Coxless Eight
THE GIRLS ROW on the same river, they suffer the same horrendous early mornings, the same gruelling gym sessions and they compete against the common Tabland foe, yet why do the girls suffer such unequal treatment compared to their male counterparts?
The sponsorship for the male crews is in the region of £1m and the race is to be televised live on the BBC. The female race occurs a week earlier, cannot find a suitable sponsor and enjoys none of the national press coverage compared to the men. Amelia van Manen, a member of the women's second crew, Osiris, tolf the OxStu of having to rise at 5.30am in order to cycle to Radley nearly 5 miles away. The men have a minibus.
Amelia spoke of the current Blues' crew, "around half learnt to row in Oxford", yet in their last race at Marlow they beat an eight containing three Olympians. After two victories in the last three years ending an eight year winning streak for Cambridge, the Blues are seeking to continue their winning form. The Women's Boat Race takes place on the 30 March in Henley, but perhaps unsurprisingly takes second-place in order to even the Men's Lightweight race.
For further information on how to support the Women's crew visit www.OUWBC.com
27th Feb 2003