Since the start of Michaelmas term, M1 have been training hard on and off the water, building strong foundations for the rest of the year. This year we have been fortunate enough to have been donated our own weights suite, a welcome upgrade to our training facilities at the boathouse. The term culminated in Univ placing 10th in a head race up the Isis, as part of the Isis Winter League.

Hilary term began with a newly formed M1 in Oxford before the start of term, raring to crack on with training. Bringing the old guard together with some new blood, we have had a lot to learn but have progressed massively over the term. Our first challenge came at Henley Fours & Eights, a head race down 3 kms of the famous stretch of Thames water. The first taste of racing outside Oxford for much of the crew, we put in a composed performance to come 4th amongst Oxford colleges and 6th in our category.

For the next few weeks we had our eyes firmly focussed on Torpids. A week and a half before Torpids we competed in the final head race of the Isis Winter League, where in terrible conditions we raced comfortably to 4th place, ranking higher than our closest rivals in Torpids. Things were looking up.

Torpids arrived and we approached the first day ready to take on Brasenose who were one bungline ahead of us. We pushed them hard but amongst the adrenaline and unpredictability of bumps racing we struggled to exhibit the same speed we had shown at IWL. The next day Jesus were chasing us and from the off they were fierce, but at the exit of the gut we pushed off them and speeded towards LMH to seize the bump. Friday came, and so too did our hardest race of the week. Jesus were not a danger through the first half of the course; meanwhile we had closed down to within half a length of Brasenose. Along boathouse island they drove off and away from us, and Jesus came out of seemingly nowhere to press us hard towards the finish, gaining overlap a couple of times but we managed to hold them off to row over….or so we thought. Jesus appealed for a bump and on the account of video footage it was ruled in their favour. We arrived at the river on Saturday with drive and determination; off the start we quickly moved away from LMH who were behind us, and despite not closing in on Jesus, we rowed over with power and control in our best row of the week.

I’d like to thank our weights coach, Atamli Ahmad, and rowing coach, Oliver Collins, for their continued support, commitment and enthusiasm, who have enabled us to develop both individually and as a crew so successfully this term. After an exciting Torpids week, we are looking forward to taking on the Head Of the River Race at the end of March and, of course, to Summer Eights next term.

Dan Fess
Men’s Captain

Crew

• M1 Torpids 2014/2015 (8+)

Posted on Mar 18, 2015

posted under: FoUCBC Newsletter

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