Cambridge Head 2021

Novice women race report

C: Chris Jackson
S: Hannah Simon
7: Sara Terracciano
6: Cecilia Bogle
5: Diya Shah
4: Belva Tam 
3: Nadia Ali-Nadja 
2: Valerie Mok
B: Annabel Butler

The Novice Women's 2021 Cambridge Head race really all started the night before with Rose, our Captain's, home made vegetarian bolognese. Having cooked enough to feed the 500 we all sat down to eat as a team, after partaking in this age old tradition we went off for our early bedtimes well and truly united.

Rising before the sun like good rowers (although still a novelty for us RUMSBC gals) we were far to soon reunited outside of campus, awaiting the coach that would take us to our first competition. Whilst waiting we were informed that only a few hours earlier it had looked like we would have to float down the Cam in homemade rafts as our boat trailer had encountered difficulties. 

After napping the coach journey away, we woke up to find ourselves in the bleak grey outskirts of Cambridge, where our city lungs were shocked by the concept of fresh air. We set up camp in what I am told is our traditional spot perhaps intentionally close to the landmark that is the row of portaloos. Here we settled down for a day of racing. Like all athletes, as we were last to row, we turned our focus to the important task of sport nutrition. This took the form of carefully crafted, well-balanced, PBJ rice cakes and pizza!

Having spent an inspiring morning watching the rest of RUMSBC race it was time for us to take to the water. Kitted out in our crew shirts we stepped (yes, no wading knee deep in the water today!) into our borrowed St. George’s boat. Waved of by a cheering crowed we rolled sixes down the river. It was about this time when Diya realised that this boat was clearly made for giants when, despite all her best efforts, the shoes were too big for her feet. What were we to do? Drop out a vital pair of rowers? Never! As a boat full of medics (and an architect), surely we could put our heads together and find a solution. And of course we did - tape! - we would tape her feet into the shoes and nothing could hold us back. Making an emergency call, Rose ran to our rescue. But before she could arrive we set of again from the banks of the Cam chasing a rumour of electrical tape at the start line. A quick bit of DIY later and we were ready to row.

And off we went, picking up speed towards the start line. This was perhaps the best rowing of our lives, it seems impossible to think that this time last week we were struggling to role sixes and the concept of feathering was a abstract form of meditation to us. Guided by Beans calls of ‘power 10’ and ‘push off the boys’ who were forever tailing us in the distance. A few crabs were perhaps caught but each was seamlessly recovered and so we travelled down the Cam with what I am told was “chunky rowing”. Reaching halfway, our energy stores were staring to run low but turning the corner we were revitalised by the chant of 'MIDDLE MIDDLE MIDDLE' …giving us the strength to power gracefully though the last two bridges, and with one final push we crossed the line. We rowed our first race in 13:34.6, came 6th in our category, and 2nd out of UH, and so after such an incredible display of strength and determination we went off to celebrate with some karaoke!
By Hannah Simon

Novice men race report

C: Will Shorrocks
S: Pawel Ogrodnik 
7: Dara Razanghi 
6: Justus Schotanus 
5: Guy Fischman 
4: Etienne Royer Gray
3: Sam Rolfe
2: Daniel Diaz Blanco
B: Aryan Arora
​
Overall, we were very happy with the race, and definitely pleased with our own performance. As we are a novice crew, we just tried to do our best, and left feeling that we did. Our best also happened to be pretty good for what we expected, so a lot of positives to look back on from the race itself!
After coming back to London, we had our fair share of fun celebrating at Mully’s karaoke to finish off the day. With that our first race day was complete, and we’re all looking forward to the next one!
In the Cambridge head, novice men rowed for 12.20 minutes, came in 8th of 10 teams and 2nd of 3 UH teams.
By Pawel Ogrodnik ​

M1 Race report

C: Vaish Sabari
S Luca Richards
7 Felix Von Spreckelsen
6 Jai Sidpra
5 Derek Harrison
4 Sam Gregg
3 Sukhvir Nijjar
2 Joachim Ho
B Max Fornasiero
​
I​t had been a stressful 24 hours to Cambridge. All trailered boats had been grounded by a failed trailer driver so we had to procure 4 eights and a four at 10pm the night before the race. Fortunately our men and women at st George’s had a lovely new Hudson eight they allowed us to use. This presented M1 with a unique opportunity. As their M1 was racing in an earlier division and the river isn’t tidal- we had a matched race! Same boat, same river, same river speed! Finally a proper UH head to head! Their expensive boat was a dream rowing up in, slick slides like they had been oiled with the slippiest of oils. The start! We were adeptly spun on a sixpence in the middle of the river by Vaish and then we powered off. Chasing us was the Cantabrigian Semi-professional rowing club who were hot on our heels and a lot better trained. We held them off for the first 700m and on the second 90 degree turn we had ourselves a good old fashioned stand off. Vaish wouldn’t back down, we had the inside line and we wanted it. Their cox was taking the riskier and longer line, but we had to be safe so couldn’t force them wider. Screaming from the Cantabrigian coach on the side as he couldn’t believe the scenes as our blades and theirs feathered over each other. Alas, we held them as long as we could but in that final straight their crew of 8 very seasoned and experienced men slowly pulled away. As we rowed passed the women’s crew cheering from the bank suddenly the boat speed picked up, and the balance reset. The mens eight powered through the finish. M1 raced through the finish, faster than George’s, in their own boat and with a healthy 10 second lead. Moral of the story, we need to break our old boat for the insurance money and buy one of the ones George’s have.
By Felix Von Spreckelsen

M2 race report

C: Chris Jackson
S: Owen Colligan
7: Bartlomiej Rosinski
6: Arjun Patel
5: Laurens Boevé
4: Lewis Hindle
3: Amit Bhudia
2: Aryan Goel
B: Niccolo Doe

The second race of the year was upon us. Following the fresh morning start (or continuation of the previous night for Owen), there were many sleepy heads on the coach journey up to Cambridge. We were also graced with the presence of Niccolo Doe who was a true hero for subbing in last second. 

Arriving at the green the scratch crew found out we wouldn't be rowing in neither our initial div 2 nor our own boat but rather at the later div 4 and Kings' boat with dodgy steering. This was met with an almost immediate trip by all to the Tesco to get some food and red bulls. 

With time to kill, I introduced the boys to the wonders of Deep Heat forming our own little circle and plaguing the olfactory nerves of all around us. Our warm up jog definitely ruined some trainers but fortunately no ankles. 

The time to race was fast approaching when someone from Kings came over and handed us a 2 seat. We prayed that was the only thing broken about the boat but our prayers were not answered...

We'd all be warned about the horrible turns of the Cam and were prepared to bust out some sick drifts round the bends on the way up to the start. Alas, it was not meant to be, after our smooth entry into the river we were met with traffic rivalled only by the M25 during rush hour.

After a painstakingly slow row up we were met with utter confusion from the marshalls as we were in the wrong division,"What's your number?" "212!" "412?" "No! 212!". We got sent up and down often being referred to as "Kings" or "KCL", before we were eventually allowed to park in some weeds. 

During our wait we discovered that Laurens' shoe wasn't attached properly and now just a free entity and that we may have overdone the deep heat. Regardless the time had come to step up, Beans pumped us up with some beautiful tunes and we were ready to go. We established we didn't care about splashing all we wanted was some good chunky rowing!

After seeing many boats set off before us we were finally brought to the start line. The time had come, we were going to smash this for our fallen soldier (Anshul we love you <3) and we were off. 

Once we got to the bends we found out how truly awful the steering was, people needed to dropped out here and there. Goodbye racing lines, hello janky boat control. As we came out of the second corner we were eventually overtaken by some Cambridge Women swiftly navigating the horrendous angles of the Cam.  

We pushed through the pain, towards the screams of "MIDDLE MIDDLE MIDDLE!". All we knew was that the end was near, and we wanted to leave this godforsaken river till our inevitable return next year. We got out only to learn that some of us had lost our hip flexors along the way and others had gotten showered in the cold river water. 

The result may have not been what we wanted but the sheer determination of these men showed that we're truly in it for those beautiful UH medals awaiting us.
​By Aryan Goel

W4 RAce report

C: Will Shorrocks
S: Kira Klico
3: Laura Dan 
2: Charis Smith 
B: Millie Walker 
 
After a year of missing rowing and races, we began the day with a ritual no one has missed: the 4am wake up for Cambridge head. Luckily for us, it was the coldest day of year so that woke us all up. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, our president and 3-seat, President Dan, had had nearly no sleep trying to rectify a last-minute trailer driver situation (the situation being that we now had no trailer driver). Heroically, she managed to secure boats for us to row in, so we began the journey to Stourbridge common to unite with our adopted boat for the day. W4 boated early, and Cantabs’ generous offer immediately seemed like sabotage when Laura’s footplate flew off about 5 strokes into the row up. Bow pair, myself and Charis, dutifully powered up to the start line, while Captain Melissa sprinted to meet us, pliers in hand. She arrived just after we had borrowed a pair from a marshal, but was there to give us a last bit of encouragement off the start line. Having not had an outing as a set crew before the race, we weren’t sure what to expect but we felt strong and looked it. Kira set a chunky rhythm that we all bought into – and there is photographic evidence that we were all in the pain cave together from early on in the race. We were overtaken by East Anglia, but couldn’t take it personally as they had a great race. It gave us something to push off in that painful last third, and added a bit of peril for Will, who has coxed Cambridge too many times to be allowed an easy job. Unfortunately for us, there wasn’t a big UH turn out in the women’s 4+ category – but hopefully this means we take them by surprise the next time we come up against them in competition. We completed the course in 12:16.8, which placed us a respectable 190th out of 219 boats. We have a great platform to build off of now in the months leading up to UH head and can’t wait to get some proper outings as a set four! 

​By Millie Walker

W8 Race report

C: Abena Amponsah
S: Rose Maloney
7: Sophie Ollerenshaw
6: Emma McEwen
5: Grace Yang
4: Maddie Rose
3: Luisa Álamo-Gómez
2: Irina Soica
B: Alix McNeil
​
Facing the cold Cambridge morning with a crew formed of three fresher +1s and three members too incompetent to race this arch-enemy in their fresher’s year, the WI8 managed a respectful 13th out of 22 crews, and triumphed a wooping first place in the UH crews(out of 1 hehe)!! After the whole lack of boats saga which left poor committee with no hours sleep, we landed safe and sound in the George’s boat, although there weren’t limits to how many times Maddie nearly chucked herself into the river along the way (can’t be as bad as the Thames hey). 
With adrenaline pumping, we were off to a great start; Abena coxing her very first Cambridge Head with a broken cox box, still she might’ve given us the smoothest infamous corner turns RUMSBC has ever seen. Is that a M4 overtaking us? Our women didn’t let a few men slow us down – MIDDLE MIDDLE MIDDLE! Powered on by the cheers of RUMSBC, we swept under the bridge into a finish at 11 minutes 50 seconds, too ready for the sPORT waiting for us on the other side. Great start to a year ladies, UH Head we’re coming for you bigger and better!

By Grace Yang