Nouse.co.uk » Flooding and icy conditions create fun and games for Boat Club

Flooding and icy conditions create fun and games for Boat Club

November 29, 2009
Becca Robinson

Photographs by John Appleton

As I’m sure you will have noticed, unless you have been asleep for the last month or lucky enough to be away in a hot country, there has been an unusually large amount of rain for the month of November. Just walking over the bridge near the Lowther, you can see how flooded the Ouse is.

This causes a problem, not just for drinkers who have had an entrance to one of their favourite drinking establishments cut off, but also to the rowers of the University of York Boat Club. Training has been cancelled for the past two weeks as conditions are too dangerous on the river with its fast stream and constant flow of debris and in the last week the boat house area itself has become flooded. However, against all odds the UYBC were determined not to let this stop them!

The senior squads have been on drinking bans for the last two weeks, and some for three, in preparation for races which have been consecutively cancelled, which, along with the build up of competitive emotions within members, meant they were determined to race this weekend no matter what!

The only way to do this was to wade through two feet of dirty river water to get to the boat house merely to get the boats out. This was done in the looming darkness on Friday afternoon and so at 6am on Saturday morning, the team of dedicated rowers set off for some much anticipated racing.

So it was with a sigh of relief for simply making it that UYBC arrived on a freezing Saturday morning to compete. The temperature gauge was at just one degree for most of the day, making for an unpleasant wait at the start line. But the race deprived crews didn’t let it damped their spirits!

rowing2

Unsurprisingly, given the fact that no one had trained in their boats for over two weeks and one crew had never been in a boat together at all, there were no wins this time, although there were some very respectfully placed finishes and all the crews thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The crews that went off in division one – when the temperature was hovering around a balmy freezing – were two men’s 4s and a women’s 8. The top four consisted of the crew that should have competed in 4s head – Dan Steele, Oscar Neilson, John Appleton and Ben Coverdale, coxed by Ashley Haycock – and the second 4, a completely scratch crew, contained Dane Moore, Josh Clarke, Miles Whitehead and Chris Fury, coxed by Alice Taylor. The top boat came a very respectable third place, losing only narrowly to Sheffield and Edinburgh Universities.
.
The women’s 8 was made up by Katharina Auersperg, Hannah Kirton, Charlotte Bentley, Alex Mahan, Becca Robinson, Rosy Temple, Claire Kayser and Lara Wainwright, coxed by Ngaio Simpson. They came seventh out of 15, overtaking three boats throughout the course and were not being overtaken themselves; meaning that they were extremely pleased when they came off the water and all had a thoroughly good race!

The afternoon brought the turn of a women’s 4 and quad and a men’s 8. The women’s 4 were Hannah Kirton, Charlotte Bentley, Katharina Auersperg and Rosy Temple who, by the end of the day had done 20k as they raced twice, along with some of the men – this is not an easy thing to do so hats off to them! They were coxed by Emily Scorey.

The women’s quad contained Pippa Maloney, Catherine Oliver, Sarah Powell and Natalie Caroll. Again, neither crew won but both finished well in their categories. The men’s 8 followed the women’s 8 of the morning, by finishing comfortably in the middle of the group. With actual training both crews stand to go far. Their crew consisted Dan Steele, Oscar Neilson, John Appleton, Ben Coverdale, John Underwood, Josh Clarke, Tom Bulpitt and Chris Fury, coxed by Ashley Haycock.

This may not have been the most successful race this term for the senior squads, but it was a very fun and much-needed day. There is nothing worse than training hard for absolutely nothing. Racing in itself is fun, whether you win or not, and that is what makes people want to keep doing it. However, now, all UYBC members can do is cross their fingers and hope the river goes down to get some water training in before the Christmas break, and get their poor novices out so they, too, can catch the rowing bug!