Rowers soar past DMU for Varsity win

They say that rowing is the only sport in the world that originated as a form of capital punishment, and it’s a sport many can’t understand – who in their right mind would want to destroy themselves on a rowing machine multiple times week, get up before the crack of dawn to row in freezing conditions, and have hands constantly riddled with blisters?  The crews of the University of Leicester Boat Club and De Montfort University Rowing Club can answer that question.

An ecstatic Novice Men’s 8 celebrate their win.

On Wednesday afternoon ULBC triumphed once again over their rivals DMURC with a score of 8 races to 1, making it the 4^th consecutive year they’ve won varsity.  There were nine races in total, consisting of men’s and women’s novices (rowers who only started rowing in September), men’s and women’s seniors, and a mixed race.  The course was simple: a straight, 700 metre all out sprint, starting at Newarke Bridge and finishing opposite the Leicester Rowing Club boathouse.

Eric Jamieson, Alex Woolley, Sam Evans, and Josh Slater giving it their all in the Novice Men’s 4.

The event kicked off a little after 2pm with the Novice Men’s 4, however the race almost immediately had to be restarted at the 100m point due to the Leicester boat having some ‘navigational issues’ and veering into the bank.  After the restart the novice men confidently pulled through their De Montfort equivalents to take the first win of the day.  DMURC subsequently took the win in the Women’s Novice 8 race, leveling the scores.  From then on however, despite a determined effort from DMURC which meant that Leicester could never rest on the laurels, ULBC dominated the day.  The club went on to win the next 7 races to achieve a colossal 8-1 win.

An exhausted Senior Women’s 8 after winning their race.

DMU pushing the Leicester Senior Men’s 8 all the way to the line.

Crowds gathered along the banks of the River Soar to cheer on their universities, braving the rather unpredictable weather conditions.  The day saw sun, wind, rain, and snow – not ideal for the lycra clad rowers.  In true British fashion the snowy conditions didn’t deter anyone from breaking out the barbecue, and the cake stand was a great compliment to the copious amount of booze that was being consumed.

The University of Leicester Boat Club, varsity shield in hand.

ULBC President, Mark Jeacock, was thrilled with the result: ‘I’m really proud of the club, I know all the crews have put in so much training.  DMU gave us some stiff competition and it wasn’t easy but it’s great that all the effort has paid off.’

It’s been a solid start for the University this varsity season, let’s hope it continues!