Becoming a powerhouse in UK junior rowing takes time. The level that the top programmes play at is so high in 2024 that international entrants at Henley Royal Regatta are finding it increasingly hard to even make the weekend, let alone win Trophies outright. The British junior team is going from strength to strength – with a further set of silverware to boot after a successful junior world championships campaign in St Catharine’s, Canada – and an increasing number of UK-based athletes are going overseas to test their mettle at collegiate level.
Dulwich College have long been a staple on the junior rowing circuit but traditionally have struggled to find a rhythm that can catapult them into the conversation around the country’s fastest schoolboy boats. Under the stewardship of Director of Rowing Tristan Mayglothling though, this proud school are starting to make waves in all the right places with a proud fleet of Filippi shells taking them forward.
“The 23/24 season was exciting for us,” explained Tristan. “Our first eight broke our boat club records in terms of how fast they were. The standard of competition in boys eights was very strong this year and it was great to try and compete with the best schoolboy programmes in the world.
The club cemented themselves in the top-ten schoolboy crews by finishing tenth at the Schools’ Head of the River and third in the ‘B’ final of championship eights at the National Schools’ Regatta, two of the UK’s premier junior rowing events. “I have been very clear that if we are able to compete with the best in the classroom, we should have the same ambition on the river,” said Tristan. “We are still not where we should be but the support from College and parents has been significant since I arrived. Ultimately the standard is driven by the ambitions of our students and we have some exceptional student athletes that are taking up rowing at Dulwich College alongside a fantastic group of coaches.”
Beyond performance, the club is also focused on providing opportunities on and off the water to keep young people engaged at a time when there are several competing interests. “We wish to provide students of the College an opportunity to row, regardless of their ability of commitment,” commented Tristan. “If we provide an environment students are excited by, can see benefit from and have belief in, then it will positively impact their lives then the students stay engaged. We lose students each year to other interests and we support those pursuits. The students come to us with their aims and we provide them the opportunities to reach them. It is the students boat club – the aims of the boat club are their aims. The coaches role is to combine the students aims with our knowledge of what we think will be required to achieve them.”
To support the collective ambition of a burgeoning boat club, top-quality equipment is required. “When I joined Dulwich, we had nine eights from seven different manufacturers, one of which was a Filippi,” said Tristan. “We have since progressed to focusing on being a two-manufacturer boat club with Filippi providing us with the best boats available. Our seniors row in Filippi pairs, fours and eights all year round, the equipment is maintained by a Filippi approved boatman and the standard and service is outstanding. Rowing on the Tideway can provide extremes such as flood tides on the Putney Embankment, extremely strong currents and all manner of debris floating down the river. Filippi boats are dependable and durable and then when we go to Henley Royal Regatta or the National Schools’ Regatta, they are performance-orientated that enable us to row as fast as we are able.”
Following on, Tristan had positive words to say about Filippi UK: “I believe we have a great relationship with Paul, who is available to speak with should we need anything now or in future seasons. Filippi UK are clear on the timings of their deliveries which enable us to plan when equipment can be used with huge certainty. I implicitly trust Paul and his team and would recommend them to any boat clubs looking to purchase boats this season and beyond.”
Although Filippi are extremely proud to support any boat club, working with a junior club where the raw belief and desire is so strong remains a highlight. The start of any young athlete’s career is fascinating to watch and Filippi are proud to partner with Tristan, who shares this belief. “Working with young people who do incredible things and aren’t yet aware of their excellence is a highlight of working at Dulwich College,” he said. “During my first year, we were still in Covid-19 bubbles at the National Schools’ Regatta so had an Upper Sixth boat get our best result at that time (10th) whilst our lower sixth boat got a bronze medal in second eights. This provided a catalyst for a group of students to believe they could achieve, which then breeds a culture we build on each season.”
2024 was a remarkable season for the club yet tinged with disappointment, due in part to the ever-rising standards in this quiet corner of London suburbia. “I have been fortunate to not have experienced too many low points but the first eight not making an A-final this season was difficult,” Tristian conceded. “They were a great group and had done everything asked of them; we went sub 6:00 as a boat for the first time in boat club history but the opposition were faster and we respect them for that.”
The mystery around what 2025 will bring is what keeps the dynamism and excitement flowing; the never-ending search for speed in a project that is only heading in one direction.
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