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Bristol

The day began for most at around 4am, to catch the coach at 4:45am. We were the first to arrive in the muddy field of Bristol where we would set up camp for the day. Men’s captain, Chris Forecast did a wonderful job organising the 55 of us to unload and rig boats and get everything shipshape so the day would run smoothly.

After a few tentative trips to the port-a-loos, the seniors were the first to boat – with three women’s 4s and two men’s 8s. The women were up first, following other pairs, doubles and singles up the 3.5k to just past the finish line. Once there, all that was left to do was to wait for all the other women’s 4s, women’s 8s, men’s 4s and men’s 8s to boat up turn around and race! This few hour stretch consisted of hanging onto branches staying warm and a bit of banter between ours and a few other clubs boats.
The senior race was 3.2k timed. The Vespoli crew raced well but were hindered by a banked boat sitting horizontally across the river causing both to have to stop and the Ailings crew had a bit of an off day, which was unfortunate but happens to the best of us. The girls however, did better with the first crew winning the event and the second crew coming third.

The afternoon was much more entertaining, with the fresher crews racing a shorter 1.8k. UWRC had a men’s 8, a men’s 4 and a women’s 8. Watching from the bank, the rest of the squad thoroughly enjoyed watching the nervous fresher’s try really hard in their race and mostly doing a bit of a rubbish job – there were many crabbs, crashes and even a broken oar in the mix. Our crews were exemplary, looking cleaner and more together than many of the other crews – it was a slight disappointment that none of our crews won, but due to a couple of unfortunate crabbs and a slight problem with a seat coming off the runners, we were very proud of them.

Congratulations to Clare Norris for her superb seat recovery and Ryan Alcock for managing to steer a boat, cox and hold Clare’s blade as she re-attached her seat. Also, to the coaches for their support and encouragement, and to Chris Forecast for his wonderful organisational skills. But the biggest shout out goes to Ryan Alcock, Gierdre Rakauskaite, Sarah Reed, Vicki Huckle and Sian Maher for winning their event and bringing home victory!

LTD
Sue Palmer

It is that time of year again where the University of Worcester Rowing Club tackle the usual rough conditions at the National Water Sports Centre to compete in the clubs biggest university event of the year, that being BUCS Regatta. This year was no let off for the windy conditions which caused many of the races to be shortened from the usual 2000m to 1000m but despite this the crews set about putting in some fantastic performances over the three days.
It was the lads to start off with on Saturday with the three Men’s Beginner 4+ crews. Out of a total 62 crews competing they finished in 15th, 46th and 47th positions respectively in conditions they had little experience of rowing in with the first crew qualifying for the minor final.
The senior men also had their first chance of showing what they can do in their 8+. They finished 10th in the time trials which allowed them another row in the heats where they finished 4th over a reduced distance of 1000m. The lightweight men of this crew also raced in the lightweight four finishing 6th in the heats.
Sunday came about and with calmer conditions compared to the previous day it was the girl’s first chance of getting in on the action. In the time trials the two coxed beginner four crews started the day by finishing 16th and 45th with the A crew finishing only 2 seconds behind Birmingham and qualifying for the first minor final. This crew were also set to have a busy day as they jumped boats to join the senior four girls in an intermediate 8 which was 14th in the time trials and through to the heats where they finished 5th. After racing three times already in one day it was time for the fresher four to go out and race one last time in their minor final. Well who would have known this was their fourth race of the day as they stormed down the 2000m course coming home in first place beating Birmingham and UWE’s top crews whilst they were at it.
The men’s beginner 8 also had a good row finishing 19th in their time trial and qualifying for the second minor final who like the girls four won in style. The men’s intermediate coxed fours also reached the heats to finish 4th after coming 15th in the time trials.
After a successful first two days and with only one day left of racing there was still plenty of time for the club to continue pulling out the fantastic performances and making Worcester a name to remember. With the intermediate girls coxed four being the only big boat left to race it was a day off for the majority of coxes as the crews split up into small boats.
The men’s lightweight pair finished 6th in their heat and the men’s intermediate pairs finished 17th and 24th in the time trials both making it through to the heats where they would come head to head and finishing 5th and 6th respectively.
Two beginner scullers were also put to the test in un- ideal sculling conditions but both did extremely well finishing 10th and 12th in the time trials which put them both into the semi-finals where Chris achieved fourth place and Ed had a good go at the course but failed to finish after capsizing.
The women’s lightweight pair battled through the waves and with a bit of zig zag rowing came home in third place in their heat to make it through to the repechage. However there was no rest for the wicked and as soon as they returned, it was time for them to go and race again in the intermediate coxed four. The girls were drawn straight into the heats after being exempt from the time trails after their 6th place finish at BUCS head earlier in the year and they finished in 5th place.
The lightweight women’s pair had a better row in the repechage which they lead for a while before catching a crab but they held on and finished in third place enough for them to qualify for the final. This would be the clubs first ever crew to reach a final at BUCS Regatta giving the girls an opportunity of getting a medal and that is exactly what they did. Racing over just 1000m due to weather conditions the pair gave it their all and with encouragement from the many club members racing along the bank with them, the girls achieved third place earning themselves a bronze medal and the clubs first ever regatta medal.
So overall the club had a fantastic weekend having the best results at this event to date and hopefully the trend of winning medals has been now been set and there will be many more come.

A write up will be here shortly...

A write up will be here shortly...

BUCS Head Race, the biggest event on the university rowing calendar so far. This year attracting the largest number of entries to the event; including the Cambridge boat race crew and their back up, Goldie. UWRC easily took our largest competing numbers to this event. But it’s not all about the quantity of entries; it’s the quality of results. With the heavy rain clouds lingering around this tediously straight river, could UWRC fill their potential and bring a ‘silver’ lining to this damp weekend?

How does 2nd place out of 38 crews in the men’s beginner coxed fours sound?
Worcester smashed into the medals with the best result of the day. The three other crews in this category finished 9th, 32nd and 35th. Every member competing in this event also raced in the morning division of men’s beginner coxed eights, with another 8 member’s focusing on the eights. This was the first piece of action the boys had seen since waking up at 3am for the most, so they were eager to get out there and put Worcester on the map. They achieved massive results of 7th, 26th and 29th, with the 3rd 8+ beating the top 8+ of 10 other universities. These results show just how well the beginner men have progressed this year and how important a solid recruitment process can be.

The silver medal crew were given the opportunity to race up into the intermediate level on the Sunday, they eagerly accepted this challenge...only then were they informed it was 5,000m as opposed to the 2,500m they had raced in beginners. But we breed them weird in Worcester and this made them want it more! The beginner women’s coxed four had their first opportunity to show their worth without any boating issues hindering their performance. They finished a solid 19th, only a few places behind local rivals Birmingham’s top 8+.

Sunday morning rolled around with another 3:30am wake up call, and it was the seniors turn to shine on the lengthened 5,000m distance. With the intermediate women’s coxed four leading the way, with a performance that would inspire the beginner girls. They powered their way through to a 6th place finish, beating Birmingham’s top intermediate 4+ by 27 seconds!

UWRC’s senior men were on the hunt to find the infamous Mr Pain, they succeeded! With 2 rowers cramping up during the final sprint of the last race, and the majority of the crew seizing up between the finish line and the landing stages. But nothing stops until the finish line, and they pushed on to sneak into the top half with 15th place of 30. The early morning start saw the better results of the day, including the beginner men’s coxed four racing as intermediate status. They put in a tremendous effort all the way down the course and pulled out all the stops to achieve 14th place of 37! Not bad considering they’ve had 12 months less training than all the other competitors. Thankfully the senior men were able to not only beat them, but also put in their best race performances and finishing 9th and 21st. All 3 crews beating a large majority of other universities top 4+.
A special thanks to RGS Worcester for generously loaning us their boat trailer and additional boats.

Lost – one umbrella head belonging to Rob Fair

Found – one umbrella head in the river Nene approximately 300m from the finish line.

A write up will be here shortly...

A snowy morning welcomed crews and spectators at the UBBC Head Race in late November 2010. With such tough conditions it was a matter of which crew could withstand the cold the longest and provide a decent performance. The race day was split in two, Division 1 in the morning including intermediate crews and Division 2 in the afternoon involving the beginner crews. Division 1 crews navigated a 3.2km stretch of the river Avon. With the first half being fairly windy, coxes would have to keep their wits about them for the banks, bridges and boats. The Division 2 crews would race the relatively short 1.6km home straight of the river.

With a very accessible bank on the south side of the river crews were not short of supporters. The UWRC M I8+ put on a good race showing the DS the technique and sophistication within an eight, they placed 3rd with a time of 11:30:9, less than ten seconds behind the winners. The other standings from the senior crews were: M I4+ 4th with 13:27:1, W I4+A 5th 14:26:1, W I4+B 9th 15:52:5.

Then it became the beginner crews time to shine, with an almost two hour wait at the top for some crews tensions ran high with each member trying to prove themselves in their first ever race situation. The fact that UWRC had three beginner men’s eights racing shows the strength in depth of the club. The M Beg 8+ A crew comfortably placed 3rd with a time of 4.28.8 while the B crew finished with a time of 5.01.8 and the C crew finished in 5.10.2 with a certain N. White sitting in as a replacement. The W Beg 8+ came 16th showing that there is room for improvement, but still beating some other equivalent crews. The final women’s crew was the W Beg 4+ who put in a decent effort, placing 7th, and again showed the strength in depth of the development squad. The success story of the day was the M Beg 4+ A crew winning their category in style with a time of 4:46:0. The B crew not far behind in 3rd with 5.01.8.

A good day was had by all, with foundations for the DS to build upon and lofty targets set for the senior crews to be attaining.

- Timothy Barker

Sun’s Out – Guns Out

Basking in glorious sunshine from start to finish and with the river providing near perfect conditions the 2010 Worcester Spring Regatta was a fantastic day out for both spectators and crews alike. Hosted by our landlords at Worcester Rowing Club, the Regatta is the closest thing to a home fixture for the University of Worcester Rowing Club. Racing takes place on a very familiar stretch to the university rowers, the 750 meters of the River Severn, from Road Bridge to clubhouse, is turned in to an exciting sprint course as each crew race head to head in a straight elimination competition. The short course runs along two accessible banks ensuring that crowds are not only large but raucous and vocal, and the familiar footbridge that links the two university campuses becomes the best seat in the house for students cheering their team home to victory.

In addition to a great day of racing the regatta is a unique opportunity to make friends (as well as rivals and enemies) in the local rowing community as clubs arrive in Worcester from all across the Three Counties and beyond. It was against this background that UWRC, still the new kid on the block, aimed to expand its local reputation, helped by the welcome sight of the University’s Sports Therapy students who were on hand with free massage for all competitors.

On the water the University of Worcester partnership of Sheppard and Clarke-Hackston built on their superb performance in Nottingham to take the Women’s Novice 2x, and it appeared no one could stop them as the ladies of UWRC also moved up and claimed the Women’s Intermediate(3) 2x. The Regatta would also see fresher crew pitched against senior crew as the University provided both finalists for the Men’s Novice 4. The squad had already reaped the benefits of exemplary teamwork to win the Men’s Novice 8 title but no love was lost as the two halves of the 8 boat locked horns in their respective small boats. Incumbent squad captain and fresher, Nicky White led his team against club president, Ashley Richards and the senior four in what would be their last race before graduation. In a thrilling final decided by a boats length the freshers prevailed proving, themselves worthy of the challenge and demonstrating that UWRC grows stronger each year. The final result will also, no doubt, ensure the addition of an Alumni Team in 2011 as graduates return with an axe to grind and a score to settle.

- Neil Larner

A write up coming to a screen near you shortly...

At the SU Colours Ball it was announced that UWRC has been awarded the prestigious title of 'Club of the year'.

Big thanks to the committee for their hard work this year - the progress has been epic!