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| Sunday, 14 November 2004 |
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Student life in an alien world : Row... Row... Row the boat by Jeevani Mantotta Every Oxford college has a boat club. By the end of Fresher's week the boat club has invited, cajoled or press-ganged most unsuspecting Freshers into a boat. As a small person, I was immediately clocked as potential cox material. Since I'm generally rubbish at any sport other than the wheelbarrow race, I was a little dubious. But, before I knew it, I was sitting huddled at the end of a boat, freezing cold and shouting orders at 8 burly men. Rowing has a key place in the Oxford calendar. The first term has the Christ Church Regatta - a race for novices only. In typical Oxford fashion, anyone who hasn't rowed in Christ Church before is considered a novice. This is a straight forward competition where Eights (boats with eight rowers and a cox) race in pairs. The 'Bumps' races of Torpids (Hilary term) and Summer Eights (Trinity term) are not as straightforward. Here the boats line up about 90 ft apart and at the signal they each try to hit the boat in front. This usually causes merry chaos. Summer Eights usually draws a crowd as most people take a break from revision to go down to the river for Bumps and Pimms in the sunshine. The Oxford Cambridge boat race is always well attended. Scores of students turn up in London, all decked out with college scarves and bags of food and drink. The year I went, we ended up in the middle of the Cambridge supporters somehow (eek!). We all sang happy birthday to a girl we didn't know whilst waiting for the boats. All good fun. Boaties (rowers, coxes and coach) get incredibly dull around race time. They talk about nothing but stroking and feathering and crabs (what can I say, the vocabulary was thought up by public-school boys!). My first crew, a men's Eight, were only there for a laugh, so they didn't train too hard. My second crew, a women's second Eight, were MUCH more competitive. They organised early morning outings (before lectures or tutorials). So, at 5.30 a.m. we joined the bleary eyed masses pedalling down to the river and rowing out into the icy dawn. The rowers warmed up with the exercise. Not so the poor cox, who had to sit still, hands gripping the steering ropes. Steering a boat isn't easy, especially in the half-light, when it's so cold that you can't feel your hands or feet. I wore so many jumpers on outings that I couldn't put my arms down properly and would waddle to lectures looking Michelin woman. By the time lectures finished, I'd be ready to fall asleep on my feet. So why do it? Because it's fun being part of the excitement. In the summer it's lovely on the river. There's the thrill of the races and, since you socialise with clubs of different colleges, it's a great way to meet people. I only did it for a year, mind - it came to a choice between rowing or getting more sleep. Sleep won. |
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