Training
The squads have been training hard all term with plenty of on the water sessions, ergs, and weights. This year students/fellows/associates from Linacre, Nuffield and Rueben are all represented by LBC.
This term we focused on endurance (very useful for the Head of the River Races) and quick starts (very useful for Bumps!). For endurance training, you can see LBC crews on the water each Saturday and Sunday at 6.30 am. A quiet river allows laps of the Isis to get some mileage in and allows coxes to get a good grasp of the racing line. This along with ergs set by the coaches improves endurance, power and fitness to get our crews in top racing form.
Although this term the weather has been interesting crews braved wind, rain and freezing temperatures to make outings happen. We have found the best cure for a wet, grumpy rower/cox/coach is a solid crew breakfast.
Torpids
After a two year hiatus, Torpids are back, and the Linacre Boat club is in full swing! It was wonderful seeing the support for Ukraine as flags flew from college boathouses and fundraising stalls were around. This year, the Boat Club entered two women’s crews and three men’s crews. Men 3, composed mainly of novices and a few associates, did fantastically well but unfortunately did not qualify in rowing on.
Due to the weather and high stream only experienced and senior coxes were permitted to cox on the final three days meaning that our wonderful novices coxes couldn’t continue with their crews. They will be back in summer eights and reunited!
For the rest of the teams, it was a week where everything was covered! Men 2 bumped, were klaxxoned, bumped and involved in a few appeals. They received a penalty bump for a late concession. This means if the cox signals a concession, by raising their hand in the air, too late then the race committee can award a penalty bump and said crew move down a place. However, they also managed to row the whole course, later to realise they bumped a banked Wahdam crew that were stuck in the trees by rowing over. Women 2 bumped every day and won blades! On the first day, this was right in front of boathouse island, meaning huge cheers from supporters. They then bumped every day so won blades, a commemorative blade that is painted with all the crew members, captains and coaches. This will be hopefully hung in the CR soon.
Men 1 rowed over the first day then bumped up for the subsequent three to end up in division 2! The men did very well considering they had a different cox every day due to the novice cox restrictions. Women 1 were a sandwich boat for three out of the four days, which meant that they rowed the entire course seven times. The women were quite tired by the end and finished exactly where they started, top of division 3, at the end of the week.
External Races
The weekend of the 26/27 March saw the Men’s first boat enter the Head of the River Race and a mixed 8+ entered the Veterans’ Head of the River Race. These races follow the same course as the women’s head of the river on the championship course on the tideway. For the Veteran’s Head competitors must have reached the great age of 27 and the Linacre crew have an average age of 30 so LBC is living up to the nickname of the retirement boat club, at least in college terms! The men’s crew finished in a highly respectable time of 21 minutes and 25 seconds for the four and a half mile course. On the Sunday, the mixed veteran 8 did well against strong club competition to place 13th in their category. These three London head races are highly prestigious competitions, often with over than 400 boats entered in each, and Linacre must be unique in Oxford colleges in entering all three in one year!
