The Quintin Head on the 31st January has probably been RURC’s biggest race so far this year. We entered both a men’s eight and a woman’s eight. For some of our newest members, it was their first race, so everyone was excited to get going.
Unfortunately, the weather was freezing and there were a few showers, leaving both crews cold and wet. After paddling down from our Balm Elms boat house to the start of the race near Chiswick Bridge, we then had to marshal at the side of the river to wait for our race time. It didn’t help that the men’s crew was boat 182 and the women were 243. By time the women were ready to race, we had been waiting two hours. Although, we were well prepared and had packed the boat with energy drinks, snacks and plenty of warm clothes, so we weren’t doing too badly.
The race went well for the women, and after an inspirational speech by our club captain Maddie, we were off. Our cox Toni, did a great job, despite the cox box running out of battery in the middle of the race. One of the best quotes from her was when we reached Hammersmith Bridge, the finish line was in sight and we heard her scream: “Do it for me! Do it for the team! Do it for Roehampton!”
As RURC’s first race of the year, it went successfully. The women completed the course in 16 minutes 36 seconds and came 8th in their division. The men completed the course in 16 minutes. After our success, we soon warmed ourselves up in the pub and went on to celebrate throughout the evening.
Personally, I really enjoyed the day. It was a great race to have as my first race, and I loved the team I was with. The entire day was fun, from setting up at the boathouse, to nearly crashing into some of the hundreds of boats all trying to marshal at the sides of the river in bad weather, and ending in one of the best times a Roehampton women’s crew have had in years. RURC are now looking forward to the upcoming regattas in the next few months.
By Alice Hobby
No comments:
Post a Comment