Results and reports by Event

Simon Hall reports:

On Saturday the M1 crew +subs took on the Head of The Cam race which was a 2.6k sprint from Newnham Bridge back towards Cambridge. As first in our division the water was clear and made for some nice, clean rowing. However, the cleanliness was at the expense of the rate which despite Stefan’s calls would not reach a consistent 36. With that being said, it shouldn’t be overlooked that we came a respectable 4th despite having 3 ex M2 members and being tired after training week. As we were preparing for the race on the day, Gripper shouted threats at us, claiming we might owe him a beer if we fell below 4th place. Well Gripper, it looks like you can buy your own. Well done to all those that raced (except M2 who decided to flash the entire cam), onwards into May term!

Uploaded Saturday 29th July, 15:24

Jen Weston reports:

A productive training week culminated in a head of the Cam race. Despite having not rowed together before Penny’s crew had a respectable paddle down with the aim of having a clean and powerful race. After a lovely time in the sun at marshalling we set off with a powerful rolling start under the motorway bridge, we settled to a very respectable rate 32 and with some well dispersed power 10s we made it to the reach, a big 60 stokes took us to the railway bridge and we pushed of the bridge for a final 600m finishing strong with a time of 12:15 just one second behind our other matched women’s crew.

Uploaded Saturday 29th July, 15:22

Stefan Schoepf reports:

Betrayal, romance, and nudity - Head of the Cam 2023 had it all.

Initially, M2 had planned to enter the race as a full eight. However, fate had other plans, and a last-minute no-show left us with a difficult decision - forfeit or race as a coxed four. The crew selection turned into a rowing version of The Bachelor, with Gripper handing out seats rather than roses to four lucky rowers. However, our worries were far from over. We soon realized that the magnet used to measure stroke rate was missing, leaving us with no way to pace ourselves. Chris, always quick on his feet, "borrowed" the strokecoach from Clare M1 just minutes before the race started. Less than a minute before race start, we discovered that the clam on an oar was on the wrong way. After this last minute disaster avoidance we were ready to set off. The race went well until Molly decided to tell us to “empty the tank”. A great call, just really premature given we still had a long way to go. With our empty tanks and still an eternity to go, we suffered to the finish without dropping the pace. We were able to defend our honour by still being faster than the Clare women’s eights - wohoo. To mark the end of the emotional rollercoaster, we unanimously decided to turn the row back into a topless tanning session. It turned out that rowing half-naked actually helped us sit the boat better. All in all, the Head of the Cam 2023 was a wild ride that we'll never forget.

At the time of writing, we are in 1st place for the college Mays second division 4+ (since no one else is in it).

Uploaded Saturday 29th July, 15:25