Club Committee
2004 Women's Captain Byelection
Jenny Lee
I am a third year maths student who noviced at 1st and 3rd as a rower in 2002 and as a cox in 2003. I have rowed in the 1st Fairbairn IV, 2nd Lent and May boats and have coxed the men.s 2nd May eight.
Why am I standing?
I am standing again for women.s captain because I still have strong reasons for wanting to do the job:
- To become more fully involved with the organisation of the women.s boat club
- To be a major part in the continued development and improvement of women.s rowing at 1st and 3rd
- I.m genuinely excited by the potential we have in the club at the moment, and want to enable everyone to realise that potential
Why do I think I will be suitable?
- I have excellent organisational and time management skills needed to co-ordinate the arrangement of outings/coaches
- I understand the commitment involved in rowing/coxing at a high level for the college
- I am willing and ready to learn so that I can do an effective job
Rowing
The main focus for the year will be bumps, both Lents and Mays, with the aim to put together strong boats to continue the rise in bumps over past years.
The training plan will consist of both water and land training (ergs /weights). I will develop these plans in consultation with senior rowers and coaches who have more experience of such programmes than myself.
In Michaelmas term, emphasis will be put on quality rather than quantity, to develop a basis of sound and consistent technique from which to build on. I will endeavour to accommodate all levels of commitment within the squad and enable everyone to benefit from each outing. This means there will be no fixed crews for a lot of term, allowing greater flexibility and inclusion.
I will follow on the tradition of a pre-Lents training camp, in conjunction with the LBCs and with as many seniors as possible, to allow integration of novices into the squad. Initial crews chosen within the first few weeks of term will be flexible to maintain development throughout the club.
The selection process for top boats will be based upon a range of criteria; advice from coaches, performance in erg tests, commitment and attitude to rowing.
Coxing
It seems that recruiting and retaining coxes is an annual problem for the club. I would like to work with the coxing captain and LBCs to integrate promising novice coxes into senior boats during Michaelmas term. I believe that coxes can learn more quickly if they are in a boat with senior rowers. Combining this with a coxing mentor/coach will hopefully encourage more coxes to continue.
Summary
As women.s captain, I will:
- be organised about the day-to-day running of the club
- communicate directly with senior rowers and coaches and take their opinions into account
- continue to make rowing enjoyable for everyone in the women.s club by building on the success from this year
Proposed by: Sarah Taylor
Seconded by:
Catherine Aiken