Club Committee

2003-2004 Manifestos

Matthew Byrne - Men's and Overall Captain

The Grand Plan

After the success of the 1st and 3rd triallists in the last two years, it is expected that once again we will be missing quite a few oarsmen of quality in the coming year. We have had consistently good results in the Lents for seven consecutive years now; although the main prize of the headship has eluded us since 2000, we have never been lower than third on the river. In previous years, our Mays performance has suffered to the extent that we are now 9th on the river - we have never been lower than 10th in our whole history. In light of these facts, it would be my intention to reclaim the Lents headship en route to success in the Mays, followed of course by a good showing at Henley.

How It Will Work

I intend to continue the good work of the last two captains and organise the men's club with a two-tier squad system. The top tier for those oarsmen who are serious about rowing and want to train frequently, whilst the lower tier will be for a more 'recreational' level of commitment. The lower boats captains will, as usual, be responsible for the recruitment and training of novices in Michaelmas Term, and will then take over the 'recreational' squad for the remainder of the year. I would like to make more use of smaller boats; the men's club traditionally trains exclusively in eights for most of the year, but small boats are valuable for getting a feel of how a boat responds to your movements. Continuity of training through the holidays is also important, and schedules will be produced for those who are committed to achieving their full potential. I would like to obtain a video camera, which can be very useful for analysing the rowing stroke and showing the subject exactly what is going on. I intend to meet with the squad on a weekly basis to keep myself abreast of the current state of the club.

Who I Am

I joined Trinity in 2000 and, on the spur of the moment, decided to go to the "boat club squash thingy." I wrote my name down on a bit of paper, went tubbing soon after, and have hardly stopped rowing since. I am a Lent colour and was also in the blade-winning Second May VIII last year. I have only been bumped twice, and whilst being hit by Caius I is no real disgrace in these times, going down to Maggie the following day was one of the worst days of my life. Many of you will know me from my work as Junior Treasurer over the past year and will have bought photos and/or Lard from me at some point. Next year I will be taking the 4th and final year of my Engineering degree. I will have already obtained my class mark by then, so will be able to devote all my attention to 1st And 3rd.

The Bigger Picture

If elected as overall captain, I would like to use the experience to be found in the recently created steering committee and the senior oarspeople in the club to realise a successful year for 1st And 3rd and a greater harmony between the men's and women's clubs. On the inevitable topic of purchasing, i would be committed to the decision made by this year's committee to buy a new 1st VIII for the Women's boat club, subject to the funds being available to do so. If this proves impossible, I would like to improve the fleet of small boats at the club, in particular by purchasing another two-seated boat for use by either sex, and thereby increasing our range of options for putting people out in small boats.