Eights: Did You Know?

RESIDENTS JOUrNAL
HARD
The Journal breaks down one of rowings greatest races
he Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race is one of the most popular events ever to take place on the River Thames. Held annually on the last weekend in March or rst weekend in April, this is the most iconic race in the rowing calendar, with viewing gures for the live televised event hovering in the millions with hundreds of thousands of spectators appearing on the banks of the Thames each year. Founded in 1829, the rst boat race came about when two school friends studying at the two universities decided to set up a challenge, declaring that the University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or
Eights
near London, each in an eight-oared boat during the ensuing Easter vacation. Since then, each university has put forward a boat of eight rowers and a cox, who battle it out for rst place over the four-mile, S-shaped course which runs from Putney upstream to Mortlake. To this day, the racing lines are decided by tossing an 1829 sovereign, in memory of that rst event. As things stand, Cambridge is in the lead having won 81 races, with Oxford trailing behind slightly on 77 a remarkably close set of statistics given the races 185year history. As we went to print, this years title could go either way; Oxfords more experienced crew has no fewer than three Olympic medallists but Cambridges crew outweigh and outreach the dark blues at six pounds heavier and two inches taller per man. Only one things for sure: its bound to be an exhilarating contest. The Journal quizzes Karl Hudspith, 26 the Oxford no. 3, to get the inside scoop on what its actually like on the waves. How did you get involved in rowing? I started rowing at school, as it was one of the options available in the third year. I had never enjoyed playing football and was too skinny to play rugby I was generally very unathletic, as I had grown a lot very early. Rowing is the rst sport that I ever managed to succeed at.
Why do you think the Boat Race is such a special event? The Boat Race is special because it is a duel: one-on-one, side-by-side racing on a tidal river. The course makes the race unpredictable and makes tactics and strategy much more important than in a 2km race on a straight-lane buoyed course. Whats challenging about rowing on this part of the Thames? The Tideway is a very wide stretch of river, but the deep water channel where the ood tide is strongest and the racing line the quickest, is very narrow. The competition for this line makes the race more challenging and exciting to watch, along with the large bends that provide an advantage to the crew on the inside. The distance of the race also makes things difcult; while there may be a big steering advantage to be had by getting ahead early, this will come at an energy cost so if a crew goes off too hard they can be caught back up in the latter stages of the race. n
L-R: Constantine Louloudis (London 2012 Olympian) and Karl Hudspith
Did you know?

Popular actor and comedian Hugh Laurie rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 Boat Race, following in the footsteps of his father Ran who stoked for the university from 1934-36 and who won an Olympic Gold Medal at the London Games of 1948.
The 2014 BNY Mellon Boat Race takes place at 6pm on Sunday 6 April. For more information, visit theboatrace.org
THREE MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Exactly 100 years after both boats sank in the infamous 1912 race, viewers and competitors were in for a shock in 2012 when Australian protestor Trenton Oldeld interrupted the race by deliberately swimming between the boats. Spotted by umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent, who was forced to call an immediate halt to the race, Oldeld was shed out of the river and the race was re-started from the eastern end of Chiswick Eyot. Further disaster followed, with the boats clashing soon after the re-start, leading to a Cambridge victory and health concerns for exhausted members of both teams.
2012
This was the year the race had to be re-scheduled for the following day, after the Cambridge boat collided with a barge and sank before the race even began.
1984
The Cambridge Boat, by Getty Images
Helga Esteb
For the rst time in Boat Race history, the 1877 event was declared a dead heat. Ofcial John Phelps was asked to adjudicate and replied that the noses of the boats passed the post strictly level. This verdict enraged Oxford, which, despite being partially disabled, had managed to hold on to its lead and legend at the university tells that Phelps was actually asleep under a bush when the two crews passed the nish line.
WorDs / Kate Jennion
1877
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RESIDENTS JOUrNAL

L-R: Constantine Louloudis (London 2012 Olympian) and Karl Hudspith

Did you know?

THREE MEMORABLE MOMENTS

The Cambridge Boat, by Getty Images

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