Category: Torpids 2016

New year, new challenges! After the past academic year of rowing was not less than drowned in an endless drizzle, new developments – apparently, there was some kind of virus going around – should see the new rain-induced creativity in our training schedule to be carried over to 20/21. However, the motivation to enjoy the water-time whenever restrictions would allow it may have been higher than ever: The combination of a great amount of experience remaining in the club well mixed with new energy from the novice ranks it turned out to be a fantastic year for rowing in Merton, which is best summed up by sheer excellent performances in Summer torpids.

As customary in Michaelmas term, we focused on those Mertonians new to the college or who are taking a new interest in the sport altogether. Many appreciated the companionship, structure and beautiful sunrises which accompany rowing in an otherwise isolating and chaotic start into the term. And so, it was not twenty, not thirty – but sixty Novices between the women’s and men’s side who gave rowing a go.

Given the precious opportunity of outdoor activities during that time, every effort was made by our novice captains and many additional helpers to safely run a relentless program that saw up to five boats out on a single day and a record-breaking total of 22 confirmed training sessions in week 2.

The initial euphory was soon dampened by what should soon be known as “the second wave” of Covid cases flooding the UK and Oxford, halting all in-person training for Hilary term. Furthermore, cancellations of all novice regattas or Torpids meant that, once more, the experience of an actual boat race was delayed into the foreseeable future. Making the best of the situation (…after all, if there has to be a period without actual outdoor rowing, what better time than the coldest and darkest of the year…), training buddy-ups, regular online circuit-exercises, a virtual training camp and theoretical sessions built the bridge to keep us going over the winter.

With spring it came: Rowing was back and there was “some sort of summer bumps event” in the pipeline. After all, Trinity would be the term to remember. Training back in full force, M1 chopped away the miles at Godstow while M2 found its mojo on the Isis stretch. The Isis Summer League races gave many of us our first race experience as both crews zipped down the Isis in anticipation of the rowing year highlight: Summer Torpids!

In a week of nothing but sunshine, M1 fiercely continued our campaign up the Torpid charts, bumping up the first three days and just about missing Univ M1 on day 4 thus bringing us within reach of division 1. Meanwhile, M2, having seen how it’s done, went to make a statement themselves and won blades despite having to repeatedly bump a boat three places ahead. With all this new energy, it will be exciting to see what the next year is going to deliver.

Paul Zimmer-Harwood, Men’s co-captain 2020-21

Annual report 2017-18 – Men’s squad

The 2017-18 season has seen Merton’s men’s side reaffirm itself on the river as a force to be reckoned with.

Starting the year with a large intake of novice rowers, several talented new coxes and a varied group of returning rowers, it quickly became apparent that we had the potential for a successful year. The arrival of a new men’s coach and the opening of a brand new erg room in the Sports Pavilion gave us the impetus to train hard both on and off the water. Although our Christ Church Regatta novices, despite some exciting and hard-fought races, did not get as far as they had hoped, the development squad obtained promising results at a number of smaller races on the Isis.

With M1 and M2 crews selected early on in Hilary term, and a keen M3 coming together as well, the squad continued to progress week after week despite the cold mornings and sometimes challenging river conditions. The arrival of a gorgeous Fillippi F42 shell and a brand new coaching launch – acquired through generous donations from our American friends and alumni – gave the squad an extra edge going into the final stages of preparation for Torpids. Unfortunately, our ambitious plans could not be fully carried out because the exceptionally cold weather caused several race days to be cancelled. Still, M1 kept its place in Division 2 despite a very strong Exeter coming up from behind; M2 bumped in less than 20 strokes on day 1 and would surely have got blades had it been able to race; and M3 also swiftly bumped on day 1 after achieving the fastest finish time at Rowing On.

In preparation for Summer Eights, a group of men’s rowers travelled to Amsterdam for an Easter training camp. Spending a week rowing on the beautiful Amstel River, cycling through the city centre, and sleeping on a cosy sailing ship wasn’t only incredibly fun, but it also had an immediate effect on the quality of rowing in the squad. Coming back to a newly refurbished Harry Quick shell at the start of Trinity term, M2 was able to make the most of its training on the Isis, while M1 continued to perfect its technique at Godstow. With three men’s crews entered for Summer Eights, including an M3 containing several recent alumni, our hopes for success were high…

Unfortunately, the first day took away the possibility of blades for either crew: M3 was caught in the Gut by a strong Corpus M2, M1 saw its competitors bumping out and had to creatively manoeuvre its way to a row over, and M2 suffered a spectacular crash under Donny Bridge, sending shockwaves around social media. Nevertheless, Merton showed its resilience and determination from here onwards. On every one of the following days, both M1 and M2 bumped before the green banks, finishing in the middle of the second and fourth divisions respectively. Meanwhile, M3 vigorously defended its place at the top of the last division, claiming a bump on day 2. With a net score of +3, it is safe to say that it was a successful Summer Eights for MCBC.

Over the course of the year, the Boat Club also achieved notable results further downstream of the Isis stretch, participating in a number of external regattas. Last summer, a Merton delegation won BR points at both Henley Town & Visitors’ Regatta and at Maidenhead Regatta. In Michaelmas, a men’s four competed in Cambridge’s Fairbairn Cup, clocking the fastest time among all Oxford colleges. Last but not least, a men’s eight participated in the Head of the River Race on the Tideway, where it overtook five crews and finished 119th, our highest place in recent history.

Overall, this year’s achievements are testament to the depth and enthusiasm we currently have in MCBC’s men’s squad. With Dylan Gutt (2017) and Mantas Abazorius (2013) taking over as captains next year, we can be certain that the Boat Club will continue to go from strength to strength!

Merton men primed for Torpids

Michaelmas 2015 was an immensely successful term for the men’s side of the boat club. Our first race, IWL A, went very well indeed, as the eight posted the fastest time of the day. In Autumn Fours, we entered two boats, one of which reached the semi-finals, having beaten Keble C and Somerville, before losing to Wolfson. Nephthys Regatta was even more successful – the eight we entered beat New College and Green Templeton, but lost to Wolfson again in the final. We entered two novice eights at Christ Church Regatta, although one had to race as a ‘friendly’ crew because of the unavailability of some of the rowers. The Novice A boat did not get beyond the first round repechage; and although the ‘friendly’ Novice B crew had the satisfaction of beating an Oriel boat, it was not allowed to advance further in the competition. The term’s racing ended on a high with the development squad eight achieving the third-fastest time of IWL B.

Hilary 2016 got off to a somewhat shaky start due to river closures. However, we have been training on land and on the water when we have been able to do so. The first and second eights for Torpids have now been set and the first boat has already had one race, at IWL C on Sunday 31st January. The result (tenth place) was not what we were hoping for but it did leave us in third place on the leader-board, trailing Wolfson and Keble. (IWL D was cancelled, meaning we ended up third in IWL 2015-6.)

With Torpids just round the corner, Merton’s men have a training day at Dorney tomorrow (Saturday 20th) and look set to build on last year’s four bumps.

Crews: