Saturday 1 May 2010

Article - Summer Term 2010 Week 1

Regatta Success for Rowing Club
By Becky Hoose
[published in SCAN]

If the recent rowing success of Lent term is anything to go by, then Lancaster University Boat Club are set to cause a stir during regatta season. After the clubs excellent results at BUCS head, the success continued throughout the rest of the term.

Week nine saw the women’s squad travel down to London, to battle it out on the mighty Thames at the Women’s Eights Head of River Race. Beginning the race at the relatively high position of 145th, the crew not only broke into the top 100 crews but managed an outstanding 86th out of almost 300 boats, proving that the tireless efforts of LUBC pay off.

Next up was the North of England Head in Chester, a 5 kilometre course of the River Dee. The first division saw further success for the women’s crew, who came 2nd in their category, less than 5 seconds shy of claiming victory. In the second division, the men’s 1st VIII claimed an impressive 4th place in their category, and an even more impressive 16th out of the entire division, which was almost 80 boats strong. The men’s 2nd VIII continued the success by taking 3rd place in their category, with the 3rd VIII coming 15th; a promising result considering they had done just one other race as a crew.

It was then the men’s turn to prove themselves on the Thames. The Head of River Race attracts crews worldwide, this years race seeing just under 400 boats. However, LUBC stepped up to the mark and proved themselves more than worthy of this prestigious race. The 2nd VIII came a well deserved 300th in the race. The 1st VIII undoubtedly had the odds stacked against them, having to overcome illness within the crew and technical problems towards the end of the race. However, their fantastic effort saw them finish in 160th place.
During the Easter holiday, the club attended an intensive training camp in Henley, working tirelessly everyday in order to give themselves the best chance at races. It was also an opportunity to prepare for the annual Roses tournament. However, LUBC were unfortunately disappointed when their competition dropped out just a few weeks before the race. York reeled off a series of weak excuses for their withdrawal, and LUBC were further disappointed by York’s unsportsmanlike slander of LUBC. Club Captain Sam Nahk commented, saying “The club are disappointed to have been let down, but will use this opportunity to show them who’s boss at BUCS regatta”. And LUBC did just that.

The club shone at the first regatta of the season. Both the men’s 1st and 2nd VIII qualified on day one, with the 1st VIII reaching the semi-final. York offered no competition here, failing to even enter a boat. The women’s VIII raced on day two, meeting York in their second heat. The qualifying times suggested a close race, both crews having made it to this point with the exact same time of 7.29. However, Lancaster held off York for the entire race, finishing a comfortable 2nd and sailing through to the final. York failed to qualify. The LUBC women came 5th in the final. The men’s double also raced that day, putting in a great effort and finishing their heat in a time of 7.10. The women’s IV’s raced on the final day. The A boat reached the semi’s, just one second short of the final. The B crew, this being their first outing in a boat together, reached the quarter final, only one second slower than the A boat.

An impressive end to Lent term led to a strong start to the summer term, with all round excellent results at BUCS regatta, signalling a successful season. These are exciting times for the club, who are once again teaching a valuable lesson to the competition; never underestimate Lancaster University Boat Club.