 and on day 4 bumped Trinity M1, bringing them to 11th on the river and firmly in Division 1 for the first time since 1967.
Bouncing off the successes of Torpids, M1 then turned their heads towards the Thames and the famous Head of the River Race. This 6.8km course was set to be a gruelling test of endurance and courage – something these lads had in spades! We used this race as an opportunity to reunite alumni with the club, filling the crew of those remaining in the UK over the vacation with previous M1 rowers. This gave the crew a big challenge, making the 20k session the evening before the race important to dial in technique and crew feel with our incredible cox, Natasha. Come race day, the crew would climb 48 places from its seeding and gain a few brutal blisters along the way.
To top off a fantastic vacation, 12 of the men’s squad (some of whom had only begun rowing weeks earlier) flew to Portugal for our training camp abroad with head coach Adam. For the first time since 2019, we were able to organise this wonderful opportunity for the club and it served as the perfect chance to develop our up-and-coming rowers and coxes. With a few lost phones and watches in the bottom of the Douro river, and a few ‘crash’ courses on coxing, our men’s side explored a wide range of what rowing has to offer.
Trinity then came, and with it spectacular weather. Blue skies in May = bumps every day? Our crews certainly hoped so and set their eyes on crew selection happening early in 2nd Week. Three crews were then ready to race in Summer Eights and were looking fast: M1 and M2 for example breaking our course records up at Godstow and on the Isis respectively by astounding margins. With a successful Bedford Regatta also under their belt, beating Wadham M1 and Univ M2, ambition spread like wildfire from the M1/2 composite crew who raced and soon all three crews were ready to hit the Isis alongside our M3.
The third eight raced hard in rowing on, unluckily missing out on a place in Bumps. M2 rowed well through Eights each day, following a mishap on the start line on day 1 and showing more self-motivation and resilience than any captain could ask for. M1 then bumped within 30 strokes on both day 1 (Hugh’s) and day 2 (New), with an appealed bump on day 3 (Queen’s) which was unfortunately not allowed due to lack of evidence. Saturday saw M1 and M2 have strong, impressive row-overs past the crowds on Boathouse Island, pushing off Hertford M1 and Queen’s M2 respectively. This placed M1, again, at the highest place in 20 years, so maybe alongside M2, they were holding off just so they could put a show on for everyone. With a wonderful atmosphere, it was personally incredibly rewarding to see so many people come down and watch the rowing.
Post-Summer Eights sees the men’s side now involved with filming in a new George Clooney film – The Boys in the Boat. They were hired as extras for the Navy and French crew, contributing to a screen adaptation of the famous story from the 1936 Olympics. Keep your eyes peeled for that in cinemas.
What a wonderful year to see Merton go from success to success. The support and interest that Mertonians now have for rowing (something to do with Eights-fever, I presume) has given me much hope for the future of sport and rowing at Merton, and I look forward to seeing how we progress in the coming years.
Tim Western (2020)
Men’s Co-Captain 2021-22