By Nikola Boysova
(Photo credits: Nikola Boysova/AllMarkOne)
Trinity Term came and has since rowed away from Oxford, but with it came the chaos and clashing of Summer VIIIs.
Rowing, with its reputation at Oxford fuelled by the Boat Race, may seem daunting at first, but from the biggest colleges to the smallest, rowers of all levels can row at their colleges boat club. Those that do can take part in the infamous bumps races. Instead of a traditional side-by-side regatta format, boats line up along the narrow river at equal distances, aiming to catch and “bump” the boat ahead. The narrowness of the river, especially in “the gut”, means that crews jostle for position to stay on the course at all, with boats in trees not being an unfamiliar sight. For crews who “bump” on all four days of racing, there comes the promise of blades, and having your name displayed in college. For those who lose all four days, the dreaded fate of receiving a spoon. The best crew for each side claims Head of the River, aka Headship.
And now for this year's Rowing Review...
Oriel Men retained their Headship for the 4th year in a row, and celebrated with the traditional boat burning in the quad. Meanwhile, Christchurch Women held onto their Headship for the second year now, cruising to the finish, with Wadham, University and Pembroke steadily climbing the charts behind them.
Unlike Torpids in spring, Summer VIIIs invites the university's Blues rowers back into their college 1st VIIIs post-boat race, raising the calibre, and speed, or bumps.
The 2024 Boat Race was certainly one to watch. Having faced a clean sweep from Cambridge in 2023, Oxford Blues returned as a united front in 2024, now under the one banner of OUBC. While Cambridge beat our Blue Boat, Osiris avoided the fate of another Cambridge win. Led by cox Tara Slade, Osiris extended to 5 lengths by Barnes Bridge and triumphantly celebrated on the podium.
Having worked with this team as one of the photographers of OUBC and The Boat Race, I sat on the edge of my seat in the media tent at Quintin. After many early starts, trying to photograph in freezing temperatures, witnessing the loss of the year before, it was a highlight of my year to photograph them celebrating with copious amounts of sparkling wine.
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