CCBC Trialists
Currently Christ's have 2 members trialing for CUBC and 2 members trialing for CUW.
CUBC: Mark Lawrence & Liz Box
CUW: Penny Theusen & Eddie Surtees (Lightweight Captain)
We will keep you updated throughout the year on their progress.
Below are some thoughts from our trialists on how they got where they are and how they feel about it now.
Eddie Surtees - Lightweight Captain
Having been women’s Captain at Christ’s I thought I would be very well prepared for the Lightweight Captain’s job at CUWBC. After all, I naively thought, I’ll only have one crew for most of the year whereas at Christ’s we had a minimum of 2 and several nightmare (but wonderful) Novice crews in Michaelmas term. Having now been Captain for 6 months and nearly at the end of my first term, I can safely say that I massively underestimated how much time, effort and emotion this job would involve. I don’t think an hour passes where I don’t e-mail someone or worry that individual ‘A’ has not changed technical problem ‘B’ and as a result we’re going to lose. Last year I thought our Lightweight Crew was rapid and I was confident in our ability to win, however we went onto lose by 2.5 lengths – a very large margin in lightweight rowing terms and a loss I will probably never get over. My worst nightmare is losing again, and it’s what drives me to put in the hours training and organising so I can form the fastest crew by the end of the year.
It has certainly not been a smooth ride so far this year, starting with a large bunch of lightweights we saw a rapid drop off in numbers, as potentially strong people chose safety in quitting, rather than risking undergoing the long process and not making the boat. However, I’m left with a strong bunch of hard working women who I think, with the right coaching, motivation and support are going to make a very strong boat. We have, unfortunately been hit with injuries – Mary Bjorkegren being unable to trial because of tendonitis and me injuring my back, but I’m hoping to be back rowing in time for Fairbairn’s which is only 2 weeks away. After Fairbairn’s we will enter a period of seat racing and then we are off on training camp which will end with our ‘Trial VIII’s Race’. This is the first race of the year where we put together the best lightweight crew to race two heavyweight crews. It’s scary how quickly time is flying by, to most of you a Race on the 28th March may seem a long way away, but to us we are nearly half-way through our training and there remains a long way to go……
No doubt the next 4 months will be as exciting and emotionally stressful as the last 6, but it will all be worth it if we win on the 28th March, 2010.
I would like to thank Kat Astley and Jimmy Appleton for all their advice and hours coaching, it has been invaluable and will continue to be so. I know I speak on behalf of all the CUW lightweights when I say we are incredibly sad to see Kat leave. Of course, if Kat thinks by trooping off to London she is going to avoid all the drama and tribulations of CUW she is going to be severely disappointed…. Well at least for the next 6 months while I am Captain!!
Mark Lawrence - CUBC
I learned to row at school, and have raced in the college first eight and four. This is my first year trialling, and it has so far been a really good experience. It hasn't always been fun or enjoyable, they work us too hard for that - but something I'll definitely take with me for the rest of my life. Until I experienced it for myself I didn't understand the dedication and determination that the people in the club have. Not only those in the Blue boat, but those in the reserve crew Goldie and to an even greater extent the two spare men. To train with the Blues stroke for stroke, putting in the hours and the blood, that takes something special.
There's a huge sense of history around the club, and this single minded obsession on a single race on a single day make it very different to all the other clubs I've rowed with. Every day I'm reminded how lucky I am to have this opportunity, and how much of an honour it is to be part of the finest boat club in the world.
It is, of course, also an honour to be part of the Cambridge University Boat Club :-).
