Crew Diary
In most sports, your competitor(s) are visible - you score more tries than the other rugby team, run faster than the other sprinters, hit harder than the other boxer. In rowing, with side-by-side racing, this is often the case. But rowers have to train, and often race, against the clock.
February 7th saw OUWBC at Henley IVs and VIIIs Head in a 3K "Head of the River" race. Our two crews posted the top two times among Senior 3 VIIIs. The Blue Boat posted the fastest women's time of the day, beating the winners of women's Senior 1 and Senior 2 divisions by almost 30 seconds.
We were pleased with these results. However, head-races mean you have to row as hard and as fast as possible without knowing at the time how you measure up. You do not have the adrenaline boost of knowing just one bit "more" will give you the edge over the competition; all you might have at a low point will be pain. But to win in this way requires a keen sense of determination and focus.
March 21st is a head-to-head battle: Oxford vs. Cambridge at Henley, crew racing crew. We are training to win against Cambridge, an opposition we cannot now see. We do not know how fast they will be come March, so we train now to beat ourselves. We train against the clock. We train to be able to beat any opposition - even the ones we can only imagine now.
12th Feb 2004