In The Spring SpiritHarri Christie and Henny Schulte to Buehne

The Neptunes

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May 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3

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THE WEATHER DURING Lent Term might have beenless than spring-like to say the least, but MECBCgot into the spirit of the new season, branchingout and trying new things.We discovered that there are riversbeyond Cambridge, and for many of ourmembers, Womens’ Eights Head of the RiverRace on the Thames (p. 5) marked their firstjourney into unchartered waters. In the Easterbreak, we even ventured across the Channel foran amazing training camp in Fumel, France (p.3). Michaelmas term’s Novices flew the nestand blossomed throughout the term, andtogether with MECBC’s more seasoned rowers,

maintained the club’s position on the Cam(p. 2 and p. 4). As well as exploring the new,we reconnected with old friends, hosting analumnae reunion row in February (p. 7).Both editors took a term out fromrowing during Lent, but all this excitementmade us realise that we couldn't stay awayany longer.There can be no doubt that whatstarted to grow in Lent will flourish in EasterTerm. With outings in the sunshine alreadylifting our spirits, we are excited for thehighlight of the Cambridge rowing calendar—roll on May Bumps!

BUMPS. The thought of the cannon and thecountdown puts a knot in our stomachs weeksin advance and even weeks later. And wewouldn't trade it for anything.It was a brilliant campaign for MECBCbeginning with our second and third boatsqualifying for a spot on the Bumps charts in theGetting on Race on 22nd February. This was anespecially impressive feat for W3; it's been nineyears since we had a W3 in Lent Bumps.Five days of bumping action began on26th February. W3, surrounded by secondboats in the lower half of the third division, hada tough week, unfortunately getting bumpedthree times and rowing over once. Despite thisrocky campaign, however, the crew heldthemselves together with irrepressibleoptimism. They had a real fighting spirit, and Icouldn't help but be inspired by them.

W2 cut through the middle of the thirddivision with what can only be described asbrutal efficiency, executing swift bumps onSidney Sussex II, Wolfson, Trinity Hall II (thefastest bump I've ever seen, couldn't have lastedmore than 25 strokes) and finally Clare II to wina coveted set of Blades!The pressure to perform was perhapsgreatest for W1, as we finally had a chance tomake it back into the first division. After a solidrow over at the top of division 2, we made goodon our first opportunity and bumped Selwyn tosecure our place at the bottom of division 1 onday 2. Three more bumps over the next threedays followed and Magdalene, Peterhouse andTrinity Hall all fell as we climbed—Blades forW1! It was an incredible week, and you canread about the Bumps experiences of rowersfrom all three crews on our website(http://bit.ly/10luX2y).Only three colleges qualified a women'sthird boat for Lent Bumps. We were one ofthem. Only four sets of blades were given outon the women's side this year. Two of themwere ours. There are no words to describe howproud I am of this extraordinary group of youngwomen, so I'll just say this—bring on Mays!MECBC. WELL HARD.2

Lent Bumps report

Reana MaierOutgoing Captain of Boats

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Our afternoon off consisted of a visit tothe medieval Chateau de Bonaguil followedby a wine-tasting session at the Cave deLamartine. On our final day of rowing, wehad a 1k race against an VIII made up of sixveteran male rowers from the club and twowomen, all coxed, in French, by our very ownPauline (brave Pauline!). After a briefoverlapping of blades following our scrappystart, we all put the power down andmanaged to win by a length.Overall, we concluded that this weekhad been the highlight of our Easter vacations,featuring more than 4 kg of Nutella, countlesstypes of cheese, over 50 baguettes, and 743 kmof rowing (according to Rowanne). Personally, Iknow I haven't laughed that much in ages; I amoverjoyed that everything went smoothly, and Ican't thank the girls enough for making thisweek so amazing. Boatie love is the best.

FROM THE 8TH TO THE 14TH of April, 14 MECBCgirls flew to France for an intensive trainingcamp led by coach Mark on the river Lot. Thepeople from our host boat club, the ClubNautique Libos, were lovely and verywelcoming, and the boathouse was huge. Wehad a regular schedule, with morning outingsbetween 9 and 11.30am, and afternoon outingsbetween 2.30 and 5pm. Crews varied, as Markwanted to get a chance to coach everyoneindividually and really focus on technical skills.Mostly we went out in an VIII and a IV,but we also had some fun outings in smallerboats, during which some people had theopportunity to try sculling for the first time. Theriver was wide, calm, and we were the onlyones on it, so we had plenty of space and timeto play around and have mini boat races indouble sculls (leading to several crashes, butluckily there was no capsizing!).

Training Camp in Fumel

Laura DésertIncoming Lower Boat Captain

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MICHAELMAS HAD PROVEN prosperous for MECBCwith some exciting results showing both thebreadth and depth of the club. Retention ofnovices was particularly impressive and manywere interspersed with the seniors for Lent term,creating three competitive and two non-competitive boats which had high aspirations asthey set out to make their mark on the river.W1 set the ball rolling in the biting chillof February 3rd to race Newnham Short Course.Despite some teething difficulties in training,the crew maintained a good rhythm throughoutthe race and had some especially powerfulpushes ‘for Mollie’ towards the finish. Resultsrevealed 3rd place for the team, with a time toput several mens' boats to shame and over aminute on Selwyn—a promising start for thefirst boat.

Race reports

Rowanne WilletIncoming Lower Boats Captain

Next to race the clock was W2 inRobinson Head. The regular crew whichincluded three ex-novices was reshuffled fortheir first race of term to gratefullyaccommodate the necessary subs, resulting in acomposite eight. Applying power was provingto be a strength of both boats as W2 followed inthe footsteps of W1 with several pushes andconsistency in the rating. The team finished topof their division, managing to beat three mens'boats and two W1s.A week later, Pembroke Regattapresented W1 with the challenge of racingLMBC. The umpires' shouts to "go" left MECBCslightly behind in the start sequence,nevertheless a fighting spirit fuelled a mightypush into the first bridge, taking back the leadand winning the race by a length. Furthermarshalling gave the crew some time to restbefore their second race against Fitz. W1maintained focus and determination despitealready having raced, and managed tosignificantly reduce their competitor's lead; amean feat considering Fitz went on to place2nd to Downing in the final.

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Murray Edwards College Boat Club is proudly sponsored by

Results Lent 2013

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MECBC is planning on entering these races inEaster term 2013. The most up-to-date eventslisting as well as race results can be found onour website.4th May: Head to Head (W1)12th May: Champs Head (W1, W2, W3)26th May: Nines Regatta (W1, W2, W3)Getting on Race (W3 tbc, W4)12th June - 15th June: May Bumps (W1, W2,W3 tbc, W4 tbc)

Newnham Short CourseW1: 3rd placeRobinson HeadW2: 1st in their divisionPembroke RegattaW1: Won against LMBC; out against FBCWEHoRRW1: 20.55W2: 21:19Easter Term Races

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To finish the term in style, W1 and W2made their way to London for the annual Womens'Eights Head of the River Race (WEHoRR). Bothboats quickly adjusted to the conditions of theTideway despite members in each crew neverhaving rowed off-Cam before. W1 were quick toovertake the boat immediately ahead of them andsucceeded in holding off Newnham throughout theentire race, resulting in a ten place ascension and atime of 20:55. W2 was overtaken by one boat,overtook another, and managed to hold off thenotorious ‘203’, finishing the course in 21:19.Overall an exciting season of newexperiences and racing success for MECBC—Well Hard girls, bring on Easter term!

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Getting The Boats OutWhat do you need to get a boat out? Eight rowers, a cox, a boat? In fact, we all know there is muchmore that has to be considered before we can get on the water: we have to be insured, pay for repairand upkeep of Octopussy, Owen, Winston, Dame Rosemary and Two Fat Ladies and the boat house.Cox boxes and life jackets have to be provided; race entries have to be paid... Luckily, we can counton the support of our sponsor, Barclays, as well as our donors to help keep subs for members lowand thus make rowing a sport accessible to everyone at Murray Edwards College.

To all of those who help us get the boats out: Thank you!

If you would like to make a donation to MECBC, please visit http://bit.ly/13IYRxK or email our FundraisingOfficer Harri at fundraising-boatclub@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk if you have any further questions.

Thanks to the generous donations from alumnae and supporters andsponsorship by Barclays, in 2012–13, MECBC was able to......receive extra coaching at a training camp in Fumel (p. 3)

...subsidise travel to London for WEHoRR (p. 4)...continue repaying the loan for Octopussy

...subsidise crew tops for novices...buy a much-needed new coxbox

...equip the boathouse with another erg.

WALL OF HONOURThanks for donations in 2012–13:Abbe Brown

Elizabeth AikenCatherine ElwoodWing Ying Chow

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IMAGINE, FOR A SECOND, EVERYONE who has everrowed or coxed for NHBC/MECBC since itsfoundation in 1974 standing side by side alongthe banks of the Cam—we could certainly forma phalanx of Well Hard-ness running from theBoat House down to the lock, and maybe evenventuring into Beyond-the-Lock-Land.Last term, we were lucky to meet someof our alumnae and put faces to names onblades: On a rather chilly day in February, agroup of 1992 graduates—Sarah Wallis, AnnaDavies, Katie Chapman (née Harris), AbbeBrown (née Lockhart), Vanessa Bassett (néeKing), Jo Strong (née Holmes), Kate Beaton(née Jones) and Louise Hobbs (née Christie),coxed by Lisa Wilding and bank partied bySharon Fuller (née Malkin)—took Owen out fora reunion row.Alumnae report

Henny Schulte to BuehneOutgoing Alumnae Officer

Doubts about whether everyone wouldremember how to row were quickly dispelledby the good rhythm that the crew found, and acouple of bursts for ten and practice startsrounded off successful return to the Cam. Afterthe outing, everybody enjoyed drinks andboatie banter in the Fort St. George.Towards the end of term, on the eveningbefore WEHoRR, current rowers and coachesmet up with six alumnae in Putney to talkracing, bumping and all things MECBC over apizza. We would like to thank all alumnae whocame along to either of these occasions—andalso those who continue to keep in touch viaemail, comment on our Bumps reports, or showtheir support for MECBC in any other way—wealways love to hear from you!Although it is sad to know thateventually, we will all have to say good-bye toearly morning outings and 2k test ergs, it isclear that MECBC leaves an indelible mark inour hearts, not just our palms.

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THE 2013 HENLEY BOAT RACES this year took placeon a day so cold that layering up in threecardigans, three scarves, two coats, two pairs ofgloves and a woolen cap still left me shivering!Our Lightweight Marina started trainingat Henley a week or so before her race, andthe terrible weather prompted her to warn thefervent supporters from MECBC that wellieswould be the on-trend accessory for the boatraces this year. When the conditions continuedto worsen, the venue was unexpectedlychanged and the races moved to Eton Dorney,where the MECBC posse would try to launch anew fashion craze comprising of summerydresses, wellies and blazers!When the day eventually came, theMECBC contingent hopped aboard the coachhired by Ying, ready to defy the wind andcold to support the Cambridge teams, inparticular the bow of the lightweightwomen's boat. We arrived very early—butwith unabated excitement—and decided tosettle near the staff marquee that wouldprotect us from the freezing wind.

Henley Boat Races

Pauline PiloteW2 strokesider

Feasting on Reana’s delicious cookies, wewaited with increasing enthusiasm for thekick-off. In the first races of the day, theinter-collegiates, Caius men beat Balliol’sand Downing women triumphed over SaintJohn’s crew.These two relatively easy Cambridgevictories set our spirit for the day and thegeneral excitement reached its climax when theradio presenter gave out the crew orders for theLightweights. However, the dire weatherconditions gradually got the best of ourenthusiasm as ensued a series of lost races forthe Cambridge crews—Lightweight Men,Women Blues, Lightweight Women, Blondie(Women's reserves) all being beaten by theOxford crews.It entailed a quick return to Cambridgeas we sought refuge into the heated coach to getaway with the ridiculous weather conditions,which yet must be pointed out, never defeatedthe general excitement of the MECBCcontingent! WELL HARD MECBC!

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LENT BUMPS DINNER was, as usual, a roaring successwith a brilliant turn out of both MECBC membersand friends from other clubs. Amongst thecheerful crowd assembled in the Long Room wasa large group from Peterhouse along withmembers of Clare, Christs and Girton boat clubs.After the incredible achievements of thedays before, spirits were high and the feeling ofcelebration was contagious. We started theevening in style with Cava and crew photos beforemoving on to the main event. Little attention waspaid to the food as the crews mingled andconversation flowed like the Cava before! Havingsaid this, the sticky toffee pudding couldn’t beignored and, as a boatie dinner staple, wasdefinitely the highlight of the menu. The dinnerwas finished off beautifully by a glass of port andsome brilliantly hilarious speeches, in some casessweeter than short.We look forward to Bumps Breakfastbeing just as successful with hopefully evenmore achievments to celebrate. BumpsBreakfast is taking place at 9–12am onSunday 16th June this year. If you areinterested in attending please emailboatclub-socials@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk.

Lent Bumps Dinner

Amy CrowOutgoing Social Secretary

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The Neptunes May 2013 by Murray Edwards College Boat Club is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Some rights reserved.10

We would like to thank all those who gaveconsiderable amounts of their time, heartsand sanity in 2012–13 to make sureeveryone and everything was at the rightplace at the right time (or thereabouts).Congratulations to the new comittee, andall the best wishes for next year!

Hilarious HustingsIt's hard to describe in one word what aSOCIAL SECRETARY needs...

'I hope you all agree I'm goodfun, and therefore I will try andharness this fun and organise lots offun things...as I am fun...' - JessAny LBC needs a healthy dose of self-confidence and leadership skills.

'I want my own clan of noviceminions.' - RowanneThe Neptunes exclusively reveals: Theunabridged hustings speech of our newTREASURER.

'I can count.' - GinnyIf the CAPTAIN OF BOATS was music, would itbe Carmina Burana or Eye of the Tiger?'I want to take the reins of mightyMECBC - I want an army of rowers, anarmada of boats.' - Georgie

MECBC Committee2013–2014(boatclub-comitte@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk)

To keep up to date with MECBC, for race reports and club history, visithttp://mecbc.soc.srcf.net/ or like our facebook page http://on.fb.me/13IDTzS.

If you are an alumna and would like to get back in touch, our Alumnae Officer,Henny, would love to hear from you (boatclub-alumnae@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk).