First and Third Trinity Boat Club
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2010-2011 Manifestos

Gonzalo Garcia - Men's Captain

It has been almost eight years since I first got into a boat, as a terrified 14 year old being pushed out onto the Tideway in a clinker single mid-January. I capsized within 20 minutes. And then twice more, before finally being towed back towards the bank by my coach in a speedboat to avoid hypothermia.

That was almost my last ever outing. Nearly eight years later, I'm hoping that my last outing won't be for a few more years at least.

Rowing has been a central part of my life for quite some time now, and over the years I have been gradually building up my own ideas and opinions on it, assimilating what I think brings success. At First and Third, I have rowed at M1 and M2 levels, coached regularly on the men's side up to M2 level and coached the women's side at all levels, particularly novices. I was also on the committee as a Men's Lower Boats Captain last year, and I have been on the bench with a long term injury. I have thus seen the club's inner workings from a wide variety of perspectives, and, perhaps more importantly, I have come to really care for the club as a whole. First and Third has done a lot for me during my time at Cambridge, and in this coming year I would like to return the favour as best as I can.

My primary aim, as Men's Captain, would be to consolidate the men's total supremacy in college rowing, particularly in the Lent and May Bumps. At present, FaT is hugely respected on-Cam, and indeed feared - crews often believe that they are racing for second place if the relevant FaT crew has entered. In my opinion, maintaining and sharpening this image is of the utmost importance - if we are thought to be unbeatable, then the race is already mostly won before we even get our hand on the boat. And the most effective way to maintain this image is to aim not only to win every race, but to win them comfortably.

If we can walk the walk, then others will talk the talk for us.

As for off-Cam, I will look to enter M1 and possibly M2 into several prestigious events throughout the year, such as Head of the Nene, Head of the River, Metropolitan Regatta, possibly Marlow Regatta, and Henley Royal Regatta. Although I do not intend to focus on these at the expense of the Bumps races, I do think that a consistently good performance on a national levels is important, particularly at Head of the River and Henley. College rowing was often seen to be of a poor standard on a national level, until the rise of FaT over the last four years - people do notice, and people do care. Off-Cam events are also often fun, and are of immense benefit in developing individual athletes.

Other goals include:

I would like to make these changes primarily in the upper men's squad, but also in the incoming novice intake and lower boats, although perhaps to a lesser degree.

Coaching:

In terms of coaching, unfortunately the club does not have any long-term solutions at present, and so it appears I will have to rely on bufties and experienced current and ex-rowers, as we have done this year. I have built up a good contact base in college rowing, and so I hope to have a large number of people available to ask. The top boats could also potentially pay guest coaches for weekly coaching.

It would be great to get Iain involved on a regular basis as well if he is keen, but I do not intend to rely on him to any great extent.

Committee:

I will work closely with the committee, holding regular meetings to keep track of progress. In particular, I will work closely with the Kit and Social Secretary to ensure we have regular club social events (e.g. Cindies trips, formals etc) to keep spirits high. I will also work very closely with the Men's Lower Boats Captains to ensure the novice program and lower boats are being managed adequately.

Other:

This year, I have devoted a huge amount of time to the club, and I do not intend to change this for next year. If matters require more attention, then I will simply give them more time, prioritising the Captaincy over most other aspects of my Cambridge life. I pledge to do absolutely everything in my power to ensure that my stated aims are achieved, and to ensure the general success and well-being of First and Third Trinity Boat Club.

Proposed by: Richard Fletcher
Seconded by: Alex Caulfield


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