Club Committee
2015-2016 Manifestos
MLBC Manifesto 2015
Olivia Godwin - I am a first year Classicist, who noviced as a cox with First and Third this year. I coxed NW1 in Michaelmas and M2 in Lent and May Term. I have a good understanding of both sides of the club, which will enable me to liaise with the other LBCs, coaches and rowers. I would bring enthusiasm, organisational efficiency and expertise to the role of MLBC.
Ben Jarman - I'm a mathmo who noviced in NM2 and subsequently rowed in M2 Lents and M3 Mays. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the opportunities FaT has given me, from Newcastle training camp to stroking M2 down the Tideway, and I'm keen to give something back.
Jake Rowe - I'm a Natural Scientist who went from `giving it a go because I probably should while I'm here' to rowing in NM1 and M2 for Lents and Mays. I found novicing at FaT very fun and would like to help to ensure the very successful Lower Boats of this year continue into next year.
Tom King - I'm a NatSci who "noviced" in NM1 and then rowed in M2 in Lents and Mays. I love rowing and I love FaT so I want to help out and teach a new generation of rowing.
Together we seek to achieve the 4 R's of Novice Rowing:
Recruitment- We want to build a large squad of novices
Recreation- We want our novices to have fun, in the boat and out of it
Retention- We seek to encourage novices to continue not only past their first tubbing outing, but later into the year as well.
Rowing- We want to make sure our novices are the best on the river and achieve great success in all their races.
Enthusiasm
- We would be an enthusiastic and committed LBC team. We would work hard and be highly motivated.
- We'll show the novices that rowing is fun and instil in them a passion for the sport.
- Ensure the boat club provides a friendly, welcoming environment for new rowers and coxes.
- Enable rowers and coxes to have the number of outings they want, as far as possible- minimising mornings by maximising afternoons.
- Liase with the Social Sec to organise social events such as boatie drinks, bonfire night and swaps.
- Integrate the men's and women's novices as well as the novices with the senior rowers. Senior rowers would be involved with novice coaching, in races as bank-parties and at social events.
Organisation
- We have the communication skills to work with other committee members, coaches and rowers to ensure smooth running of outings in Michaelmas term.
- We'll push hard for retention- possibly door knocking to chase up after tubbing sessions.
- Communicate effectively with novices to organise outings, by finding out their availabilities early and sending personal emails as outing reminders
- Try and organise outings in person with the novices as far as possible
- Ensure that novices meet at great gate before outings, initially with their LBC or coach and that the novices have each other's phone numbers so they can contact anyone late for the outing before arrival at the boathouse
- Have an LBC at the boathouse for all morning outings to sort out any problems that arise
- As MLBCs we would make sure that we were familiar faces to the novices so that they would know who was in charge of their training and who to go to if they have problems/queries
- Make sure the novices know what is going on with outing plans, clear information as to what is happening on race days, race plans
Rowers
- Give confidence to the novice rowers
- Motivate through positive and constructive feedback
- Extract their maximum potential rowing ability
- Organise a training plan and keep track of progress in a medium accessible to coaches and other LBCs
- Encourage novices to follow a land training plan- weights and ergs so we can dominate Queen's Ergs, and continuing this over the winter break.
- Push for successful results in races and celebrate in their achievements- post-race parties make for great bonding opportunities amongst crews and the novice squad as a whole.
- Beat Maggie at Fairbairns
Retention into Lent & May Term
- Encourage the best novices to come on training camp and to trial for upper boats come Lent term
- Ensure selection happens as early as possible in terms, whilst being fair and transparent- involving a non-2k test and commitment levels.
- Produce a training plan for each boat, trying to ensure consistency in coaching and land training.
Coxes
- With Liv being a cox, she can really help our novice coxes, on both the men's and women's sides.
- Starting off coxing tubs, then the coastal four, then outings in VIIIs with men's and women's boats initially
- Have novice coxes cox senior outings so they can practise steering more competent crews and learn from more experienced rowers
- Provide coaching for coxes
- Accompany outings with novice coxes and give feedback on performance
- Arrange off-the-water meetings to go through any queries they might have, discuss technique, for example, to help them learn how to move the boat effectively and manage the river in busy Michaelmas term
- Make sure coxes feel confident on the water and with procedures on land, for example with taking boats in and out of the boathouse
- Cox selection to happen with crew selection so the coxes can become part of a fixed crew as soon as possible
Safety/Equipment
- Ensure people are taking proper care on and off the water, looking out for each other and other users of the river
- Encourage the novices to start looking after equipment, for example washing the boats after outings, to foster a feeling of taking pride in their boat and investment in the sport
- Teach novices basic boat maintenance, for example how to set their footplates
Proposed by Preeyan Parmar
Seconded by Rob Stroud