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News Archive
St John's W1, fastest women's Torpid's crew, go to the Henley Boat RacesBy Samantha Rawlinson. Posted on May 9th 2013 at 4:46PM.Torpids 2013 ended on a high for SJCBC’s Women’s First Boat: winning blades for the third consecutive year running, they had, in the process, firmly stood their ground at the top of the women’s First Division, rising comfortably from 10th to 6th place. In light of this success, they entered the Henley Boat Race Challenge, a time trial aimed at selecting the fastest men’s and women’s collegiate crews. The winning boats would go on to compete against the top Cambridge collegiate crews in the Intercollegiate Races held at the Henley Boat Races.
On the morning of Wednesday 6th March, St. John’s completed the course in 3mins and 4 secs. They were 7 seconds faster than the next best crew, which was one of a number of blade-winning boats to compete in the trial. The next two weeks saw St. John’s training focussed on gaining boat speed in preparation for their race against Downing College, Cambridge on Sunday 24th March. The prospect of representing both Oxford and St John’s at Henley was a strong motivating factor for the crew, all of whom remained in Oxford after the end of term in order to prepare for this event.
As a result of the bad weather conditions in the week leading up to the Henley Boat Races, a decision was taken to relocate the event to Dorney Lake, the Olympic rowing venue for the London Games. A session on the Lake on the Friday preceding the race gave St. John’s a chance to practise racing on the course. The crew rowed well despite very windy conditions, and they returned to their accommodation in Henley that evening with a sense of confidence in their ability to row well on Sunday.
Race day dawned bitterly cold and windy, but St. John’s remained unfazed by the conditions. The Women’s Intercollegiate Race was the first contest of the day. After a warm-up circuit of the course punctuated by shouts of encouragement from the many St John’s supporters gathered on the bank, St. John’s lined up alongside the Downing College crew in preparation for the 2km race.
A strong start followed by an excellent settle from St. John’s saw them hold level with Downing. A strong rhythm allowed them to inch forward at one point, but Downing closed the gap, pushing ahead as of the halfway mark and gradually taking the lead. Encouraged by the ‘Dorney roar’ from the strong contingent of St John’s supporters at 1500m, St. John’s maintained very good form over the last part of the race, losing only by 1 length. Despite the outcome, all members of the crew felt that they had rowed well, and had put on a strong performance in light of the conditions.
St. John’s experience of racing the top Cambridge college women’s crew at the Henley Boat Races will allow them to continue training for Summer Eights with a renewed sense of purpose and a great deal of confidence as they prepare to challenge for Headship this Trinity term. College’s wonderful support in the run-up to the Henley Boat Races was much appreciated by all involved, while both the men’s and women’s sides of the Boat Club were united in wishing them luck on the day. SJCBC hopes to encourage next year’s Women’s 1st Torpid to enter the time trial for this event in the hope that we are once again given the honour of representing both Oxford and St. John’s against Cambridge in the Women’s Intercollegiate Race at Henley.
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E. Lowe, J. Daly, B. Pilgrim, S. Rawlinson - May 2013
Back to topTorpids 2013By Samantha Rawlinson. Posted on Mar 28th 2013 at 3:55PM.Michaelmas started with a large influx of keen novices, but unfortunately Christchurch Regatta was cancelled and there was a three month period between November and February without a single day of Green Flag. Although the Isis had been high all term, it dropped just in time for Torpids, leading to a mad rush to try and get last minute water time. The lack of water time meant that there was a large variation in the quality of crews across the University, and a mixed bag of results for SJCBC.
Unfortunately our M4 didn’t manage to qualify at rowing on (they had their first outing as a crew that morning), however hopefully a taste of racing has left them hungry for next term and fairer weather.
W3, coached by Emma Lowe and Annette Fayet managed to finish level for the week, a great achievement as they were surrounded by more experienced 2nd boats. This is not to say that they had an uneventful Torpids. On Friday, after Exeter II failed to clear the racing line after bumping, our W3 collided with them, breaking a rigger in the process. The boats were so entangled that the race was klaxoned and several of our girls had to be evacuated to the launch for their safety. Thankfully no one was hurt, although it was a baptism of fire for novice cox Becca Bowden, as this was her first ever bumps race. Congratulations to W3 for remaining the highest 3rd boat on the river, their dedication to the ergs paid off!
M3 had a great result of finishing +2 overall for the week, although largely a novice crew they were bolstered by the return of a couple of experienced rowers. They had a successful first day finishing up two places overall as a result of a bump and an overbump. Thursday was a tough race chasing an eventually blades-winning Green Templeton III who bumped out early in front of them. They couldn't make up the distance for an overbump but rowed over comfortably clear of Corpus Christi II behind. Saturday saw a bad start for M3, with a crab in the five seat that very nearly became an ejector crab as the rower tried to take the blade back underneath him. This allowed Wolfson III to get an early bump on our M3. Once recovered our boys dug deep and managed to secure a quadruple overbump on Christ Church III. They finished the week up two places overall at 10th in Division 6.
After successes of the Women’s 2nd Torpid in previous years, this year’s W2 were starting as the 2nd highest 2nd boat on the river. However, as all but one of this year’s W2 were novices, they were greatly inexperienced in comparison to other crews. Wednesday started with “moderate carnage”, unfortunately a nervy start led to a couple of crabs in the boat, resulting in being bumped by Linacre and then by New II. After this disappointment, they were spurred on to get revenge, but unfortunately they just missed bumping New II on Thursday despite having closed them down to a canvas. Friday saw W2 having to row in the wrong boat (rigged the wrong way around) as their boat had been damaged in W3’s race earlier that day. They were bumped by St Antony’s I and Green I but then bumped New II to finish down one for the day. On Saturday they managed to get a double over-bump on St Hilda’s I. This meant they ended the week down three places at 9th in Division 3, but still remained the 2nd highest 2nd boat on the River. They were coached by Hazel Shepherd and Becka Hewstone.
The Men's 2nd Torpid was comprised entirely of novice rowers. On Wednesday, whilst navigating around a stationary crew M2 were bumped by Oriel II, however they went on to get the over-bump on Lincoln II to finish Wednesday level overall. Thursday saw Exeter II start at the top of Division 4, who were then bumped by all crews ahead of us before Donnington Bridge. Unfortunately, Linacre blocked the racing line and the carnage that ensued resulted in our M2 becoming entangled and being ploughed into by Worcester II and then Jesus II. After an (extremely) lengthy appeals procedure our M2 were awarded a technical row over and a bump on Exeter II. On Saturday they were bumped quickly off the start by a blades winning Wolfson II crew and then rowed over comfortably clear of Jesus II to finish overall down two places at 7th in Division 4 – a phenomenal achievement given the relative lack of experience compared to neighbouring crews.
For the first time, W1 were training off the Isis at Abingdon, thanks to our new launch. This proved invaluable, due to the conditions on the Isis this term, as well as providing the space to get stuck into some solid pieces without having to navigate novice crews. The Women’s 1st Torpid were starting 10th in Division 1, chasing Worcester. On Wednesday and Thursday they found a decent rhythm and proved themselves to be a class apart from Worcester and Hertford respectively, who were both bumped before Donnington Bridge.
On Friday W1 were chasing Christchurch. With an excellent stride before Donnington Bridge and a tight line underneath it, they started to eat up the gap to Christchurch, getting contact in the middle of the Gut. Saturday saw W1 chasing Pembroke. They had a great start and once they were into their stride there was no escape for Pembroke, who were quickly wound in and bumped at the bottom of the Gut, giving our women blades.
This took W1 up to 6th on the River, which is the highest ever Torpids position for W1. Our W1 are now on an unbroken run of 12 bumps in a row in Torpids. The Women’s 1st Torpid returned to training in 8th week in order to contest the Henley Boat Race Challenge. Our W1 smashed the opposition, being seven seconds faster than their nearest rival and hence were selected to represent Oxford at the Henley Boat Races on the 24th March.
The Men’s 1st Torpid saw a number of returning Argonauts take to the water along with two novice oarsmen and a cox new to bumps. On Wednesday, M1 were starting at 6th on the River and chasing Wolfson. A good start saw the men take half a length off the gap by Donnington Bridge, but an even quicker St. Catherine’s crew was storming up from behind, who bumped our men in the Gut. After this we struggled to regain a competitive rhythm and our M1 rowed over. Thursday saw M1 put under pressure from a quick-starting Oriel, who had overlap on us coming through the Gut. However, through some gutsy determination and excellent steering our boys answered the challenge and held Oriel all the way down Greenbanks. Unfortunately a problem with a seat meant that we were caught at the end of Boathouse Island. On Friday M1 rowed over, with Wadham providing very little threat from behind.
However, with Trinity on for blades behind us on Saturday, there was a very clear strategy going into the last day: start fast, row hard and catch Wolfson early. The plan was embraced by the boys; they bore down on Wolfson, coming within three quarters of a length by Donnington Bridge. However, coming up the Gut, the chasing Trinity closed us down and we conceded. Sadly, the early charge couldn’t reel Wolfson in enough, and although M1 had by far their best race, the energy expended in the first half proved too much and Wolfson pulled away again after the Gut.
The end result for M1 was down three places to finish at 9th in Division 1. This shouldn’t detract from the effort and progress the crew has made this term. SJCBC is sorry to see a number of M1 stalwarts give up their seats post-Torpids, after their invaluable contributions to the crew and club over the years.
Well done to all involved, and we look forward to more exciting racing in eights.
Back to topTorpids 2012 - An incredible week for SJCBC.By Alex Winchester. Posted on Feb 28th 2012 at 12:03PM.Torpids 2012 has seen St John's build on the successes of previous years, with all boats performing very well. The Women's crews were particularly outstanding, with both W1 and W2 achieving blades, finishing +6 and +5 respectively. Overall we finished on +14 for the week, giving us more bumps than any other college for Torpids.
W3 saw their training disrupted by poor weather, with the Isis freezing over for two weekends, and as such were unfortunate to not succeed in Rowing-On. Their time was 3.45.0, with the required time being 3.32.5.
W2, under the coaching of Martin Henstridge, had a productive term of training and expectations were high going into Torpids. Wednesday and Thursday saw them achieve quick bumps on St Anthony's and Worcester II. Friday and Saturday were more challenging races, but they performed well and gutsy races gave them bumps on New College II and Linacre I towards the end of Greenbanks. As St Anthony's had also bumped Hertford II on Wednesday, W2 finished +5 for the week, winning blades.
M2 were looking to turn around the fortunes of the second boat in recent years. With a significant number of novices in the crew this was not an easy task, but they rose to the challenge and tackled their training with enthusiasm and dedication. Strong starts and good fitness earned M2 bumps on LMH II, Hertford II and Jesus II on Wednesday, Thursday and Frday respectively. Saturday saw them chasing the high-performing Lincoln II who bumped out on Linacre, and despite their best efforts, M2 could not make the overbump. They finished +3 for the week, disappointed to miss out on blades.
Having trained hard during Michaelmas and Hilary terms W1 were keen to fight their way into the Women's 1st Division - and it was soon clear that this was on the cards.
A very fast bump on Osler House on Wednesday gave the girls a great start, as they bumped out within about 25 strokes.
Thursday saw W1 hunt down Queens, who offered more resistance but were caught comfortably in the Gut.
Friday saw W1 catch Balliol to move to head of division 2, before a bump on Exeter saw them shift up into Women's Division 1 for Saturday. This was a significant moment, marking the arrival of both Men's and Women's 1st Boats in the top divisions in both Torpids and Eights.
Finally, W1 rounded off their week with their 5th bump on Univ, marking a great end to yet another very impressive week.
They win back-to-back blades in Torpids, finishing +6 overall as Univ subsequently bumped St Catz.
M1 were always going to be hard pushed to keep moving up the 1st Division, with a high starting position of 6th on the river meaning there were only good crews ahead and behind.
Wednesday saw M1 row over well clear of Oriel behind them, and whilst we initially gained on Balliol ahead closing down to 3/4 of a length, a scrappy section along Greenbanks allowed them to escape.
On Thursday M1 had a strong and fast Wolfson crew chasing us which meant the odds were stacked against us. We managed to hold them off for most of the way down the Greenbanks but concession was inevitable and so this put us at -1 after two days.
Friday saw a very tight and challenging race for M1. Oriel were behind us once more, and with a fast LMH crew behind them they pushed us hard from the gut until the finish, closing to within 1/4 of a length. However, after Oriel were bumped by LMH we put in a strong push along boathouse island and crossed the line with a more comfortable gap.
On Saturday, with LMH behind us and St Catherine's ahead, M1 produced their best performance of the week by far. With a strong start and stride, we entered the gut 1/4 length off St Catherine's and with 2.5 lengths advantage over LMH. St Catherine's ran across to the towpath side of the river and from this point the bump was never in doubt. We caught them crossing over to Univ, getting a well-earned bump and finishing level for the week.
A highly successful Torpids for SJCBC; we look to build on these achievements for Summer Eights where W1 have a chance to race for the Headship.
Back to topAutumn FoursBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Nov 25th 2011 at 8:42AM.SJCBC got the 2011-2012 season underway with a good performance in Autumn Fours. Although the Men's IV initially lost to Lincoln after a scrappy first race, they went on to make good progress in the repechage competition. They beat Brasenose by two lengths and then New College by two lengths, before losing by only a couple of inches to Trinity in the final of the repechage.Back to topEights Day 4: Blades for both M1 and W1!By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jun 7th 2011 at 7:54AM.Summer Eights drew to a close on Saturday with both the Men's and the Women's 1st Eights bumping for the fourth time to win blades.
In more detail on Saturday:
W3 rowed over again at 13th in Division 6 and provided much entertainment to the crowds dressed up like the men from the 118118 adverts. This meant they ended the week down 2 places. M3 were bumped again on Saturday to end the week down 3 places. W2 were bumped by Linacre II to end down 3 places at 3rd in Division 4. M2 were also bumped by Wolfson II to end the week down 1 place at 1st in Division 5. W1 bumped Teddy Hall at the end of the Green Bank to win blades. This took them up to 4th on the River, their highest ever position. M1 bumped Magdalen after about 15-20 strokes, after Magdalen messed up their start. This brought M1 blades as well and took them up to 9th on the River. This is their highest position for about 15 years.Back to topEights Day 3: Both 1st VIIIs bump againBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jun 4th 2011 at 8:01AM.Again Friday saw a mixed set of results for SJCBC. But whereas the lowered boats suffered, both the Men's and Women's 1st VIIIs obtained their third bumps of the week.
W3 achieved a row over at the bottom of Division 6 after a claxon was sounded shortly after the start of the race. M3 got off to a good start in Men's Division 6 and put water between them and Wadham IV who were chasing. However, Wadham gained slowly but surely over the course and after our M3 had two crabs coming on to boathouse island, they were bumped. W2 were bumped by St Antonys in Women's Division 4. M2 had a bad start in their race and unfortunately were caught quickly by Merton II. W1 were chasing Osler. They managed to obtain the bump just after the gut, after taking an excellent line. This moves them up to 5th on the river, their highest ever position. M1 were chasing down Teddy Hall in Men's Division 1. The pressure of them behind Teddy Hall pushed Teddy Hall up behind Magdalen and there were only canvases separating all three crews as they rowed under Donnington Bridge. Our M1 were successful however, obtaining a bump taking them up to 10th on the river.Back to topEights Day 2: 1st VIIIs continue upward movement.By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jun 3rd 2011 at 8:16AM.It was overall a mixed day of results for SJCBC but both 1st boats made an impression at the business end of the day.
W3 were unfortunately bumped again on Thursday down to 13th in Division 6, but at least they know they will get a minimum of a row over today. M3 were caught between a rock and a hard place, or to put it another way Hilda's 1 and Green Templeton 1 - the two fastest rowing on crews. M3 were bumped by Green Templeton. Two row overs were on the cards for W2, first at the top of Division 4 and then at the bottom of Division 3. M2 also rowed over and were unable to gain on Lincoln II in front. W1 rowed well and bumped Christchurch in the Gut. This takes them up to 6th on the River, their highest ever position. M1 successfully hunted down Worcester, obtaining the bump by the top of the bunglines, taking them up to 11th on the river. Back to topEights Day 1: M1 return to Div 1 and W1 bump up to 7th on the RiverBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jun 2nd 2011 at 8:16AM.Wednesday of Summer Eights was a good day SJCBC. Overall we finished on a +1 for the day.
W3 were bumped in Women's Division 6. M3 achieved a row over behind St Hilda's I in Men's Division 6 (that was klaxonned about half way through). Our W2, who were starting very high in Women's Division 3 were unfortunately bumped down to the sandwich boat at the top of Women's Division 4. Our M2 bumped Hertford II to go up to 11th in Men's Division 4. W1 bumped Magdalen to go up to 7th in Division 1, our highest ever position in Summer Eights. M1 successfully rowed over in front of Exeter at the top of Men's Division 2. They then made quick work of bumping New College to return them back in to Division 1, after a 14 year absence.Back to topCentrica Plc sponsors SJCBC!By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on May 31st 2011 at 11:03PM.SJCBC is proud to announce that we are being sponsored by Centrica Plc for Summer Eights 2011.
http://www.centrica.com/
Two representatives from Centrica will be in attendance at our boathouse on the Saturday of Summer Eights. Please feel free to talk to them about the company. This should be of particular interest to anybody looking for an internship in the near future.Back to topRowing On ResultsBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on May 28th 2011 at 3:12PM.Congratulations to both M3 and W3 who have both successfully qualified for Summer Eights.
M3 achieved a time of 2:43.5 with a time of 2:56.5 needed. W3 achieved a time of 3:30.5 with a time of 3:31.5 needed. Comiserations to M4 who missed out on qualification with a time of 3:05.0
This means that SJCBC will have 6 crews competing in Summer Eights next week.
M1 - 5.45pm
W1 - 6:15pm
M2 - 3:30pm
W2 - 4:05pm
M3 - 1:10pm
W3 - 12.30pm
(Times shown are for Wednesday to Friday; times for Saturday are one hour earlier)
Back to topNew IV+ to be named 'Freyja Cox Jensen'By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on May 27th 2011 at 8:05AM.Yesterday saw the draw of our raffle to name our new IV+. The draw raised around £300 for the boat club and we are very greatful to everyone who entered.
The owner of the winning ticket was Ian Ashpole who had chosen the name 'Freyja Cox Jensen'.
Freyja was the Coach of the Women's 1st Boat for four years and during this time they made excellent progress. The Women's 1st Eight for example, climbed almost an entire division during her time at the club.
The boat will be officially named at the SJCBC Society Lunch on Saturday of Summer Eights (4th June). Back to topMen's 1st Eight win the College Eights at Bedford RegattaBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on May 20th 2011 at 1:17PM.On Saturday 14th May the Men's 1st Eight entered into Bedford Regatta in the College Eights Category. In the first round they raced Magdalen College 1st Eight. Magdalen got ahead of the start, but we came back strongly in the middle section of the race and ended up winning by one length in a time of 3:39. The second round saw us racing Christchurch College 1st Eight. The race against Christchurch was tougher, but we rowed well and won by one length in a time of 3:38. The final saw us up against Downing College Cambridge. They proved by far the toughest opposition of the day, but after an excellent start we built up a lead of half a length. We managed to maintain the lead throughout the race and won by three quaters of a length in a time of 3.36. Back to topAuction to Name the New Women's 1st VIII begins!By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Apr 22nd 2011 at 8:20PM.SJCBC has recently acquired a new Stämpfli VIII for the Women’s 1st crew. We have decided to make the naming of the boat something all current and ex-SJCBC members can all get involved in. We are auctioning off the name to the highest bidder or group of bidders – so this might be an opportunity to contact your old crewmates again. You are free to choose any name you would like. This could be a chance to commemorate a great moment in the club’s history (perhaps the headship of 1967 or the first women’s crew of 1979) or a particular individual who has devoted a huge amount to the club over their time. All money raised from this auction will go to help further improve the performance of SJCBC. The minimum bid will be £500.00 (and there is no maximum amount!).
The highest bidder will get their name of choice on the side of the new boat and we have thrown in some extras for good measure:
* A champagne naming ceremony at the SJCBC Boat House on the Saturday of Summer Eights (4th June)
* Four tickets to the SJCBC Society buffet lunch on the Saturday of Summer Eights
* A free overnight stay for two people in an Alumni Guestroom either on Friday 3rd June or Saturday 4th June
If you would like to take part, please email your bid, your boat name of choice (you can be as creative as you like!) and contact details to ben.pilgrim@sjc.ox.ac.uk . If you would like to remain anonymous please make a note of this when emailing your bid. Bids will be displayed here on the front page of the boat club website. The site will be updated regularly once we start to receive bids, although if multiple bids come in at once we may only display the highest current bids.
The auction is open for bids now and will close at 12pm on Wednesday 25th May. The highest bid (and subsequently the chosen boat name) will be announced shortly after on the SJCBC website.
We appreciate that not everyone will be able to afford to put in a bid for this new VIII and so we are also having a prize draw for the naming of a new IV+ that SJCBC has purchased recently. The IV+ is suitable for both women and lightweight men and again all money raised will go towards helping SJCBC. Tickets cost only £10!
If you would like to enter the prize draw please send your boat name of choice and contact details to the Alumni Office, St John’s College along with a cheque (made payable to St John’s College, Oxford). If you would like to pay by other means please contact the Alumni Office directly by emailing
alumni.office@sjc.ox.ac.uk or telephoning 01865 610886. Once payment is received a ticket will be placed into our prize draw. Entries for the prize draw should be received by Wednesday 25th May. The winner will be announced shortly after on the SJCBC website. You are welcome to purchase as many tickets as you like – even purchasing one will be a huge help to the boat club. The winner of the prize draw will also be invited to a champagne naming ceremony at the Boat House and get two tickets to the SJCBC Society Lunch on the Saturday of Summer Eights (4th June).Back to topHenley Boat Races Success for SJCBC OarsmenBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Mar 29th 2011 at 11:35PM.SJCBC members Paul Crewe and Andrew Craig powered Oxford home to a win by a canvas over Cambridge in the Lightweight Men's Boat Race last weekend. This has been another good year for SJCBC representation at the university squad level. Lightweight President Paul Crewe and Andrew Craig were bow and stroke respectively in the OULRC Blue Boat, whilst Remi Drouin was in Nephthys. Also former SJCBC members Alex Woods (now at Pembroke) made Isis and Edward Lent (now at Keble) made Nephthys.Back to topTorpids Ends on a High - With M1 bumping Oriel and Blades for W1By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Mar 8th 2011 at 11:22PM.Overall Torpids 2011 was a very successful week for SJCBC - we finished on a net +8 for the week ranking us 5th out of all boat clubs in net change in position.
On Saturday our Women's 2nds were chasing down Hertford II for the 4th bump. Unluckily for us, St Antony's were dropping fast from higher up in the Division. We got to 1/4 length off of Hertford II before Hertford II overbumped out on St Antony's. We managed to close St Antony's down to 1/2 length for the double overbump, but not enough. So the Women's 2nds finished on +3.
On Saturday M2 had LMH II in their sights. They closed to within a canvas off the bump but then the division was klaxonned. This left our M2 on -1 for the week.
On Saturday our Women's 1sts were on for blades and chasing Keble college for that 4th bump. They bumped Keble around Donnington Bridge to win blades and finish the week on +4.
On Friday our M1 had been hit with a sudden illness to the crew, and had to get in a substitute and subsequently reshuffle the crew order. However they were unphased by this and went out and rowed very well trying to chase down Oriel. Oriel had the stronger start in the race, but faded significantly towards the end. We gained enough to force them to run across the river at the end, but were about a foot off of getting the bump. On Saturday M1 stepped up a gear again. After an excellent start we closed hard on Oriel and bumped them half the way up the Green Bank. This took M1 up to 6th on the river. This is their highest finishing position for around 40 years (see http://www.atm.ox.ac.uk/rowing/bumps/sjoh/sjoh_mt.html - thanks to Anu Dudhia). M1 ended the week on +2 which was also the highest upward movement of any boat starting in the Top Division. Back to topSuccess Continues for SJCBC on Day 3!By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Mar 5th 2011 at 11:27AM.Our Women's 2nds successfully rowed over at the top of Division 4. At the bottom of Division 3 they continued their run of bumping with a bump on Brasenose who had gone into the bank. Today they chase down Hertford II for that 4th bump.
Our Men's 2nds rowed over yesterday. Their rowing has been improving all week. They stayed clear of Univ II and made gains on LMH II for the overbump after Lincoln II bumped out. Today they will have LMH II in their sights.
Our Women's 1sts managed to finally get the bump on Mansfield yesterday, in full view of the college boathouse. This puts them on +3 and today they will be chasing Keble for that 4th bump.
Our Men's 1sts had a very close race with Oriel yesterday. They chased them down to a canvas and Oriel had to run across the stream at the end of the course to escape.
Overall SJCBC is on +6 for the week.Back to topSJCBC battles on through Day 2By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Mar 4th 2011 at 7:57AM.Our Women's 2nds started off the day with a bump on Wolfson II, again very quickly into the race. This moved them up to the top of the division and earned them as race as the sandwich boat for Division 3. Unfortunately the boat in front, Worcester II, bumped out leaving our girls to row over.
The Men's 2nds had a tough time again today. Although they rowed a lot better than the day before, they were unable to gain on LMH II and succombed to a bump from Lincoln II in the Gut.
The Women's 1sts were again chasing Mansfield. Higher up the division, a collision resulted in St Hilda's rowing into the bank and becoming wedged there. Our girls, who were three places behind Hilda's, simply overtook to gain a bump.
The Men's 1sts were chasing Oriel after bumping Hertford the day before. Oriel proved much tougher opposition and we ended up rowing over.
Overall that put SJCBC on +1 for the day and +4 for the week. Back to topThree Bumps for SJCBC on Torpids Day 1By Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Mar 2nd 2011 at 11:56PM.SJCBC got off to a great start on Wednesday of Torpids.
Our Women's 2nd Torpid bumped Balliol II very quickly after the start.
Our Men's 2nds held their nerve to achieve a gutsy row over. After being closed on hard by Univ II, who got overlap on us in the Gut, we managed to row away.
Our Women's 1sts were involved in an exciting race. After Mansfield in front bumped out on Sommerville, we were chasing Sommerville for the overbump whilst holding off Wolfson from behind. We got the overbump at the end of the Green Bank.
Our Men's 1sts were chasing Hertford and managed to bump them between Donnington Bridge and the Gut.
We look forward to an exciting day of racing tomorrow. Back to topNew WebsiteBy Anthony Nutt. Posted on Feb 23rd 2011 at 4:38PM.So another few years has passed, and our website has once again been rebuilt anew. It's got everything you loved about the old site, along with some new pages and features.
Photos can now be added by anyone in the boat club through our new flickr account (ask a senior member of the club for the username and password), and also new to the site is the SJCBC Society page, containing up to date information on how to join, and what benefits you'll receive. It also contains the termly newsletters written by the society.
Alongside improved crew listings, more complete kit pages, and the much cleaner look and feel, the updated site really improves on what the old one already did well.Back to topRace Results from Nephthys Regatta and the start of Christchurch RegattaBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jan 6th 2010 at 10:47PM.The Men’s Novice As were unlucky to lose to Balliol Bs in the first round of Nephthys Regatta, after starting well but suffering setbacks of a couple of large crabs. They did not get to race in Christchurch Regatta. The Men’s Novice Bs went out in the first round of Nephthys Regatta to the very strong Trinity Novice As who went on to win the competition. In the first round of Christchurch Regatta the Bs were drawn against Wolfson As. The resulting race proved one of the more exciting of the first round with the crews reasonably well balanced. However the Bs proved themselves the better crew, gradually edging in front and winning by around half a length. Thus they continued the tradition of the John’s Men’s Bs being the ‘A boat slayers’ in Christchurch Regatta. Racing was called off before they had a chance to race in the second round. The Men’s Novice Cs did not race in Nephthys Regatta. In Christchurch Regatta they raced Worcester Cs in the first round. They put in a respectable performance and were leading by about half a length at the halfway stage, but after a large crab were unlucky to lose the race by about two lengths.
The Women’s Novice As had a well-deserved victory in the first round of Nephthys Regatta against Green-Templeton As. Unfortunately however, they met strong opposition in the second round and did not progress any further. In the first round of Christchurch Regatta they were drawn against Balliol As. Despite our girls rowing well it was Balliol who proved to be the stronger crew. It was a shame that our As did not get a second chance to prove themselves in the repecharge due to the cancellation of racing. The Women’s Novice Bs came up against Hertford Bs in the first round of Nephthys Regatta. Hertford Bs were a very good crew and our girls lost the race. In Christchurch Regatta the Bs were again unfortunate to be drawn against St Peter’s B who were also a very good crew. The racing was called off before they had chance to compete in the repecharge. The Women’s Cs remain the only undefeated novice boat of this year. They were not entered into Nephthys Regatta due to scheduling restrictions allowing only A and B boats. In Christchurch Regatta they boated for a race, but due to the huge delays caused by the strong stream and high winds waited on the water for a long time for an opposition that did not appear and so they did not get to race.
Back to topWeather Thwarts Michaelmas RacingBy Ben Pilgrim. Posted on Jan 6th 2010 at 10:37PM.As usual the new year brings with it many new faces to the boat club and St John’s was very fortunate to be able to produce both three men’s and three women’s novice crews this term. With October and early November being quite warm and reasonably dry, crews were luckily able to get a full term’s worth of practice in. Unfortunately the good weather was not to last, and as we approached the business end of term the stream gradually crept up and strong winds caused havoc for all but the best of coxes. Nephthys Regatta managed to run successfully, but by the time Christchurch Regatta arrived the conditions were so bad only some of the races scheduled for the first day took place, and the rest of the regatta was called off altogether. The Isis remained under red flag until early 10th week. This lack of sufficient race experience left many novices very disappointed, but it also left many still hungry for success and keen to carry on with rowing and we hope this will translate into a successful Torpids for SJCBC. Back to topHilary 2009By Ian Ashpole. Posted on Apr 22nd 2009 at 4:34PM.After a successful Michaelmas for both experienced rowers and novices alike, hopes were high as the sights of the Boat Club were set on Torpids, and places in both the 1st boats were fiercely competed for. However, as is often the case in Hilary Term, seemingly endless rain and then a prolonged spell of snow saw the Isis put out of action for weeks. Despite this, and the looming possibility of Torpids being a washout, all crews toiled away in the gym and on the ergs and their wishes were to come true as conditions righted themselves on the Isis just in time for Torpids.
A lack of water time took it’s toll on W3 who failed to row on, but M3 performed fantastically, slicing through the opposition in Division 5 to win blades, finishing 6 places up on where they had started. Our 2nd boats, both of which were placed highly, were not as successful - M2 finished the week down 2 overall, and W2 down one despite bumping on Wednesday, although they will believe they have every right to feel hard done by after having what seemed like legitimate bumps taken from them on Thursday and Friday. M1, in their shiny new Empacher, looked good and rowed very well to finish the week up two places, putting them among the elite of college rowing at 9th in Division 1. W1 capped two-terms worth of training off with a blade-winning performance – bumping before the gut on Wednesday and then showing just how hard they had all been working by over-bumping on Thursday and Friday by the boathouses and TRIPLE-OVERBUMPING (catching the boat that started the race 4 places ahead of them) on Saturday in front of their families, friends, and admirers just beyond boathouse island. Overall, St John’s finished 5th in the college rankings, a fantastic result.
W1 also raced in Women’s Head of the River on Saturday 7th March, ending in the middle-order with a time of 21:45.97. This proved to be a unique and exciting experience for everyone in the boat. Unfortunately M1 weren't able to compete in any external races due to the conditions earlier in term, which meant they were unable to defend their crown at Bedford Head.
All eyes are now on Summer Eights, which should again see some very competitive St John’s crews taking to the water.
Back to topAnd the winner is...By Martin Henstridge. Posted on Feb 11th 2009 at 10:21AM.... the St John's Barge Preservation Consortium and their very generous bid of £850 to name the boat "Martin Slocock". The boat will be officially named during a ceremony on Saturday of Torpids (28th Feb).
I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the auction!Back to topAnd the first bid goes to...By Martin Henstridge. Posted on Jan 30th 2009 at 1:21PM.... John Crossley, Mike Pratt and Tony Boyce with their bid of £250 to call the boat "Argo" - the ship in which Jason and his Argonauts sailed on their quest to find the golden fleece.
Thank you very much!
There's just over a week to go until the auction finishes. Get your bids in by 8pm on 8th Feb.Back to topAuction deadline extendedBy Martin Henstridge. Posted on Jan 27th 2009 at 5:07PM.We've heard from several of you guys that you're trying to get in touch with your old crewmates so you can place a group bid.
So we've extended the auction deadline by a week. You now have until 8pm on 8th Feb.
Best of luck!Back to topName the Men's 1st VIII!By Martin Henstridge. Posted on Jan 19th 2009 at 12:14PM.The auction for the name of the men's new Empacher VIII opens today!
Email your bid to sjcbc.auction@googlemail.com
The winner will get:
* Their name of choice on the side of a shiny new Empacher
* Champagne naming ceremony on the Saturday of Torpids (28 February)
* Two tickets to Torpids Dinner on 28 February
* An overnight stay for two people in an Alumni Guestroom after Torpids Dinner (includes breakfast in Hall on 29 February)
Bidding closes at 20:00 on 1st February.
Good luck!Back to topMichaelmas 2008 - a positive start to the new season!By Ian Ashpole. Posted on Dec 4th 2008 at 7:12PM.A good Michaelmas term is crucial to success in Torpids and Eights, so based on what we have seen over the past couple of months SJCBC has every reason to be excited about the future!
Enthusiasm amongst new college faces has never been higher, and this has seen us entering a record SIX boats into Christ Church Regatta. All of the hard work that these crews and their coaches have put in this term was rewarded with an undisrupted regatta scedule, something that hasn't happened since 2005. This enabled our new rowers to show what they can do, and they certainly didn't disappoint! All 6 crews entered Nephthys regatta, with the men's Novice A's - herein the "Novice Row Team" - reaching the final, narrowly losing out to a very good Exeter A boat. Combined with the slim loss of our Women's 1st boat (who treated the event as a training exercise) to St. Catz in the experienced VIII category, and our Women's IV winning their category, this performance was enough to see SJCBC win the regatta overall for the 2nd time in 3 years. Our novices took momentum from this victory into Christ Church Regatta, and despite some very tough draws all boats apart from WC (the first Women's C boat to be entered by SJCBC in well over a decade) proceeded beyond the 2nd round, with 4 boats making it to the final day. The Novice Row Team flew the flag for SJCBC, and were desperately unlucky to lose in the semi-final to St. Peters A, who went on to win the final. All in all, this was a hugely successful campaign and it is excellent that so many novices are keen to continue rowing, obviously spurred on by the excitement of racing and the enthusiasm of their coaches who have done such a fantastic job (and perhaps the thought that Hilary can't possibly bring colder conditions than they have experienced this term....!). The foundations have certainly been lain for a good future....
The novices that choose to continue rowing will join those who have been training in Dev Squad. This term, both the men and women's squads entered Wallingford Head - and again, for the first time in years this actually went ahead! The men put in an excellent performance, coming 5th overall in their section, and the women performed brilliantly scoring the 3rd highest time in theirs. This was certainly just reward for the countless hours of training put in. Boats were also entered in Autumn fours, Nephthys Regatta and Isis Winter League, which provided an opportunity for Dev Squad members that did not make the VIII's entered into Wallingford to be involved in some competitive rowing. In total the men's squad consisted of over 16 members, and the women's of over 20, all training very hard towards the ultimate goal of making a big impact at Torpids.
With very large and committed Dev Squads and many novices looking to continue rowing in Torpids, it looks like the Captains are going to have a very tough task when selecting crews next term......... Back to topEights 2008By Ian Ashpole. Posted on Dec 4th 2008 at 6:12PM.This year the drama of Eights started sooner than expected, with the Women's 4th VIII (who started out with 6 novices) failing to row on but posting the fastest ever non-rowing on time in doing so - surely a victory of sorts...! Eights week itself proved to be particularly eventful for W3, who found themselves in the unfortunate position of being chased down every day by 2nd boats. They fought with everything they had to cling on to their title of highest 3rd VIII on the river, but were bumped in an excruciatingly tight race by Wadham III on the final day, leaving them at a very undeserved -4 for the week. Unfortunately, W2 also found themselves extremely high on the river and surrounded by class opposition, but they were very unlucky to finish -3 overall after a succession of very, very close races - their overall position could easily have been +3. Better news for W1, who built on last year's success by putting in a superb performance. They bumped up three places to represent SJCBC women in the First division for the first time ever, but were eventually caught on the final day by an Oriel boat boasting a crop of University squad rowers and bumped back down to Division 2. Still, this was no embarassment and they finished the week on +2.
The Men's fourth VIII did not share the bad luck of their female counterparts, and managed to successfully row on. They entertained spectators during Eights week by dressing as pink cowboys, and unlike some other Beer Boats, they rowed very well and finished the week up 2 places. M3 put in strong performances throughout the week, holding onto very tight leads on two occasions, but despite this they finished on -2. M2 set the river alight on Wednesday, gaining an overbump on St Anthony's, but this heaped the pressure on them and they eventually ended the week on +1. M1 looked set for a brilliant campaign, gaining a bump on day 1, but momentum was lost on Thursday and they finished the week level - a respectable outcome but perhaps somewhat frustrating after their excellent start to the week.
All told, every rower who competed in Eights this year did excellently and made their coaches proud - here's hoping the foundations have been set for a successful 2008-2009 rowing season! As power is handed over to a new committee, thanks should go to all who put in so much hard work to ensure this has been a great year's rowing for SJCBC - and especially to Benjamin, Emily and Beth who have helped lay the foundations for a stronger relationship with alumni with the birth of the Boat Club Society, which will no doubt benefit many past, present, and future rowers. Back to topTorpids 2008!!By Emily Palmer. Posted on Mar 9th 2008 at 8:36PM.Torpids 2008 saw a stunning performance by all St. John's boats. After a somewhat shaky start to the week on Wednesday (down 2 overall - only the second boats bumped), all of our six boats demonstrated that they have trained hard all term by improving our overall statistics to up 15: The women's third boat made up ground that it had lost in a very unfortunate crash on the first day to finish up 1 by the end of the week. The men's third torpid went up 2 and managed to secure a place in the next division up, a feat also shared by both second boats. The second boats certainly put down the star performances by going up by 5 (men) and 4 (women) places. Both very narrowly missed out on blades on the last day but the boat club is very proud that both boats are in the top 5 second boats on the river!
The women's first boat found itself in a particularly competitive spot in Division II but went up 1 place - finishing 9th. Finally, the men's first boat succeeded in getting a long overdue promotion into Division I, ascending by 2 places to 11th on the river.Back to topBedford Head &TorpidsBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Feb 12th 2008 at 10:30AM.The Men's 1st Torpid entered Bedford Head last sunday. A good row brought us the victory in the ARA Novice Category.
Torpids is kicking off this friday with rowing on for the women's and men's third boats. Having made the best of poor river conditions throughout the term, the whole boatclub is well prepared and looking forward to racing.Back to topRowing in HilaryBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Dec 23rd 2007 at 12:35PM.Anyone interested in rowing in Hilary 2008 please email either myself (Benjamin.rosenberger@sjc) or Emily (Emily.palmer@sjc) . We are as usually looking for experienced and novice rowers alike who would like to participate in the great sport of rowing and contribute to the College’s sporting success. Back to topNovice Rowing and Development Squad - A Summary of Michaelmas 2007By Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Dec 23rd 2007 at 12:34PM.Michaelmas 2007 has seen an interest in Rowing at SJC unheard of in recent years. On the women’s side there were 2 novice boats and a rather large Development Squad of 16 – this number might have been boosted by the late successes of the women’s first boat. On the men’s side we managed to fill 3 novice eights and there was again a Development Squad boasting 16 members.
To give both novices and Dev Squad some experience in the run up to what should have been the term’s highlights Christ Church regatta and Wallingford Head – both cancelled due to fast stream – the men entered Autumn 4s (losing a narrow first round encounter against Somerville, who went on to the final), Marlow 4s Head (winning the Novice Category), Isis Winter League A and B (the top boat finishing 5th and 6th respectively against strong competition of other Oxford Colleges) and finally Nephthys Regatta where the men’s Novice A’s were narrowly beaten in the final – crowning an excellent performance of all SJCBC boats in this competition. The women trained hard all term focused on making an impact in Torpids 2008 and only making a single appearance in public at Nephthys regatta where the top boat lost to a strong Balliol boat by a canvas in the semi final. The novice A’s and B’s gained there only racing experience for the term in this competition losing in the 3rd and 1st round respectively.
SJCBC will head for the next big challenge of Torpids boosted by these good performances in Michaelmas and we are convinced that the Boat Club will see a very successful year 2008.
Happy New Year!
Emily and Benjamin
Back to topMaillistBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Nov 2nd 2007 at 9:17PM.SJCBC now has its own maillist. To subscribe, please email sjc-boatclub-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk and follow the instructions on the email that you will receive shortly afterwards.Back to topFirst Win of the SeasonBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Oct 1st 2007 at 12:36PM.On Saturday Alex Woods claimed SJCBC's first win of the season in the Novice Single Sculls event at Wallingford long distance sculls. He was also part of the the Wallingford Quad, that finished as Head of the River.Back to topNewsletterBy Emily Palmer. Posted on Sep 17th 2007 at 10:16PM.The new Newsletter can be found hereBack to topRowing in MichaelmasBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Sep 7th 2007 at 3:27PM.If you are interested in rowing for St. John’s in Michaelmas 2007, please get in contact with myself (Benjamin.rosenberger@sjc.ox.ac.uk) or Emily (Emily.palmer@sjc.ox.ac.uk). We are looking for complete novices and experienced rowers alike.
We are also keen on people who want to cox. If you would like to join us as a cox, please email Elizabeth.McKinnell@sjc.ox.ac.uk
Back to topEights ResultsBy Benjamin Rosenberger. Posted on Sep 7th 2007 at 3:27PM.SJCBC’s Summer Eights 2007 campaign turned out to be very successful. The Club’s boats went up a total of 6 places.
Special credit is due to the Women’s Crews, who went up 6 places overall. The Blade-winning Women’s First Eight accounting for 4 of these, securing a second blade in 3 years and the highest position on the river so far in the history of SJCBC Women’s rowing. The Women’s fourth boat, not having been bumped a single time, went up 2 places. The second Eight went up 1 place, a high quality, dedicated crew defending a very tough area of their division. The third boat fought gallantly each day and managed to keep its place as highest third boat on the river in spite of going down one.
Having shown their potential by winning the Isis Winter League event against strong opposition a week before Eights, the Men’s First Eight “only” went up one place, being stuck behind a strong, stubborn St. Anne’s crew after the first day. The Fourth Eight, mainly composed of graduates – some with substantial rowing experience – gained one place. Despite being “far and away the most technically proficient crew of the division” (OURCs’ live blog), the Second Eight went down one place. Their fate was shared by the Third Boat which was up one after halftime, but got bumped on the last two days.
All in all it was a very successful week, congratulations to those who competed!
Phoebe Sanders and Dave Henderson won the "Best Oarswoman 2006/7" and "Best Oarsman 2006/7" awards. Back to topEightsBy Tim Williamson. Posted on May 19th 2007 at 8:14PM.SJCBC have 8 crews (4 men's, 4 women's) competing in Eights this term.
Races will be held 23rd - 26th May, between 12:00pm and 7:00pm Wednesday through Friday, then 11:00am - 6:00pm on Saturday.
Please come down to the SJC Boathouse, where there will be a bar toward the end of the week's racing, and lend the college your support.Back to topOx City BumpsBy Tim Williamson. Posted on Apr 30th 2007 at 4:42PM.In this year's Ox City Bumps, M1 went up 3 and M2 finished up 2. W1 ended up level and W2 went down 2.Back to topRowing/Coxing in TrinityBy Tim Williamson. Posted on Apr 4th 2007 at 9:14PM.Anyone wishing to row in Trinity, please get in contact either with myself (timothy.williamson@sjc) or Loren (loren.parry@sjc). Trinity is a fantastic term to take up rowing as a novice, or reprise your career in a beer/lambrini 8.
We're just as interested in people who are willing to take up coxing. Contact natasha.wood@sjc for further details.Back to topTorpids 2007By Tim Williamson. Posted on Mar 6th 2007 at 4:57PM.Torpids 2007 cancelled due to bad weatherBack to topHilary RowingBy Tim Williamson. Posted on Jan 15th 2007 at 10:53PM.Due to heavy rainfall, the river has risen to a level which would make it dangerous to row. All Isis outings are suspended until further notice. Please bear with us in the meantime and apologies to anyone desperate to get in a boat. Despite rumours to the contrary, sculling on Port Meadow is not allowed.Back to top
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