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All race reports for Natasha Menell

Event: Lent Bumps 2008 - Saturday
Posted as: Natasha
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Woke up this morning and... yep, still head of the river!

When I joined up, nooooobody thought we would do it, least of all the girls! I always knew that we could, but that it would take a lot of work, but now that we did it, I still can't quite believe it. I'm not really sure how that medal got on my desk...

And now, a cheesy interlude:

Charley: You've always got a cheerful attitude and a big smile for everyone, but you can snap into serious rower mode in no time at all, and as stroke you make sure the others do too. You'll try anything for the coach and give it your all, despite whatever hard work came before, and lead the team into ANOTHER 8 min. bumps piece with perfect fortitude.
Tera: You bring some serious raw power to the boat, stroke after stroke, and your total determination shuts out pain and loss of sight and sound. When you slam in the finish, I feel it! Your commitment to the boat is an inspiration; always the first to offer to sneak out of a commitment or jump out of bed at 5.00 am.
Julia: You are our real Cinderella story, from novice to headship in two terms flat! The team is lucky to have snapped up you're natural talent and strength, and the world of rowing is all yours if you want it.
Harriet: You handle all the organizing and management so well you make it look effortless, I can't imagine how you do it, dealing with the dramas with real style, and still show up with a leadership attitude and the will to row strong day after day after day. You've led a scratch crew to headship!
Aline: Wow are we lucky to have you this year; you taught yourself English rowing style (frankly I still think American style is more effective but hey) with no complaints and no excuses, just determination to make sure that all you're power gets into the water with the rest of the girls. When I glance down the rows of oars making sure no one is slipping into their bad habits, I always have confidence in your blade and your stroke.
Ulrike: You alone, I think, were the most determined and the most sure that we could do it, and your faith was contagious. Your strength is unbelievable, through and around all the work you do outside of rowing, and you really set an example for making each stroke stronger and stronger and faster and faster than the last. You are right, rowing is fun, A LOT of fun when we get it right, and I hope you had as much fun in Lent Bumps as celebrating it!
Hanna: You care so much about this boat and the boat cares so much about you. You always took the good and the bad, and set an example for the boat in confronting the bad and fixing it. You knew when we could do better, and you made sure it happened! You're soft-spoken, sweet smiles are really misleading compared to the rowing animal you can become! Keep that smile for a long time now, because every hard outing and every rough stroke was sooo so worth it.
Julijana: Best for last :) You are way to hard on yourself, looking back, I mean look what you did! You are hard as nails, through and through, with the strength, power, and will to train to keep up and surpass rowers twice your size. You always knew that there was more to give and you gave it, every stroke. I think you deserve this more than any one of us.

Also, a very very very special thank you to Ian who is a psychological master and somehow kept the girls calm on the banks before their big races. I think in a real way they did it for you. Your face after the Pembroke victory was one I will never forget and made it all worth wild even if we hadn't won headship.

Whew! Well girls, they were stronger, bigger, with better erg scores, and they gave us a real fight to the death, but you battled through with blood sweat and tears (literally), and brought heart and soul to the boat, even when the rowing wasn't very pretty, it was still sexy as hell! You are an unbelievably class act!

Cox: 5'2'' and a bit (slightly bigger than bow), 7.5 stn., couldn't cox the Cam without banging into the bank until about a month ago, complete novice to bumps races but being in front helped!

Event: May Bumps 2008 - Friday
Posted as: Natasha
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Commited and Fast. Gained after Churchill had a below par start and reeled them in to 3/4 length before the stride. Seemed to spend an age (about 5 strokes) sitting in the chop off their stern canvas before bumping and clearing to watch the carnage.

Thomas

P.S. Remember to log off the system when leaving the boathouse computer

Event: Pembroke Regatta 2010 - 1st division
Posted as: Natasha
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A good row though a bit nervous off the start... we pulled ahead early on and settled comfortable, although we didn't find a really good rhythm until after the railway bridge, when we sacrificed rate for ratio with good results. Crossed the finish with a couple of length of clear water.

Event: Pembroke Regatta 2010 - 1st division
Posted as: Natasha
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A more competitive round. Robinson made a valiant effort off the start and held within a length for most of the race. Past the kink, we pushed hard and made our move, clearing some open water around the railway bridge, from which we continued to move to finish with over a length of open water. A really good race piece, thanks to some very committed competition.

Event: Pembroke Regatta 2010 - 1st division
Posted as: Natasha
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We expected a tough race on this one and we got it, with our alumni holding onto us for a good portion of the race. We pulled ahead on the start but they stayed with us until the kink, where we started to walk away and never gave an inch back.

Event: Pembroke Regatta 2010 - 1st division
Posted as: Natasha
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Like Christ's and Robinson, Caius lined up looking very serious and professionally ignoring our more banterous marshalling. They gave us a bit of a scare of the start, pushing ahead about three quarters of a length. But the crew stayed focused and committed to our own race plan, despite a rather unorthodox push during our build off the start: to which the crew responded well and we surged ahead by half a length. About twenty strokes saw the boats holding together, but a second massive surge sent us ahead, and gradually gave us inches of open water. From the bridge we left them in the wake to finish with about a length of open water.

Event: Lent Bumps 2010 - Friday
Posted as: Natasha
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Handled awful conditions very well, and so did Downing. Well done boys! One more to go

Event: May Bumps 2010 - Saturday
Posted as: Natasha
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"glorious isolation"