Change of rules for Eights Umpires
Umpires at Summer VIIIs this year will not be cycling alongside the river on the Saturday in order to judge the event, writes Vishesh Srivastava.
The tradition of umpires keeping pace with the crews in order to accurately judge the all-important 'bumps' was originally called into question due to an alleged concern by the University Safety Office about pedestrians on the paths being put at risk. Despite the implementation of safety measures to keep the paths clear the problems have persisted in recent years.
The event, which can host up to 10,000 spectators at any one time, will now see an increased number of student umpires standing at stationary points along the river from where they will judge the race. Emily Baldock, Secretary of OURCs, told The OxStu: "We'll be relying to a greater extent on the umpires' vigilance, but I'm sure they'll do their jobs, and hopefully the outcome should not be affected." The Safety Office were not available for comment at the time of going to print.
27th May 2004