Rowing at Cambridge is an inclusive sport that offers many opportunities to learn, exercise and make friends

Picture credit: Row 360

At Cambridge everyone is welcome to try rowing, regardless of experience. As well as learning about a sport, rowing gives you the opportunity to keep fit and provides the perfect opportunity to network and make friends. The rowing community has plenty of social events throughout the year, so it’s the ideal sport for mental and physical health. In the interview that follows, Lea talks about all aspects of rowing - really useful for those of us that aren’t experienced rowers.

How many races are there in the Cambridge rowing year, what are they called and why are they different? It can be confusing to non-rowers!

Because of Covid this season was very different to our normal racing calendar leading up to the race. In a normal year, we would race for the first time at Fours Head on the Championship course (the Boat race course, but in the opposite direction) in London. Many universities and clubs from all over the country and sometimes even abroad come to London to race that weekend. This is also our first chance to compare ourselves with Oxford.

After Fours Head, we move into eights and prepare for Trial 8s. This is an internal race where two matched eights from within our club race each other over the full boat race course just before Christmas. All 4 squads (the Openweight Women and Men and Lightweight Women and Men) hold Trial 8s. It is a really important date for us since it represents the only opportunity during a season to race the full course in a side-by-side race before the actual Boat Race.

After Christmas there are several other opportunities to race in London, like Quintin Head and (Women’s) Head of the River. Leading up to the Boat Races, each crew usually has “fixtures” against outside crews of similar speed and calibre to practice side-by-side racing.

In the summer, when the Boat Race season is over, we compete at many other regattas. Some examples are BUCS, Met Regatta and of course Henley Womens’ and Henley Royal.

Viewers are also confused by different roles - what's a bow, a stroke, a cox, a spare pair and what's the significance of the different positions?

An eight is the biggest boat class in competitive rowing. The cox sits facing the crew and plays a key role. Dylan, our cox, did an excellent job steering the boat and executing our race plan. Coxes need to keep the overview during a race. They motivate their crew and decide when the crew puts in moves and pushes to get ahead of the opposition and cross the finish line first.

Next, we have a stern pair. The stroke seat faces the cox and 7 is right behind. They set up the rhythm for the crew. Stern pairs work together to be as consistent and efficient as possible and create a powerful race rhythm.

The middle four is made up of seats 6-3. These seats are often referred to as “the engine room”. The strongest rowers sit here and put down as much power as possible to create speed with the rhythm set by the stern pair.

Last but not least, we have 2 seats and a bow. Bow pairs cross the finish line first and are two very technical seats. There is so much power in an eight that these seats get lifted out of the water during each stroke, which makes it harder to row in those seats. Additionally, bow pairs can influence the balance and rhythm of a boat through their rowing, so they require a lot of technical ability.

Spare pairs are an incredibly important part of the team. They are the reserves who have to be ready to jump into the crew during races and training whenever someone is injured. They are very agile and skilled rowers without whom no crew would get to the start line.

What was it like to take part in the race? How did you feel about winning? What was the post-race like? 

Competing in the Boat Race has been my goal since I started rowing, so to finally have achieved it was amazing. A boat race season is long, hard and requires a lot of sacrifice. No one does it thinking they will lose. In order to get through, every individual and the team as one has to train to win every day. Training just to make the crew would be falling short of what it takes. You have to train to win. And that is what everyone at CUBC did this year. 

I was also on the squad last year but had to drop out of selection for the 2020 race due to a brain injury sustained in a bike accident. I was only able to come back and continue to recover this season thanks to the incredible support and help of my team. Most of last year’s crew came to Ely for our race to support us on the day. After a long and hard season for all of us due to Covid-19 and a two-year journey for me it was a very special experience to win and to do it with some of my closest friends in the boat and on the bank. The celebrations were very special. The entire club and our team mates were there, cheering us on along the course and celebrating with us at the finish line.  

One of my good friends from my undergrad degree was coxing the Oxford boat. It was great to see her after the race at the prize giving and celebrate both of our achievements this season. Despite being on opposite sides of the rivalry we have always done our best to support each other through the trialling process. 

What’s next? 

The next priority for me are exams and my Master’s thesis. All rowers that race in the Boat Race are still here to do their degrees like every other student. We are incredibly lucky to be able to study in a place as inspiring and brilliant as Cambridge. In terms of rowing there are the British University Championships in late June, Henley Womens’ Regatta and of course Henley Royal Regatta, where we will be looking to build on our performance this season and do well for Cambridge. 

How did you get into rowing? 

In Germany, where I grew up, sports are traditionally done outside of school at clubs. The older brother of one of my close friends was a very successful rower and the local rowing club was struggling for new juniors who were interested in the sport. So, at age 12, she took my twin sister, another good friend and I to a taster session. We caught the rowing bug pretty quickly and raced together for the next few years.  

Would you say rowing is an inclusive sport? 

In my experience it very much is. It can be daunting to look at a Boat Race crew as a novice. But especially in Cambridge there are many opportunities to learn and College Boat Clubs are a great place to exercise and make friends in the process! The Cambridge college rowing scene has races for all levels of experience and Lucy Cavendish college boat club do a great job of teaching people and creating a fun environment. Of course, in a competitive sport performance matters, but every team I have been on has always done very well at supporting each other and creating a great team atmosphere.  

What advice would you give to students who are unfamiliar with rowing to encourage them to try it? 

My advice would be to go with a friend and to give yourself a few weeks trial period with the sport. Rowing is a team sport, it is a great way to make friends, but boat clubs can seem like very close-knit groups at first. They are very open, friendly and supportive, but making the first step with a friend will make it easier.  

It may take a few weeks between picking up an oar for the first time and experiencing the feeling of flying over the water with your crew. This is simply because learning the basics of technique may take a few training sessions. The feeling when a boat “runs” properly is one of the best things about the sport. It is worth sticking around for.

Watch the full race video below:

To promote diversity and inclusion, last year British Rowing launched a campaign to become more accessible, inclusive and open to all: https://www.britishrowing.org/2020/06/what-is-british-rowing-doing-to-address-diversity-and-inclusion/ and launched a new charitable foundation Love Rowing in November 2019 with the mission of creating accessible and inclusive rowing programmes for communities that are underrepresented in the sport. These include young people in education, people with disabilities, BAME communities and disadvantaged communities.