The Women’s Boat Club at the Summer Eights Dinner, May 2022

Sports: Report - Women's Rowing 2021/22

It is safe to say that this year started with mixed feelings. Following the Blades victory in Summer Torpids 2021, and most of the crew members having graduated over the summer, there were big shoes to fill and little resources to do so. Thanks to committed novice captains, solid weather and keen freshers, more than 20 novices joined the club in October, competed in Christ Church Regatta and returned to rowing in Hilary term. Their incredible commitment and enthusiasm led one of the two women’s boats competing in Christ Church Regatta into the finale, where they placed second.

Hilary term was fundamental for creating a great sense of community, with the no-longer-novices joining the senior members for erg sessions, circuits and outings. It didn’t take long for the crew to integrate, helped by post-outings snacks and pizza socials. IWLs provided great chances to measure ourselves on the Isis against other college’s crews and different types of weather conditions (Eunice, we don’t fear you). Under the coaching experience of Dan and Alex, we managed to enter two boats into Torpids, opening the 2022 bump season, which was the first one for most rowers on our boats. After successfully qualifying in Rowing On, W2 initially bumped successfully but unfortunately this upward trend was stopped and we lost two positions overall. W1 managed to remain in third division, securing a bump on the last day. During the Easter vacation, the boat club spent a week training in Porto, enjoying the sun and the spectacular views and surviving two-and-a-half-hour sessions on the Duoro river. The momentum of the Torpids campaign was kept and the mild weather as well as steady progress in the boat created a strong sense of excitement and commitment for Summer Eights. Besides rowing in the eight, many rowers tried sculling and coxing for the first time.

Back from Portugal, everyone was hyped about Summer Eights and the two boats started a very intense training regime with seven or eight training sessions per week. The commitment paid off. W2 maintained their position in sixth division, with their cox having only a bit more than a month of experience. W1 suffered multiple injuries in the weeks leading up to Summer Eights and the crew, made up of many rowers who had never stepped into a boat until nine months ago, competed fiercely in a tough field. After closing on crews multiple times, the boat rowed over twice and dropped two positions.

We are looking into the future of women’s rowing at Merton with content and excitement. Next year will start with a strong squad of committed rowers and a supportive, fun team spirit, which will welcome any novices. Overall, the team spirit is at its highest, with a large number of amazing rowers who had never stepped on a boat until nine months ago. We’ve definitely managed to lay the foundations for the years to come.

Angela Falezza and Clara Kummerer (both 2020)
Women’s Rowing Captains 2021-22