Lack of men’s success: At Roses York Novice Men’s 8 won their race (one of the main aims of their season and a clear indication of the promise to come from the club). The Novice Men were also incredibly successful at Edinburgh Regatta, winning everything they entered, placing 1st in every heat and walking away as the most successful club of the regatta with a 6 length victory in mens 8’s, and similar dominating victories in mens 4+ and mixed 8 events.

Add to this considerable success at Busa Splash and Dash (5th out of 19 crews), top 15 of 40 at Nottingham and BUSA head, winners at Peterborough Regatta (senior 4 mens 8 level) and finalists in the Novice mens 8, AND having one of the squad be selected to compete at the international standard Henley Royal Regatta, and its clear its been anything but a ‘disappointing season’ for the Novice men.

The rest of the club has been equally as impressive, and in particular the senior men should be singled out for praise for succeeding in difficult circumstances (winning at Peterborough, fastest crew in their category at Yorkshire head, a good run at BUSA regatta and one of the fastest non qualifiers at Henley, beating crews from across the county and the USA). Those two squads alone contribute to more success then almost any other York sports club, and that’s not to mention the Novice or Senior Women!

Perhaps if the newspaper took any interest in the clubs development and tracked results throughout the season, and researched opinion by talking to those in the know (coaches/captains/numbers of rowers rather then just one), it could avoid publishing articles that reveal its ignorance and lack of journalistic ability.

Students want to do well in their degree (SHOCK HORROR), and some of them feel they are unable to do this and still do the 10 sessions a week necessary to be competitive let alone win in a highly time consuming and competitive sport.

The pinnacle of the rowing calendar unlike the majority of sports (Which climax at Easter)is Henley Royal and Women’s Henley regatta’s which take place at the end of the Summer term and this is what our training is aimed towards. Only 2 weekends ago the club won a number events at Peterborough regatta, which you fail to mention; which although not being the pinnacle of world rowing is still more silverware than most will win while playing sport at this university.

Rob Rayner has done more for the club than a number will ever know or appreciate, and its is only in the last month after finishing his degree and attending GB final trials that he has not been around as much as he is preparing for Henley. Which is his right and he I am sure is not the only student to have gone home after finishing his academic work.

At Met regatta travel arrangements were disrupted not down to poor organisation but a change in AU transport policy meaning we were unable to transport our own boats and only found this out when the crews went to leave. Yet the the York women’s 4+ still performed well in a borrowed boat and the York Composite Men’s Quad scull came 4th in its final on the Sunday.

The club is ‘massive’ in terms of York Uni, but get hardly any funding relative to other Uni boat clubs nationwide. After paying insurance costs the club has very little funds leaving rowers to foot the bill for kit, transport, race entry fees and last year the men’s VIII paid for a new set of VIII oars to qualify for Henley Royal out of their own pocket.

I wish the Women’s coxed four good luck for this weekend as they compete at Women’s Henley Regatta, the men luck in their bid to qualify their coxed four and the York Uni/York City quad luck also.

Students want to do well in their degree (SHOCK HORROR), and some of them feel they are unable to do this and still do the 10or more sessions a week necessary to be competitive let alone win in a highly time consuming and competitive sport.

The pinnacle of the rowing calendar unlike the majority of sports (Which climax at Easter)is Henley Royal and Women’s Henley regatta’s which take place at the end of the Summer term and this is what our training is aimed towards. Only 2 weekends ago the club won a number events at Peterborough regatta, which you fail to mention; which although not being the pinnacle of world rowing is still more silverware than most will win while playing sport at this university.

Rob Rayner has done more for the club than a number will ever know or appreciate, and its is only in the last month after finishing his degree and attending GB final trials that he has not been around as much as he is preparing for Henley. Which is his right and he I am sure is not the only student to have gone home after finishing his academic work.

At Met regatta travel arrangements were disrupted not down to poor organisation but a change in AU transport policy meaning we were unable to transport our own boats and only found this out when the crews went to leave. Yet the the York women’s 4+ still performed well in a borrowed boat and the York Composite Men’s Quad scull came 4th in its final on the Sunday.

The club is ‘massive’ in terms of York Uni, but get hardly any funding relative to other Uni boat clubs nationwide. After paying insurance costs the club has very little funds leaving rowers to foot the bill for kit, transport, race entry fees and last year the men’s VIII paid for a new set of VIII oars to qualify for Henley Royal out of their own pocket.

I wish the Women’s coxed four good luck for this weekend as they compete at Women’s Henley Regatta, the men luck in their bid to qualify their coxed four and the York Uni/York City quad luck also.

If you’re going to claim you’re a ’serious newspaper’, please put some research in before you write contradictory nonsense about the hardest working club on campus.

Being boat club president is extremely time consuming and it is inevitable that delegation takes place. Also, please think before you write a title that doesn’t actually belong to the article (I mean- you wrote the title, but the article doesn’t really back it up..it’s just leading people).

Please think before you open your mouth/write something down in future.

Ta,
Ben.