Club Committee

2001 - 2002 Manifestos

Joe Grundy - Men's and Overall Captain

The Men’s and Overall captaincy of 1st and 3rd is one of the most prestigious positions on the River Cam. As a first year Natural Sciences undergraduate I feel that I can offer the boat club a huge amount, and help 1st and 3rd to achieve its full potential. I started rowing last autumn, as a novice is the ~ novice VIII, and have since rowed in the 1st Lent VIII which started head in the bumps. I am currently rowing in the 1St May VIII. Accordingly, I have recent experience of 1st and 3rd at all levels. This experience is invaluable to both the Men’s and Overall captain.

Prior to starting at Trinity I was a competitive cyclist, involved in regular training and top level competition. This has provided me with significant knowledge of preparation for top level sport. I hope to bring this knowledge, and the knowledge I will obtain whilst trialling for CULRC next year, to 1st and 3rd through the position of Men’s and Overall Captain.

Men's Captain

One of the main problems facing ~ and 3rd this year is a lack of rowers. The club currently lacks the depth of talent across all years that is necessary to maintain the standard of the senior boats as older members of the club graduate. This problem is highlighted by the current second year, from which only a handful of people are still rowing. My belief is that the pressure put upon otherwise keen rowers during the Michaelmas and Lent terms accentuates this problem. Whilst this may improve results in the short term, it has a huge effect on results in the Mays and in future years when people give up rowing as they feel they cannot row and get a good degree at the same time.

The captain of 1St and 3td Men’s boat-club is not in a position to, nor should aim to, alter the attitude of rowers towards their academic work. However, the captain does have a duty to see that people are not put off rowing by the commitment it involves. The 1St and 2nd men’s eights currently do more training, both in terms of time spent and number of sessions per week, than almost all university crews in the country, including the blue boat. Despite this we are not achieving at the level we should be, and are currently beaten by college crews who do less training than ourselves. It is my belief that this level of training unnecessarily deters many talented individuals from achieving their potential within the club, without gaining anything in terms of boat speed.

As Men’s captain I will bring a new efficiency to the boat club, both eliminating over-training, improving the quality of coaching received by crews both on and off the river, and by decreasing the time difference between ATBH times and the time a crew actually pushes off. The latter, although a minor point, is currently a major time waster, particularly when crews are rowing almost every day.

As Men’s captain, the main way in which I will achieve these aims is to ask Lain, the current boatman, to take a more active role in coaching at 1St and 3rd~ This would involve seeking his advice in planning a more realistic training schedule, including regular rest days and more regular fitness testing, and in giving him a much greater influence in crew selection for the men’s 1st and 2nd VIIIs. As lain will hopefully be around for longer than any Men’s Captain will, this will bring continuity to the club, and will be a major factor in the long-term development of 1St and 3rd• A significant part in developing the club in the long term is ensuring a regular intake of novices. This year’s novices are already having an impact on the club, with two ex-novices in this term’s May VIII, and myself in last terms Lent VIII. However, this year has been by no means typical. As Men’s captain it will be one of my priorities to keep in regular contact with the novices, and to help produce a second consecutive set of ex-novices who are able to compete for 1St and 2nd boat places later in the year.

Trinity does not have a selection policy that provides the club with huge numbers of schoolboy rowers and coxes, however we do receive some. It is my experience that schoolboy rowers have found it difficult to fit into a senior boat club that can at times appear a little cliquey. A greater interaction between first years and the more senior rowers both in a social and training context will help to promote 1st and 3rd to freshers with rowing experience, and above all will encourage them to row whilst at Cambridge.

Overall Captain

As Overall Captain, I will ensure that the Men’s and Women’s boat clubs are viewed as equally important. This will be done by allocating spending on equipment to where it is most needed, and by striving to improve the attitude of the Men’s boat club towards the women. Regular discussion with the Women’s captain will help to ensure that this aim is met.

A major problem that is common to both the Men’s and the Women’s boat clubs is the shortage of coxes. This is particularly important during the bumps, when 1st and 3rd fields such a large number of crews. It is my intention as Overall captain to work with the Women’s captain, and with all the lower boats captains, to ensure that the club has sufficient coxes, and that they are well trained.

The equipment required to introduce these changes is not going to be expensive. I intend to purchase several smaller pieces of equipment, including at least one row-perfect to act as a coaching aid, and to enable a more technical focus to work on the erg. I also intent to purchase a television and video recorder for the boat house so that more use can be made of the club’s video camera, an important coaching aid that is currently under utilised, and a megaphone to eliminate the current problem of not being able to hear coaches.

I also intend to continue discussion with the College authorities regarding the proposed take over of the boathouse by the college. This would mean decreased pressure on the clubs resources, allowing spending on rowing equipment whilst ensuring that the boathouse is kept in a much better condition for the benefit of all.

To bring 1st and 3rd back where we belong, I urge you to vote Joe Grundy for Men’s and Overall captain on Saturday.

Proposed: Jon Glass - Men's and Overall Captain 2000/2001
Seconded: Simon Case - CULRC President 2001/2001