Category: FCBC Rowing

Happy New Year to all Billygoats! Here is the FCBC Michaelmas Newsletter for 2022:

The Billygoats supported a group of current rowers to go to Oxford. Novice Captain Daan Timmers reports:

The Oxford trip was a great success! We spent all of Saturday afternoon at the St Edmund Hall Boathouse, rotating through the available rowers with two eights out at any one point.

All boats were mixed colleges and mixed genders, and we ended every session with a short bumps-style race along Boathouse Island. In the meantime the others were getting to know the Teddy Hall rowers while enjoying some food from the barbecue.

In the evening we convened in the college bar and went for dinner and drinks together. Most of us stayed in St Edmund Hall, with spare couches and sleeping bags provided by the Teddy Hall rowers. On Sunday morning, we had brunch in college together and then we set off back to Cambridge. We will be organising a return trip in Cambridge soon, likely next term. I’ve attached some photos.

Thanks again for the Billygoats support.

Women’s Captains Emily and Shannon sent this report on their entries in the Winter Head:

Today marked the first races for the women’s side so we thought we’d give you a little update. We had our W1 and NW1 enter Winter Head. NW1 did really well, with no crashes or crabs, and all very much enjoyed it too! They finished with a time of 14:54.

W1 had a great race, and ended with a time of 10:04.6, coming 8th out of the college women’s first boats. Looking at the Lents starting order, we beat the 5 crews ahead of us and also beat Sidney (chasing us). It’s good to know that we’ve maintained the strong position we ended up in at the end of Mays. The attitude and atmosphere around both the crew and the boathouse was really great too – lovely to see some Billy pride back in action!

Now we’re excitedly looking ahead to Fairbairns, with a step up in our training between now and then and high hopes for a really good race.

Here is a summary of the excellent FCBC results of the May Bumps 2022, with a few historical comments

M1 went up 4 (++++), got their oars, ending 4th in Div 2, the last time M1 went up 4 was in 2007

M2 went up 2 (0++0), ending 14th in Div 3

M3 went up 2 (0,+3,-1,0), ending 5th in Div 5

W1 went up 3 (+++0), ending 8th in Div 1, I believe this is the highest ever position for W1 VIII (W1 IV was 4th in the late ‘80s, but when the women switched to VIIIs in 1990 W1 were in Div 3 – must have been a getting on race)

W2 went up 1 (++0-) ending 5th in Div 4

All crews went up, total result +12.

Well done all!

There is a video of M1’s bump on the last night, perfectly planned to give a great view from Osier Holt, on the Billygoats Group on Facebook.

Successful crews depend more on the athletes than the boats they race in. As well as providing equipment, the Billygoats Society supports athlete development by helping the Boat Club to enter off-Cam races, and with coaching and training camps. This term the Society supported the Boat Club to enter the Head of the River Race and Women’s Head of the River Race, and also to have an Easter training camp at Henley. Captain of Boats Maisie Matthews writes:

On Monday 4^th April, 30 members of Fitzwilliam College Boat Club travelled down to Upper Thames Rowing Club for our pre-Mays training camp in Henley-on-Thames. After a sleepy coach journey, and unloading the most densely-packed trailer we’d ever seen, we were ready to get out on the water for our first outing.

Despite anticipating a very wet week, the rain eased up just as we began our first sessions. Our coxes got used to the new stretch of river, using the opportunity to practise using the rudder only on the drive, something which is hard to achieve on the Cam. They also made the most of Tony’s walkie-talkies, not just for in-ear coaching feedback, but also chatting to each other to incite some friendly competition between crews as they chased each other up and down the Thames. Mixing up the crews in each session meant our less experienced rowers were able to learn from those more senior, whilst the seniors had the opportunity to try out new seats in the boat and practice developing their own technical consistency. With six outings across three days, we could really feel the improvements in each session as the crews took on feedback and put the miles in to solidify what they had learned.

We also had the privilege of coaching from FCBC alumni Carole Burton, Ian Hall, Emily Lees and Andre Neto-Bradley. Tony did a great job leading the coaching, cycling back and forth between crews, with the extra support from Billygoats giving each crew further dedicated coaching during their outings, and a new set of eyes on their rowing and coxing. This was really useful for all members of the squad, novice and senior, as they worked hard to impress our alumni coaches and take their insights on board. The breadth of experience at the camp, from those who have been rowing for 60 years to those rowing for only 6 months, really showed us how important it is to dedicate time to coming together as a club, as there is so much we can learn from each other. For a lot of FCBC rowers, this was their first time training outside Cambridge, so for many of them this camp acted as a turning point in terms of cementing their commitment and love for the sport. Crew selection for next term will definitely be a lot more difficult following the progress we’ve seen this week!

As well as the three full 8+ crews going out every day, we were also able to make the most of our small boat flotilla throughout the week, with some of our senior members taking out pairs, doubles, and singles. There was also a chance for some rowers to learn to scull for the first time, using the wider and straighter stretch of water as a slightly less terrifying area to practice than the convoluted Cam. Although we managed to make it through the week with no capsizes, a rower and a cox still both managed to take a dip by walking backwards off the pontoon on Tuesday. Hopefully this is a skill they won’t bring to their training next term, but at least we can say we created some memories.

This was also a brilliant week in terms of our collective bonding as a club. Whilst we normally only cross paths at sleepy 6am outings, this week all crews across both sides were able to spend time together on and off the water. We are very grateful to Carole Burton for accommodating some of us at her house on Monday night, and to Maple the dog for all his support. Those of us staying at the hotel will look back with fond memories of bleary-eyed hash brown consumption and post-training beers – staying in a Wetherspoons was a real cultural experience. Having the whole squad together at UTRC really integrated the crews and strengthened all our friendships with each other, hopefully including the makings of some future captains and committee members.

This camp could not happen without the generous support of the Billygoats and we would like to thank every member for enabling us to have this opportunity – special thank you to Dan George for some late night calls and managerial skills that pulled this all together.

Feedback from some of our rowers on the camp:

“I think the camp really helped us to bond as a crew and get to know people from other crews. I also think the amount of coaching we got was amazing and incredibly helpful. Dedicating a time period simply to rowing really helped everyone to improve.”

“The training camp in Henley was an amazing opportunity to prepare us for a hard term of rowing both physically and mentally. It was great to not only see big improvements in both my own technique and that of others but also to have some quality time to bond as a crew. Bring on Easter Term!”

“It was really good to be able to row on a much less busy river than the Cam so you got to row more consistently and work on technique etc without getting stuck in traffic. Plus for £30 it was very accessible to join, considering all the facilities and staying in a hotel.”

“Training camp was probably one of the most useful things for the squad as a whole because it massively helped with cohesion and brought together all the squads which was really nice to see. Different from the last training camp in Norwich where the men and the women sat on opposite sides of the room! It was an amazing opportunity to try new things too. People could learn to scull, row different sides, row different positions and with different crews. This has been awesome because during term time you don’t get to do that because time is short and stressed, and outings are maximised for bumps training in set crews. It definitely made me feel the love of rowing all over again and I hope it did for others too.”

“As an international student having the opportunity to row at the historic Henley was an amazing and memorable experience. And having the FCBC community support us to do so is just one of the many things that sets studying at Cambridge apart from other institutions. It was also very helpful to have the space and time to really work on my rowing and make some changes. The coaching that we got from our alumni was really insightful and it was great to see that there is a way to be involved in College rowing after I graduate!”

“Even the small opportunities that being away from the Cam provides are invaluable, such as being able to take photos of the whole club in front of Temple Island, or giving the other matched eight that sweet, sweet ‘BOWWWWBAAALLLLL’ as we battle paddle down the whole HRR stretch. I’m sure camp will have inspired the lower boat rowers to try even harder in their training so that they can aim for the top crews, and it will definitely have ensured that FCBC traditions carry on into years to come.”

Joint men’s Captain Eryk Sokolowski gives a brief update on this term’s plans:

The season essentially started last week when we had our pre-term training camp here on the Cam. Around 16 men and women were there for both days, so we had some good introductory paddles in eights, and the pub trip afterwards was a success in breaking the ice between the two sides of the club. Novice taster sessions have been running this week with the improved format from last year where we train the rowers up on the ergs, then put them in the bank tub before finally taking them on the water in the wooden tub. We’ve had about 60 attendees, slightly more men than women if my estimates are correct, and I’ll also be taking out five others tomorrow who have shown an interest in novice coxing.

On the senior men’s side of the club things are looking a lot more positive than they have in previous years. We’ve had interest from 20 senior men, numbers which I haven’t heard of even from before my time. The plan is to have two men’s eights this term, erg tests have been happening this week and crew selection will be out shortly. The only issue we have is scarcity of senior coxes because the women also have two eights and we only have three coxes in total.

We’re planning on entering our first whole crew race next week at Autumn head, and then one or more of Bedford Head and Peterborough Head, followed by Uni Fours in November and finishing off with Fairbairns. Like I said, we have an exceptionally strong squad this Michaelmas and I’m looking forward to some good results this term.

After the Billygoats allocated us some extra coaching budget we’ve been on the hunt for some extra help with training – we’ll need it if we can maintain the size of the squad. We should be having a meeting this Thursday with a potential coach who sounds promising, a contact of Tony Moule’s.

A number of Billygoats Society members have wondered how the Boat Club is coping with the limitations imposed by the current situation. Tony Moule circulates a Boatman’s Report to the Committee and he included a summary of the term’s rowing which he has kindly agreed to let me post here. Tony writes:

Michaelmas Term has been like no other;  I have changed my role slightly to enable the club to stay Covid safe, mainly for the first 2 – 3 weeks of term.  Less coaching initially, but did manage to get back coaching more in the second half of October.  It became more of a management role to ensure we kept the club working under the strict guidelines, keeping the club Covid safe for all. This year has been a great challenge to us all, when we’ve been able to row and open the club again  we have done so in a very secure and safe approach, setting out the Covid secure systems. Andrew Salkeld (Boat Club Junior Safety Officer) has done a sterling job of keeping up-to-date with the protocols and guidance, I’ve worked with him to ensure this has been a seamless approach. Alan Fuller (the domestic bursar) has also been a great help in supporting our getting back to rowing.

This year’s committee faced a daunting task of providing a meaningful experience for the members whilst keeping Covid safe and within the guidelines, which I feel to date has been done very well.

Novices and Inductions: We had a great virtual sign up to rowing this year, which presented its own issues. Un-phased by having surprisingly many that wanted to try rowing, we had a meeting as to how we were going to approach this year. We inducted and boated 78 students on the Come and Try days all in 2s.  Two arriving every 20 minutes, starting on the ergs (in boathouse), then in bank tub and in the Tub Pair, each taking around 1.25 hours to rotate through, I spent 20/30 minutes with every pair. The Tub Pair was up and down the river like a yoyo, which was great. It went fantastically well, certainly a model for future years, (so if anything good has come out of the restrictions, this is it). This made it easier to spot talent and to give much more one to one coaching. Whilst it took longer to run the sessions, we did save time when then moving into bigger boats. We did more tubbing after the Come and Try which helped considerably too. I believe we should increase the level of tubbing generally. (We did borrow Cambridge 99’s tub too, which has also helped).

The lower boat captains managed the novices very well, the set up on the Come and Try days was excellent,  embracing the new system. The progression during October was significant that I noticed, and the term progressed very well until we had to stop early in November, which was a great shame.

I suggest that we could have a great novice squad in the new year, different to a usual year obviously as they are a month behind now, but I’m sure they won’t  take long to progress significantly given the great start they had. For the Lent Term I’ve suggested we almost give the novices a restart, more tubbing for the first week or two.

Senior Squads: this term was good in numbers of seniors and a few new first years with sculling experience meant that we had a decent sized squad training.  We decided to use the term to keep the seniors mainly in small boats this enabled us to upskill the squads and this was proving very useful as there is quite a significant variance in ability through the senior squad.

I remain hopeful we can have a good senior squad on both the men’s and women’s sides when we are able to get back to competitive rowing. I have written to the secretary of the CUCBC to get his view on the possible chances to holding a possible Head style race next term, I suggested ‘Head of the Lents’   set of races for the Lent term given that probably the Lent Bumps will not go ahead in its normal form.

As usual I have to thank our Billygoat coaches, Alex Markham, Alan Marron, Joao d’Avila who have helped considerably during the term. Many of the senior members having given a lot of time to coach the novice boats, so thanks to them, in particular Andre (Neto-Bradley, last year’s captain) who has been coaching, cox coaching and coxing himself on many occasions.

No Fitz crews have raced (or will race) this term.