Kingston Head of the River Race

In the ongoing effort for the R.U.R.C. to be more involved in racing this year, particularly after already having competed in BUCS Indoor Championship and Weybridge, we entered two crews into the last Head Race of the season. Initially, on the request of Sport Roehampton, the R.U.R.C. was entered into the BUCS race in Newcastle but due to unforeseen circumstances and bad weather conditions, the race on the Saturday was unable to go ahead and we had to miss the chance. Luckily, with two crews already in place, the club was able to enter Kingston Head of the River. And so, without a second to waste, a women’s quad was entered into division 1 in the W.IM3 category and a men’s coxed four was entered into division 2 in the Novice category

.(Pictured: the women’s quad assisting the men’s four in getting out

for their race)

 

Women’s Quad

Just off the start of the race Claudia (at stroke) noticed water building up in the boat. It wasn’t until about 2km into the race that the entire crew noticed water throughout the boat. It was clear. The boat was sinking. The crew were determined to complete the final 3.2km of the race and so instead of dropping out they decided to continue, minus one rower who was bailing water out of the boat and with a safety boat in tow, the ladies quad crossed the finish line at just over 29 minutes.

While the time was the slowest in their division, the ladies showed amazing commitment and determination to complete the course.We are so unbelievably proud of them!

(Stroke to Bow: Club President Claudia Afeltra, Holly Farmer,

Bronwen Evans and Verity Tonge)

 

Division 2

(Cox to Bow: Belle Bradley (cox), Ross Deluchi, Men’s Social Sec Gavin

McMahon, Men’s Captain Sam Stephenson, and Dion Zeka)

 

We’re proud to say that Belle did an amazing job as the cox during her first ever race, she motivated the men’s crew the entire way through the 5.2km race course from Hampton Court Palace to Kingston Rowing Club and managed the stress of ‘parking’ prior to the race with composure and grace. For Belle, Ross, Gavin and Dion this was their first ever race – Sam being something of an old pro – and the men’s crew managed to complete their course in 22:06.73 minutes and finished the race as 109^th out of 125 overall. Admittedly, there remains room for improving but we now have a foundation to build on going forward into the regattas! Keeping a consistent race pace of 30 s/m (reaching 32 s/m towards the end of the race), the men did a solid job in their first race – despite minor hiccups and the occasional lapse in timing – and we’re very proud of their effort as a club.

 

Looking forward to the upcoming regatta’s!

Pub Golf

Another annual tradition amongst the R.U.R.C. is ‘Pub Golf’. Something of a rite of passage amongst our rowers, old seniors are invited to return and freshers get to experience the joys of a Putney on a pub crawl. What more could anyone want from a night out? To make it even better, everyone really committed to the theme and looked amazing whilst doing it.

(Pictured: R.U.R.C. Pub Golf)

 

You can see the League Table below.

 

NAME	UNION	ROCKET	B@1	FOX & HOUNDS	RAILWAY	railway	RAILWAY	FEZ	FEZ	total
ROSS	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
CLAUDIA	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
VERITY	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
MIKE	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10
GEORGIE	1	3	1	2	1	1	1	1	1	12
GAVIN	1	3	1	4	1	1	1	1	1	14
DION	1	1	3	4	3	1	1	1	1	16
BELLE	1	1	1	1	8	2	1	1	1	17
SARAH	1	3	1	7	10	1	1	1	1	26
NICK	10	5	4	1	2	1	1	2	1	27
HOLLY	2	3	3	10	6	1	1	2	1	29
HANNAH	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
HOPE	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?
JOËL	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?	?

 

The joint winners of the night were Ross, Club President Claudia, and Verity. Those trailing in at the end were Holly, joined by Hannah, Hope and Joël – all of whom lost their sheets and entered a forfeit for the night. Not everyone can be a winner but at least everyone was willing to try to achieve! One of the more exciting and challenging socials of the year!

 

Here’s to next year!

Weybridge Winter Head

On the 21st of January our Women’s Captain (Jess Webb) and our Club President (Claudia Afeltra took on Weybridge Head. Their division was cancelled the day before (due to poor weather conditions) however this did not deter our ladies who decided to move up a division. With this being the first head race of the season, our crew were a little apprehensive race the 3km course.  With the support of Belle (our club cox) and Verity (a returning senior) and a boat borrowed from Weybridge Rowing Club, the ladies took to the water

It was a tough race as both crew members had previously trained at a club where they focused primarily on sprints and so this long course was definitely out of their comfort zone. The double crossed the finish line at 14.09.00 minutes. It wasn’t the most fantastic time however given the weather conditions and it being the first Head Race of the season, our girls were happy with the result, it placed them in 4th position in their category.

As we like to say ‘On wards and Upwards’.

The Women’s Double approaching the final stretch.

(Stroke- Claudia Afeltra, Bow- Jess Webb)

 

BUCS Indoor Rowing Championships

November 9th brought around the Indoor Championships for BUCS (British Universities and Colleges in Sports) and R.U.R.C. where ready and rearing to go. After unfortunately missing the chance last year, the current president – Claudia Afeltra – was not keen on dropping her campaign promise to enter the club in more races to increase its athletic output. Through her motivation and encouragement, the R.U.R.C. stepped forward as entrants to the Men and Women’s Beginner 1000m ergometer challenges. Coach Mike Benson pushed ergs harder in sessions to allow us to catch up, lowering our splits and helping us speed up our general times.

 

Men’s Beginners

 

CLUB Rank	nAME	tIME (0:00.0)	OVERALL BUCS RANK (OUT OF 251)
1	Nick Dualibi-Wilson	03:11.7	30
2	Sam Stephenson	03:12.1	33
3	Michael Dennis	03:25.2	130
4	LJ Hartnett	03:39.1	205
5	Gavin McMahon	03:47.6	223
6	Ross Deluchi	03:55.5	233
7	Alex Murphy	04:04.3	241

 

Women’s Beginners

 

CLUB RANK	NAME	TIME (0:00.0)	OVERALL BUCS RANK (OUT OF 250)
1	Georgie Payne	04:01.0	107
2	Claudia Afeltra	04:01.4	109
3	Hannah Stevens	04:06.5	139
4	Sarah Shodipe	04:13.6	177
5	Jess Webb	04:18.3	191
6	Verity Tonge	04:19.8	196
7	Bronwen Evans	04:22.7	205
8	Holly Farmer	04:26.3	213
9	Alicia Smith	04:41.1	240

 

 

There were a lot of personal bests gained during the Indoor Championships, it really brought out the competitive nature of the crew and encouraged them to prove themselves. Rankings showed that there were definitely more than a few that excelled but independent of those rankings, R.U.R.C. saw that absolutely every rower gave it their everything and each of them made us exceptionally brought.

(Pictured: R.U.R.C. recovering from the

1000m ergs)

 

After a lot of rehydration and walking off the feeling of their legs being like jelly, R.U.R.C. only saw it fit to reward themselves with some food at the Rocket and, yet another, trip to Fez. Exertion warrants reward!

Welcome Drinks

(Pictured: R.U.R.C. does Neverland)

Another annual tradition amongst the sports clubs of Roehampton is “Welcome Drinks”, an inauguration of the freshman class to experience all that it means to be a rower. The theme this year was Peter Pan (casting social secretaries Tilly Russell and Gavin McMahon as Captain Hook and Peter Pan respectively). This is an amazing night simply because it allows the freshers to meet people they may never have come across otherwise. Seniors, including those long gone, return for this night to celebrate the club in its entirety and welcome the newest generation!

Digby Diner was shared with Men’s and Women’s Rugby and there was a buzz of excitement wherever you turned! Drinking occurs and games are played, normally leading to a lot of tiredness. However, there are always a few freshers that actual made it to the end of the night: Fez.

(L-R: Ross Deluchi, Fiona Manning-Blakey, Belinda Bradley, Holly Farmer,

Nick Dualibi-Wilson, and men’s social secretary Gavin McMahon)

The “survivors” of the night continued on with their seniors to celebrate an awesome night in Fez. The perfect end of any event!

Sports Fez

A small tradition amongst the sports clubs at the University of Roehampton is the annual “Sports Fez”, an event when each team chooses a sport other their own and dresses in the theme. It’s easily missed but the R.U.R.C. managed to get involved with a somewhat simple theme: karate / martial arts. It was the first major social for the club of the year after the Taster session and an opportunity for all of us to get further involved in knowing each other. Trust is important for a water sport such as rowing and building friendship and camaraderie is a key aspect of what we’re trying to achieve through these socials – fun and silly costumes included!

(Pictured: R.U.R.C. ready to rumble)

 

It was great to see that everyone committed to the theme! It was yet another great night for the club and a sign of the many good ones that would follow. Getting involved with the other sports at the Digby Diner really allowed us to integrate our club with other teams and make further connections with them for the coming year!

Recruitment

One of the biggest events in the upcoming year for any club at the University of Roehampton is the Freshers Fayre, an opportunity for all clubs associated with Sport Roehampton to showcase their sport and the social aspects associated with it to the incoming freshers. This year the club welcomed back a lot of familiar faces but no club can be allowed to grow stale and we were fortunate enough to have over 50 sign-ups from students new to rowing. First, second and third years all embraced the opportunity and it’s safe to say that we were more than a little excited at the prospect of teaching and welcoming them to the family because at rowing, we are first and foremost a family.

 

 

(L-R: (L-R: RURC President Claudia Afeltra and

returning senior Verity Tonge)

 

Getting sign-ups is one thing but retention is also important and so we moved onto the Taster session, at one of our regular Wednesday sessions, and this was tailored to allow the prospective freshers an opportunity to properly experience the key aspects of rowing – unfortunately this doesn’t include actual rowing as land sessions prior are a necessity – but it was a fun day that encouraged everyone to get involved. Regardless of previous experience, the Taster session was designed to allow integration between seniors and freshers whilst allowing them to mingle amongst themselves! Tank and ergometer sessions were in place to give a taste of the sport itself, whilst social secretaries Gavin McMahon and Tilly Russell led a fun “sports day” themed session on the Barn Elms Rugby Club.

(Pictured: the three ‘key sessions’)

 

To top it all of the Club hosted a BBQ at Barn Elms Boathouse, the perfect chance for us all to get to know each other before heading out to the social!

(Pictured: Seniors and Freshers unite)

 

What Taster session would it have been if the R.U.R.C. didn’t give our prospective freshers a full experience of what it’s like to be a rower? The day was topped off – after a well-deserved rest for all involved – with a trip to one of our local hangouts, the Railway in Putney, followed by a trip to Fez. What is a Wednesday without Fez? It was a great night and it left us even more excited for the year ahead.

Hard at Work

After a lovely long summer our committee and seniors are back to work getting ready to welcome all of the freshers. We have been up to and are working towards some really exciting things including the refurbishing and renaming our four. Previously known as Little Dick, we have renamed our four something a little more fitting. Phillips was named after a past president James Phillips as recognition for all the hard work he put into the rowing club. Phillips has not only been renamed but has had a fresh paint job in our university colours. While there is still a lot of work to be done, it’s already looking like a new boat.

On Friday, a few of the seniors got together for a ‘Boat fixing BBQ’ to clean up our exceptionally dusty fleet, which our coach Mike Benson had so kindly written ‘Clean me’ into the dust, numerous times. Despite the rain we got our boats looking (somewhat) shiny in preparation for teaching the freshers to row. However the day did not end there, in true R.U.R.C style work quickly changed to play as we ended up in our standard social pub.

 

R.U.R.C’s New Blog

As the rowing club is facing a fresh start with many new and exciting opportunities, the committee felt it fitting to create a new blog that will track our progress to update everyone on all of our ambitions and achievements.

This post is aimed to catch up on the happenings of the past year and to review what we are as a club.

In the coming year, R.U.R.C. plans to commit to plenty of races, socials and bring in some exciting changes in relation to the crew. However, looking back on the year we’ve had is the best way to explain what R.U.R.C. has achieved and head off into the future. Of the many races available to a rower, and there are plenty that are important, but at Roehampton there’s Varsity – a rivalry with Bucks New University in Buckinghamshire and this year was taken as seriously as ever when the majority of the crew, both those on the water and on the land, traveled to Bucks New to compete and/or cheer on their teammates.

(Pictured L-R: Andrew, Josh Ryan- 2015/2016 Men’s Captain, Nick George, and Sam Stephenson – 2016/2017 Men’s Captain)

Bucks New may have walked away with the overall trophy this year (we had to let them have it for one year, eh?) but it wasn’t a loss with the R.U.R.C. men’s quad clinching a win for the university at Marlow Boathouse and an admirable performance from our women’s double (comprising Claudia Afeltra and Tilly Russell). Both crews did R.U.R.C. proud and the best part about having your races over by noon? You’re free to drink cheap wine and watch everyone else competing for the rest of the day!

There are many events and themed nights throughout the year that R.U.R.C. can enjoy,many an impromptu Fez or Bop has been known to occur, but nothing is quite as exciting as Tour! ILOVETOUR is one of the best experiences any sport’s team can undergo. 2015/2016 Tour was in sunny Salou, Spain.

(Pictured: R.U.R.C. ready and rearing to head on Tour 2016)

What could be better than a week where you get to lounge about in the sun and drink copious amounts of alcohol with your friends? Tour can be expensive to go on but costs very little once you’re there and the memories you make will bond you to each other for life. If there’s one things you should definitely be doing to embrace the university experience: it’s Tour. The seniors will look out for you and you’ll all have a great time and be prepared for the season of regattas upon your return. Even as a fresher this year, I can’t look back on that week abroad and think of it with anything other than fondness and an excitement for next year’s trip!

(Pictured L-R: Tilly Russell – Women’s Social Secretary, Gavin McMahon – Men’s Social Secretary, Jess Webb – Women’s Captain, Sam Stephenson – Men’s Captain, Claudia Afeltra- Club President)

Rounding out this particular blog post, the first of many but I can promise they won’t all be this long, is an introduction to the incoming R.U.R.C. Committee of the 2016/2017 Academic Year. Each of them here to guide both seniors and freshers through the rigorous races and drunken escapades associated with being a member of the Roehampton University Rowing Club. You can learn more about each of them by clicking here https://roehamptonuniversityrowing.wordpress.com/the-committee-201617/

Until next time,

R.U.R.C. Committee