Newsletter#1, Michaelmas Term, 1996 (2nd November)

I'm sure we all saw the Olympic finals of the Men's Coxless Pairs so I needn't add much. Except that, if you missed the immediate post-race interview you may not have got the full gist of Steve Redgrave's comments - yep, we're talking the 'F'-word, live on day-time TV, in front of millions of family viewers. Personally, I thought he gave Dan Topolski's question 'How do you feel?' the answer it deserved. By contrast 'our chap' Matt Pinsent (M.89) produced such a coherent post-race analysis - using entirely broadcastable language - that he was immediately snapped up by the BBC for all sorts of other duties including, in one memorable late night Radio 5 broadcast, everything from reading the sports results to being sent out shopping for some Big Macs (works surprisingly well on radio). With numerous other 'popular TV' appearances since Atlanta, he has now managed to establish himself as 'Matt Pinsent' in his own right, and no longer 'the other one, you know, Wossisname, rows with Redgrave'.

Rupert Obholzer (M.88), meanwhile, seems doomed to forever remain 'the other one' (well, apart from that infamous post-Boat Race gesture in 1991, which more-or-less said manually what Redgrave managed verbally, but attracted quite a different media reaction). He was definitely the quiet man of the GB Coxless Four (i.e. not a Searle, and not the one with long hair), and they were just squeezed into third place in perhaps the race of the Olympic Regatta. Mighty disappointed they looked too, with their bronze medals. I understand Rupert is now off to practise medicine in Namibia (isn't that where the Kalahari Desert is?). Still, an Olympic Bronze Medal rather impresses the rest of us.

Damian West, our resident Catz Blue, was selected for the GB Coxed Pair that finished 5th in the World Championships held at Strathclyde [World Championships are held every year, but in 'Olympic' years the World Championships are restricted to those boat classes that don't compete at the Olympics], winning the UK National Championships on the way. This year, he's the OUBC Vice-President, but I think he has to make an Olympic final before we consider electing him a Rowing Society Vice-President. There's time yet.

OUBC have a new Head Coach: Rene Mijnders, who coached the Gold-Medal-winning Dutch Men's VIII at Atlanta. Dan Topolski stays on as consultant, and Penny Chuter takes charge of Development (the latest answer to the perennial 'what must we do to get college oarsmen into University crews?' question). Just to show that when it comes to 'vice' Catz boaties are well up there with the best of them, Emily Lloyd has also been made Vice-President of OUWBC. The OUWBC Head Coach seems to change every year - this year's appointment being Ben Hunt-Davis (from the GB Olympic Eight). He does come with the credentials of having dragged the Oxford Women's Lightweight crews up to Cambridge's standard, but he did require more than a single year to do it. The Men's Lightweights continue under the same old management, no doubt following the 'if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it' philosophy.

Back to College rowing, last summer's Rowing Society Paddle & Picnic went ahead on another scorcher of a day (we certainly can pick 'em). The paddle was confined to taking Piglet up and down the Isis a couple of times, pausing only to replace the more purple-looking Society members. I just helped out with the eating and drinking (the importance of nutrition is often underestimated in this sport). Thanks to Charlotte Elmitt (M.80) and Alex Fielding for doing the catering, and various members of the Boat Club for doing all the actual pulling and refraining from making any rude comments (well, not within earshot) about lack of technique/puddles/flexibility/etc.

From the has-beens to the still-beings, Bluebell Martin, Becky Killick and Anna-Marie Ullmann all competed at Women's Henley in various OUWBC Windrush Crews, and Sarah Askew also coxed a Falcon VIII. Ollie Jones rowed with some success in a Cherwell IV, and Richard Copley, Dom Layfield, Dan Tollin and Henrietta Lake teamed up with members of Jesus College Boat Club as a composite entry for the Henley Temple Challenge Cup, but missed qualifying by about 15 seconds. One day, we'll put together our own Catz VIIIs for both Henley Women's and Henley Royal Regattas and do the whole thing properly rather than leave it to others ... One day. I think Neil Chugani (M.87) ended up as our only representative at HRR this year. He coxed the Leander crew that lost the final of the Ladies Plate to Goldie. I guess he wasn't too happy about that. He emailed me subsequently to let me know he's just set off around the world as well, and he may be some time.

If anyone's thinking of joining a boat club London, there seems to be a bit of a Catz clique building up at Vesta. Richard Cochrane (M.91) and Mark Robinson (M.91) are rowing as a pair (OK, boys, how much did we agree for me not to mention Oxford City Regatta in this newsletter?), and Jim Morrish (M.89) claims to be a member of Vesta, but probably just doesn't get out much. Across the Atlantic, Heidi Avery (M.88) is still going strong at Potomac RC in Washington DC, and continues to enjoy the view of the Cambridge Backs in the women's race in their annual 'Camsis' Regatta (one of the Cambridge Women wrote an article complaining that being 'mere mortals' they didn't stand much of a chance against the Oxford alumnae - I think Heidi's getting to them). Unfortunately the Oxford men's crew weren't quite so intimidating.

On to this term. Richard Law and Em Thomas are the new Captains of Boats, and, as an experiment, there is also a 'Captain of Lower Boats', Caroline Trotter, whose job is to keep under-enthusiastic novices away from the over-stressed Captains - sort of a crime-prevention role, really. The main news so far is the arrival of a new coxed four, Heffalump, to add to The Floating Bear (bought by the Rowing Society in 1991). The new boat, a £6500 Janousek, was mostly paid for by the College with about a 30% contribution from the Rowing Society, basically to make up the difference between a 'cheap' boat, which is what the College could afford, and a 'durable' boat, which is what we really want. As most of the events for senior rowers this term, in and out of Oxford, are for IVs rather than VIIIs, having two boats should allow both the men's and women's boat clubs to enter their experienced rowers for a variety of competitions to enliven what would otherwise be a long term of just training.

Anu Dudhia (e-mail: dudhia@atm.ox.ac.uk)

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