Club Committee

2005-2006 Manifestos

Rachel Munro - Men's and Club Captain

I joined First and Third as a novice in 2002. Since this time I have coxed as a member of the Men's club in boats ranging from the 4th Men's VIII in Fairbairns to the more senior level of last year's 1st Men's May VIII. This year I have been 'studying' in the Netherlands and, consequently, my involvement with the club has been reduced. However, since my return I have spent a large amount of time at the boat house and I hope to extend my high level of commitment to First and Third by serving as Men's Captain next year.

Since joining Trinity, the Boat Club has played an integral part in my life and has provided me with a number of incredibly rewarding experiences which have more than offset the early morning outings! I now want to give something back to the Club and believe that in the office of Captain I could achieve this. I care, more than many appreciate, about the future of First and Third and am fully dedicated to putting in the time and effort needed to see the club build upon the gains made in previous years, to hopefully achieve Headship in the Lents and respectable positions in the Mays for the Senior crews. I also wish to promote a positive atmosphere within the Club that encourages the participation of lower commitment members.

I have a wealth of committee experience having successfully served not only on the 2004 Trinity Ball Committee, but also as the Boat Club's Kit and Social Secretary in 2003/4. This has provided me with an insight into the 'behind the scenes' running of the club and an appreciation of the workload the Captain takes on. This is a workload I am enthusiastic to embrace. My experiences as Head Girl at school have given me an appreciation of the importance of people management, decisiveness and the good organisational skills needed when performing a leadership role.

Strengthening the Men's Club:

• Depth - Given the current lack of senior rowers in the Men's Club, one of my main intentions for next year would be to increase the number of rowers and coxes in the men's squad. I would aim to do this in two principal ways:
  • Improve the Retention Rate of Novice Rowers - I would attempt to work closely with the Lower Boat's Captains to integrate both novice rowers and coxes into the senior squad, on and off the water. I believe that the new Coastal IV could prove an invaluable tool to aid this integration process as would well organised and attended training camps.
  • Differing Commitment Levels - I feel it's important to allow people to commit to the boat club at a level they feel comfortable with. To this end I would like to resurrect the 'Rec Squad' to provide everyone wanting to row with the opportunity to do so.
• Quality - The organisation of top quality coaches is integral to the success of the higher boats. Although I am senior member of the club I realise that I am far from a rowing guru. I would therefore encourage long standing members of the club to continue their contributions to First and Third and seek the guidance of them and the steering committee when formulating training plans for crews. Consequently, I envisage devoting a large amount of time to finding and liasing with individuals who have the ability to make the most of our crews. I believe that the passion and enthusiasm I am able to convey for First and Third would greatly help in recruiting people who are willing commit to making our club as successful as it possibly can be.
• Training - Particularly in Michaelmas term I would like to see a greater emphasis on small boats work and general cross training.
  Small boats work can provide a great insight into the effect that an individual has on a boat and, in my opinion, it is imperative for rowers to have an appreciation of this. Additionally, general fitness levels are something that at college level, can have a great influence on the speed at which a boat moves. In addition to continuing the Vacation Training Logs introduced by Dan Holland, I would, also like to see bleep tests form part of crew selection in addition to 2ks. I would also support the efforts of the present women's captain to arrange regular core-physio sessions, as the inflexibility of a number of members of the present men's squad is something that I believe seriously effects there efficacy in boats.
• Coxing - Under the guidance of the Steering Committee I would like to implement a transparent grading system for coxes that would operate across both the men's and women's clubs. The levels of proficiency would give an indication of the ability of the cox and the conditions that they are able to cope with (i.e. Yellow flag conditions, Uncoached Outings). This would give coxing a more competitive edge, hopefully encouraging more people to become involved and would also promote respect for equipment such that previous 'accidents' can be avoided through preventing inexperienced coxes being placed in situations they are not capable of coping with.

Overall Captain:

As a female member of the men's club I believe that I am in a unique position to serve as overall captain. The close relationship I enjoy with members of both clubs, would allow me to balance the needs of both men and women in a fair way, which I believe would go a long way to foster respect and a good working relationship between the two sides of the club. I enjoy a strong relationship with the candidate for women's captain, and I believe that this would form the basis of a strong partnership for the new committee to build upon.

My spending plans would be relatively simple and be in conformity with the decision of previous committees which envisage no major purchases in the next year. I would, however, like to invest in extra sets of sculling blades which would allow the Coastal IV to be rigged as a quad and also in a new set of blades for the women.

My outgoing personality would allow me to be a recognisable presence in the boat club and my enthusiasm would hopefully encourage the members of the club that University is really about learning to row!

Summary:

Having spent time in a Dutch Club I believe that First and Third suffers greatly as a consequence of the 'term by term' mentality that permeates Cambridge College rowing. I would like to combat this fragmentary approach by seeking to bring more consistency to the club. By providing high quality coaching and training programs in combination with positive squad spirit I hope to be able to keep people rowing within First and Third allowing them to improve both as individuals and as part of successful crews.