St Catherine's College Rowing Society
[PWC
Vice Presidents: Don Barton, Richard Peters,
Sir Matthew Pinsent CBE, Ben Sylvester.
[Prev]

Newsletter#1, Hilary Term, 2003 (16th February)

 [Next]

[PDF version]

Contents

Links

St Catherine's College
Oxford University Rowing Clubs
St Catherine's College Boat Club
St Catherine's Rowing Society

Introduction

The water was lapping against the doors of our boathouse at the start of term (and rather further up the doors of houses on the Abingdon and Botley Roads). There hasn't been a huge amount of rowing to talk about so far, however, the members of the Boat Club of 20 years ago proved rather voluble so I don't seem to have had any trouble filling these pages. See the RS web-site for full list of messages from alumni, many of which will have to go into the next newsletter.

View up the Abingdon Rd at the junction of Donnington Bridge Rd, January 5th 2003
[Abingdon Rd]

Training

Finding time to train on the water has been difficult this term, however Catz crews managed to spend a couple of weekends rowing at Dorney Lake while the Isis was closed (thanks to the Rowing Society). Now, at the end 4th Week, the Isis is finally considered gentle enough for novice coxes to be allowed out. Provisional 1st Torpid line-ups are on the next page. Mike Curtin is coaching the men and James Woodrow the women.

Having inexperienced crews and coxes is not just a Catz problem: the complete loss of rowing in the second half of last Michaelmas Term means that most current crews probably contain rowers and coxes who have never actually raced.

The Gut, looking upstream, January 5th 2003
[The Gut]

Rather than leave it to the start gun in Torpids to decide who is going to sink or swim, OURCs has been attempting a less dramatic approach by running the Isis Winter League, a series of Sunday afternoon time trials from Donnington Bridge to the top. They ran one last weekend, with another scheduled for next weekend, although no Catz crews have entered yet.

Assuming that the river continues to behave until Torpids itself (5-8 March) our 1st crews will start head of Women's Div 1, racing at 4.30pm each day, and 6th in Men's Div 1 racing at 5pm. The 2nd Torpids will be racing in Men's Div 4 (2pm) and Women's Div 3 (2.30pm).

In University trials, Matt Smith (now at St Anne's), Lyndsey Highton (now at Green) and Simon Risoe (still at Catz) continue with their respective squads. After a winter training camp in Switzerland, Simon is currently in the Lightweight 'A' crew, while Lyndsey is in the last 10 of the Women's Lightweights.

2003 Torpids Crews

20 Years Ago ...

Mark Tucker, Men's Captain 1982/3

I have to say when Anu asked me to write a few words on my experiences of my captaincy numerous thoughts came back into my head: firstly, 20 years seems a long time ago! secondly, it's been 15 since I've sat in a boat and pulled an oar in anger. That said, my second year at Oxford was dominated by the Boat Club to the point where Ceri Peach, my tutor, gave up in despair. Michaelmas for me was dominated by squad trials, Catz freshers and writing my Captain's Diary. Unlike today, we managed to get a fair amount of rowing completed, but I guess like all Captains my hopes at Christ Church Regatta for my Novice 1st VIII's were dashed by the alcoholic blur of Catz Night!

The 1993 Men's 1st Eight: Russell Bates (bow), Bill Coleman, Bob Coe, Mark Walker, Gareth Williams, Mark Tucker, Anu Dudhia, Kip Marks (str), Sandra Mills (cox)
[1983 M1E]

Hilary saw me dumped out of the Blues squad and back onto the Isis. Torpids turned into a long slog of 4 days rowing over in a high stream, hounded by Jesus. The closest they got was 1ft - no sweat. A great Torpids dinner eased the disappointment of no bumps - difficult to accept after winning my blade the previous summer. Eights wasn't a success for the men, we went down two places - lowlight of my rowing career. Nevertheless the women were having a better year - I'll let Ros reflect on that.

Jo Gough (Jo Clark), RS Vice-President, and former GB International Oarswoman

I started rowing in Michaelmas Term 1982. I had no intention whatsoever of stepping into a rowing boat but Richard Pullinger insisted that it would be a crime for anyone as tall as me (a tad less than 6') not to row. I didn't make any effort at all to get started but he hassled Ros into putting me into the late-formed 2nd Novice VIII. My first race was Christ Church Regatta - we caught no less than 18 crabs along the Green Bank and I absolutely loved it.

Hilary term found me in the first Torpid due to size rather than rowing ability and struggling desperately with the training. This may have been due to an almost permanent hangover gained from an inability to miss a single night of socializing with the boaties in the JCR. We got a overbump on Somerville on the first day of Torpids. I had never worked so hard in my life and was convinced I was going to die. All I can remember is desperately trying to get up the slide fast enough to take the next stroke. Ros was rowing in front of me and she said she could only keep going because I was moaning and groaning so much she knew someone else in the boat felt as bad as she did!

The 1983 Women's 1st Torpid, over-bumping Somerville
[1983 W1T]
I didn't row in Eights that year because of illness and finished the year with a massive total of 10 weeks' rowing experience but I was totally obsessed with rowing - a sport which shaped the next 20 years of my life!

Ros Temple, Women's Captain 1982/3

I hate to say it, but when I first set to thinking about this, my most prominent memories seemed to be of Boat Club dinners, particularly the one that haunted my nightmares for a whole year, where a drunken Tony Mitchell leant across the table and said 'Did you know you're going to be women's captain next year, Ros?'

What Jo says is probably true, but I don t remember much about it, except feeling a little scared that I might have a dead first year on my hands by the time we reached the finish.

Other memories mainly have to do with sore throats from shouting at crews, freezing cold early morning outings and rigger-painting sessions (still got an old coat somewhere with a splash of maroon paint on it!), getting cross about all sorts of things(!), permanent essay crises, the poor suckers who were stupid enough to call themselves my friends stepping into the coaching / subbing etc breach (for which belated thanks, guys).

News from Alumni

Ros Temple (M.81)
Do I have to say something else about life since? Hung around Oxford for 3 postgrad years (inc a stint in Osiris), left for Paris then lecturing in Aberystwyth (wonderful place, but nowhere to row except the sea), then ditto at the U of York been here 8 years; I've made multiple resolutions to join the boat club, but the closest I ve got is a pint in the bar with Rob Trythall (M.80) when he came down for a regatta several years ago ...

Mark Tucker (M.81)
After Oxford, I rowed in London for a few years before going overseas with my company BP. I am still with them, just about to head off to Madras, India for a few years. Today I console myself by using the ergometer at the BP gym. Still thrashing 2000m when I have the urge - 7.15 is my best time, however at 40, I probably wouldn't make the current 1st VIII nervous!

Richard Peters (M.82)
Seem to remember that I was going back to my room as Mark Tucker was on his way to the Boat Club Freshers Sherry party and persuaded me to go along - it definitely was not the attraction of the Co-op British Sedgemoor sherry that was served up. Currently the PwC Assurance and Business Advisory Services Leader for Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), based in Ho Chi Minh City. Clients range from the multinationals like Unilever and BAT to NGOs such as The Womens Media Group. As I write this there are 12 army tanks rolling down the street towards the American Consulate - but it looks like a film set rather than anything sinister.

Gavin Butcher (M.89)
After years of living the life of nomads Gill, my wife, and I have settled in Reading. The arrival of Amelia Grace Caveen Butcher on 9th January 2003 has turned us into proud parents. We plan to show her off on the towpath at Eights, so hopefully we will see lots of familiar faces then.

Simon Brayton (M.90)
After finishing my DPhil in 1994 I went to Guildford Law School and then to a London firm for my training contract (including a very enjoyable six months in the office in New York). Since qualifying as a solicitor in 1998, I have been working in banking law in London. In February 2001 I married Joanna and we live in Balham, S London.

Mark Robinson (M.91)
Now that work prevents me from being out on the water in any committed form (member of Vesta Rowing Club 1995-98), keeping sane by investing money in Russia! My academic background and linguistic skills came in useful when JP Morgan Fleming asked me to move over from investing in the equity stock markets of Asia to those of Eastern Europe four years ago. Happily married to Helena for a year now and main form of exercise at present is walking to work (a rarity in London) and, secondarily, the gym. Any gym nowadays still does not have the sights, smells and 'finish' of the old Catz gym at the squash courts with the sick bins placed alongside the ergs, the upside-down leg press and the famous horizontal rowing torture table.

Jon Haynes (M.91)
I am still working in Bristol as a psychiatrist, working particularly with alcoholics. I'm rowing from Bristol Ariel, in a double at the moment with Austin Milne, ex-St Peters 1st VIII. He was never in a crew that actually bumped us, but seems to forget that. Thankfully he's a crap sculler, so I can laugh at him silently.

Richard Cochrane (M.91)
Ten years on from the hardest race of my life: sadly it was held at the Royal Marsden Hospital, not Henley, I am delighted to be in full remission, married to Lisa Jorgensen (ex-Catz) and expecting our first baby in April 2003. We are currently living in London and my work in the wine industry takes me regularly to South America, South Africa and Europe. Although no longer rowing I quench some of my thirst for adventure swinging off ropes on various crags and mountains round the world and in January 2002 raised over £11,500 for the Institute of Cancer Research (where Lisa worked) climbing Mt Aconcagua (6,962m) in Argentina - the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas.

Andy Rushton (M.92)
I've been living in Bristol for the last six years, doing earthquake engineering for an engineering consultancy. I briefly flirted with rowing again, with the City of Bristol Boat Club, but the smell of Bristol docks and the demands to give up my weekends for training camps meant it didn't last long.

Adrienne Gumm (M.94)
I am now at PwC, working in recruitment where I mostly recruit experienced accountants and consultants, but also get involved in the graduate recruitment marketing for Oxford University. I may also have mentioned in passing how great it would be to sponsor such an esteemed boat club as Catz ...

Coming Up ...

More responses from the '83 Boat Club will be included in the next newsletter. I'll also be delving into events from 30 years ago so, if you rowed in 72/73 (when Roger Bricknell was Captain) please get in touch and encourage anyone else from that era to do so as well. Contributions, including photos, from alumni of other years also welcome.

Diary

Anu Dudhia (email: dudhia@atm.ox.ac.uk )