Hey everybody!

Welcome to the world of Rowing at Regent's!

Being a sport essential to any Oxford experience, rowing is integral to the college social and sport scenes. Both the men's and women's crews race in coxed eights and train regularly in preparation for competitions, which occur in every term. The first term is the ideal time for every fresher to try out what rowing is about, since each Michaelmas we train a novice crew for the Christ Church Regatta. And even if you are tiny and not up for the workout but have a strong voice you will be a great asset to the crew as a cox. Those who come to love the team spirit, the time spent on the river Isis and the adrenaline of the side-by-side race go on to build a crew for the following two terms alongside more experienced second and third years. Bumps racing is at the heart of Oxford college rowing and occurs in both Torpids and Summer Eights; with the aim being to catch the boat in front. Summer Eights is a great date in the student calendar, with over 1200 competitors, good weather and drink (!) on offer it gives the whole student body a chance to come down to the river and support the crews.

Despite the small size of Regent's we tend to punch above our weight and compete on equal terms with second VIIIs from much larger colleges. We've had significant successes as well; the men's VIII bumped on everyday of both Torpids and Summer Eights in 2006 to win double ‘blades', something unprecedented in our history. In 2007 the women won blades, with the men bumping on three of four days. Last year the men bumped three out of four days in both Torpids and Summer Eights. The men’s VIII now have a record of 32 consecutive starts in a bump race without being bumped once.

The club history also features a unique challenge: in 1979, the club undertook a charity row to Regent's Park in London which took over three days, involving fourteen rowers and a support team. The crew was featured on national television, following their training for the event and the journey itself. We can't promise a repeat of this, but it's certainly something to aspire to!

As well as the hard work of training the boat club has regular social events. These range from crew dates with other college teams of the opposite sex, to our end of term ‘meals' which invariably involve a little too much to drink and perhaps a visit to one of Oxford's lovely (and reputable!) clubs. The hard work gives us liberty to enjoy the time off!

If this has not been enough information, search for the Men's and Women's Captains when you get to College in Freshers' week and come along to the river with us. If you want to know more about rowing both at Regent's and at University level you can also have a look at http://wiki.ourcs.org.uk or http://ourcs.co.uk.

Chris Shaw - Men's Boat Captain (christopher.shaw@regents.ox.ac.uk )

Hannah Robertson and Kirsty Borthwick - Women's Boat Captain's (hannah.robertson@regents.ox.ac.uk / kirsty.borthwick@regents.ox.ac.uk)