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Annual Review
2010/11
6
Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race 2011
a report from inside the boat by Alec Dent (2008)
T
he Boat Race is an odd
phenomenon. As a very long
standing sporting event it has an
unusually diverse following. For
some it matters a lot, for others
not at all, and for some still it
only matters because they do not
understand the interest in an event
that they argue to be elitist, archaic
and pointless. Regardless of this, it
is certainly an exciting journey for
those that take part. I will will try
to explain what it is that drives us
to dedicate 35 hours a week for 7
months to this cause.
Sitting on the start line is an eerie
feeling. Although very familiar as
there have been many starts for many
races over the year, there is a buzz
of excitement from the crowds that
reminds you that the race piece you
are getting ready for is not one to get
wrong. Thinking back to all that has
been talked about, for example what is
in your control and what is not, helps
you relax and concentrate on the things
that can aid the performance. These
actually tend to be very simple. The first
two minutes of the race are so frantic.
You really notice the shouting as it is the
one thing that has not been simulated in
the training. The adrenaline means that
after two minutes I still feel unbelievably
fresh. I remind myself of the practice
start we had done the previous day
which was also two minutes, and at
the end of which, I felt exhausted.
Consciously I ease back a bit on the
pressure, knowing that the adrenaline is
making me perform in a way that I have
not practised for.
As the race moves on into minutes three
and four, we settle into a rhythm that
seemed to be improving all the time.
We didn’t feel under any pressure from
Cambridge as we were expecting to
fight it out until the end and being level
at this point was more than we could
ask for. This sense of nonchalance
towards Cambridge helped us
concentrate on what we could do to row
better. Soon, without any real effort, we
started to ease forward. This was an
exact repeat of what had happened in
the Isis/Goldie race a year previously in
which I had rowed and lost. This year
felt different though, our confidence was
slowly building, I thought the rowing
was good and it felt strong, none of
which had been the case at any point in
the race a year ago. As Hammersmith
Bridge came we put in our big move
which did exactly that, it moved us from
three quarters of a length up to clear
water surprisingly quickly.
The rest of the race went smoothly.
We had expected such a hard contest
that when things started going our
way we felt confident that we might
win. However, there was still a sense of
disbelief and a fear that the race would
change, so we made the most of any
advantage that we got which led to a
big win. It was only after Barnes Bridge,
with three minutes to go, that I started
to relax mentally even though my face
during the last few minutes speaks a
different story.
The motivation to train that the
magnitude of the event gives you is
certainly important. CUBC and OUBC
as institutions are lucky that history
Student Life
26 March 2011. The Xchanging Oxford & Cambridge Universities Boat Race 2011. Oxford Blue Crew
(from Bow): Moritz Hafner [Bow], Ben Myers, Alec Dent (Keble), Ben Ellison, Karl Hudspith, Constantine
Louloudis, George Whittaker, Simon Hislop [Stoke] (not pictured), Sam Winter-Levy [Cox] (not pictured)