In terms of the bumps results, we did almost as badly as you can do: we got bumped every day, earning the ignominious award of "spoons" (the opposite of blades). However, I was rowing in the first boat, of which I'm very proud. On at least one day, I felt I found depths of shoving power that I had never exerted before, and I'm very proud of that.Our coach, Martin (see photo), is quite a character, and people tend to love him or hate him. This year marks 40 years of his being the Trinity Hall boatman, making him the longest-serving one on the Cam and a legend. Though he has his faults (a snap temper and unpredictability, for example), I so admire that he does exactly what he loves to do and has mentored so many students. Anyway, he has a knack for putting things hilariously and yet making a real point with them. Here's how he compared the pain of racing to life:
Think about how you come into this world. Your mother shoves you out,
and the first thing that happens to you, someone slaps you. And you
start thinking, "I'm not sure I want to be here." But you [just have to] think, "Hey
ho, that's life," and you get on with it.
The day after bumps was (were?) over, we caught an early-morning train to London and the Tube across town, where we found the trailer that had hauled our boat to the bank of the Thames. We reassembled it and waded in...because we were participating in WeHoRR (Women's Head of the River Race).
I found it a great pick-me-up after the frustration of bumps. For one thing, the Thames is WIDE! The Cam is incredibly narrow -- which is why we have bumps instead of proper races in the first place. For another thing, when we passed under Hammersmith bridge, it was choked with people watching, and the city was just generally a very different surrounding.
And finally, it was a huge ego boost to me to know that I could row 7.5 kilometers, which I'm not sure I would have believed without doing it. I've gotten so much better this year both in terms of skill and fitness. When I was having lunch with a friend from uni a couple weeks ago, she said, "You're such a jock [type]" -- but I never actually was in terms of physical effort. It feels great to be in the best shape of my life. So once again, we return to philosophy: it's really never too late to kick yourself into gear.
I found it a great pick-me-up after the frustration of bumps. For one thing, the Thames is WIDE! The Cam is incredibly narrow -- which is why we have bumps instead of proper races in the first place. For another thing, when we passed under Hammersmith bridge, it was choked with people watching, and the city was just generally a very different surrounding.
And finally, it was a huge ego boost to me to know that I could row 7.5 kilometers, which I'm not sure I would have believed without doing it. I've gotten so much better this year both in terms of skill and fitness. When I was having lunch with a friend from uni a couple weeks ago, she said, "You're such a jock [type]" -- but I never actually was in terms of physical effort. It feels great to be in the best shape of my life. So once again, we return to philosophy: it's really never too late to kick yourself into gear.
