As part of the entry requirements for beginner categories at BUCS Regatta, all competitors must be in their first full year of rowing. They will have been taught ‘the basics’ by their coaches, but the interesting part is what different coaches deem ‘the basics’. As they say, all roads lead to Rome.
University of Surrey BC
An up-and-coming program, the University of Surrey have been teaching beginners how to row fast for a few years now. Head Coach Sam Tuck is known for getting the best out of beginners, and won UK Young Coach of the Year in 2017. Surrey won the beginner men’s eights at BUCS Head this year, by a good margin of 12 seconds. They’ve also consistently been among the fastest novices in previous years. As a result, they’re my favourites to win.
Imperial College London BC
Based out of Putney embankment, Imperial College teach hoards of beginners to row each year. By their second or third season, these athletes are usually pretty quick, racing in the top Imperial boats or transferring to University of London BC. Imperial’s novice men finished third at this year’s BUCS Head, and won this very event in 2021. They may just be pipped to the post by Surrey, but should still be on for a fast row this weekend.
Queen’s University Belfast BC
Queen’s have a proven track record of competing in every category, from Beginner through to Championship. They have produced athletes such as Phil Doyle and Ross Corrigan in recent years, who are now members of the Irish national rowing team. This year’s crop of beginners already have a second place finish at BUCS Head to their names, which puts them right in contention for a medal this weekend.
Durham University BC
Rowers competing for Durham in beginner categories will have started out the year either rowing for their college boat clubs, or going straight into DUBC’s Development Squad programme. As Durham look to the future, they’ll have recruited the standout novice rowers to row under the banner of the university in this Beginner Eight. Their campaign to make the A final here seems to be going fairly well, as they finished in sixth place at BUCS Head this year. Can they retain a top six position at a much higher tempo over 2000m? I think it’s likely.
University of Warwick BC
Not the biggest university rowing programme by any means, Warwick nonetheless seem to have a good bunch of novices this year, allowing them to field two eights here. Their top Men’s Beginner Eight finished fourth at BUCS Head, which will undoubtedly have filled them with confidence, as Warwick haven’t been that close to the medals in previous years. What’s more, having two entries will have likely strengthened intra-squad competition and created a solid training environment for the top athletes to push themselves into contention for a spot on the BUCS podium.
Prediction
Overall, I could see a win for the University of Surrey on the day. They’ve got great pedigree in novice rowing, and have been the quickest so far this season. I expect Queen’s University Belfast to take second place, and Imperial to take third. It should be an exciting contest, and it will be interesting to see how crews have stepped on since BUCS Head.
BUCS Image Credit: Drew Smith
Drew Smith Photography
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