All race reports for Alex Caulfield
Event: May Bumps 2009 - Saturday
Posted as: Alex
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The corner round grassy was as tight as possible without my blade hitting the bank, which allowed us to gain steadily on them. We started to get whistles coming down plough reach but swung out slightly wide on ditton, allowing them to get away again. A massive push down the reach finally brought the bump we so wanted! This bump was particularly sweet because it felt like we actually had to earn it, unlike with Jesus and Tit Hall, who we caught so early on.
A great row, and a great bumps crew to be a part of!
Event: Women's Head of the River Race 2009 - Novice VIIIs
Posted as: Alex
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Pushing off was a bit stressful, especially as I was rowing in flip-flops for the first bit (before we could sort out kit away from the bank) and marshalling seemed to involve constant tapping from bow pair and bow four!
The actual race went really quickly. It definitely felt shorter than Fairbairns. The start went well and it was encouraging to overtake two other crews so early on. The blade clash with Durham could have been avoided if their cox had actually given way but we coped well and got straight back into rhythm. The rest of the race is a bit of a blur: overtaking another two crews, slowly closing on churchill and downing, mark calling 'length and pressure' and 'time over the knees'!
I just wish we could have got that extra 0.7seconds off the time to beat downing, and avoided another 2nd place. Having said that, it was still an amazing result.
Event: Lent Bumps 2010 - Thursday
Posted as: Alex
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We kept on station with Emma M2, and I could've sworn we got to within a length of them, but Richard was very conservative on the whistles! A couple of crabs by the plough allowed Christ's to finally get us, but I have no doubt that we could have held them off if we'd made it to the Reach. Hungry for a bump back tomorrow! It's certainly possible.
Event: Lent Bumps 2010 - Saturday
Posted as: Alex
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Not much to it really. We can row better, but they were massive. End result: bumped.
Still, we followed our new race plan to "go mental" and held them all the way to the Plough, giving Eddies something to think about too.
Despite the bump, today was a good day and we managed to spice up the paddle back with a 'how low can you go' on the rate (end result 11.5spm) and a Spartan roar for the marshalling W2 boats, which they seemed to appreciate.
Looking back at this set of Bumps, I think everyone who's ever seen us row would agree that we don't deserve spoons. The commitment (and banter) in the boat has been unfailing, and we are undoubtedly the top M3 crew on the river.
We can be proud of what we've done. Bring on the Mays!
Event: Lent Bumps 2010 - Friday
Posted as: Alex
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Event: Lent Bumps 2010 - Tuesday
Posted as: Alex
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The start was a little scrappy, after we were thrown slightly by the start gun coming a couple of seconds too early. We had a big start, rating about 45 and Emma didn't take any length off us. It took a long time to bring the rate down on the settle call, and we stayed at 39 for about about 40secs before finally settling to race rate. This is something to work on for the next race.
Emma's cruising rhythm was simply faster than ours and they moved up on us under the motorway bridge. After some committed pushes, they eventually caught us just before 1st post.
First day nerves now out of the way. Bring on Thursday.
Event: Pembroke Regatta 2010 - College lower VIIIs
Posted as: Alex
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Our own start was the best of the day, but still left us half a length down. We settled comfortably into race rate at 35, which was the main aim of this round as we'd struggled to drop to a sustainable rate in the earlier rounds. We kept this rate steady all the way down the reach, holding them at exactly half a length overlap. The race was neck and neck under the railway bridge and could have gone either way.
A crab in the final 50 metres coming up to Peter's Posts was the only thing that marked the difference between us and them. They pulled away and crossed the finish line with a length clear on us.
Despite the end result, the race was a good one - at no point did anyone in the crew give up and decide that we couldn't win anymore, and we gave Pembroke their toughest race of the day. We also managed to find our stride quicker, which will be important for Bumps.
Best rowing yet boys. Let's keep it up for Bumps!!
Event: Novice Fairbairn Cup 2009 - 1st division
Posted as: Alex
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A great result and one that's thoroughly deserved. :)
Event: Novice Fairbairn Cup 2009 - 1st division
Posted as: Alex
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After a last minute panic due to broken headsets and me forgetting a lifejacket, we pulled out and rowed up to the start.
We settled into race rate (30) about five strokes after the start and held it there for the rest of the race. The first 300m to the roadbridge allowed us to find a strong rhythm, with focus on length in the water.
With Elizabeth Way corner safely out of the way (thank god!), the focus was on maintaining the rhythm all the way to Chesterton. This was a really solid section of the race and certainly not 'novice' in any way.
After Chesterton, we hit the 'push through the pain' section of the race and the rowing started to fall apart a little as we came towards the P and E. This was the only section where the rhythm/timing really went, which is a testament to how well the crew rowed the rest of the course.
After the railway bridge, the timing came together again and we had a massive push for the finish, crossing the line in style without any crabs or crashes (no mean feat!) I had an overwhelmingly urge to shout 'this is sparta' in the final five strokes, but managed to resist just in case anything went wrong!
This was an amazing race to cox. I had a fantastic time being in a boat where every single person was so committed.
4th place is a fantastic result and one we really deserved after the disappointment of Clare Novices.
Thanks for being such a great novice crew guys and thanks to Ming and Miles for all their coaching!
"...yeah buddy".
Event: Clare Novice Regatta 2009 - Plate
Posted as: Alex
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It is to the crew's credit that they managed to hold it together so well in such bad conditions. We even started to overtake Jesus coming up to the railway bridge, until a massive crab caused the boat to veer sharply and crash under the bridge, at which point Jesus left us behind.
Sadly the result here doesn't really reflect the standard of the two crews...
We were undoubtedly the better crew, but as often happens in novice races, anything can happen on the day, and today just wasn't our day!
Event: University IVs 2009 - 2nd division
Posted as: Alex
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Bearing in mind that we had only one practice start before the actual race, the result wasn't too bad.
A couple of air strokes during the drive phase caused the boat to veer off course during the start and slowed us down greatly, giving christs an early lead. They were then able to push off us down the reach and took 3 lengths, which we held them at...
The rowing was generally in time, but fell apart towards the end of the race. Fitness needs to be worked on! All in all, not too bad... and Christs were absolute beasts anyway!
Event: Cambridge Autumn Head 2009 - College VIIIs
Posted as: Alex
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Event: Lent Bumps 2011 - Wednesday
Posted as: Alex
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I don't remember much of the start, merely that we strode to 36 out of First Post and then spacked around Grassy, the boat rocking quite sharply as we rounded the corner. Coming onto Plough Reach we had a first push on the straight, whilst continuous whistling signalled Downing's uncomfortably close presence. By the time we got to Ditton, Downing were closing for the Bump, maybe within a couple of feet. Coming out of the corner, Gonzalo shouted to steer stroke side with more urgency than I had expected. I turned to check Downing's position and saw their stern running alongside me. Rudder on hard. We spun out to the far side of the reach, abandoning the racing line and giving Downing clear water in front of them.
There was a slight sense of deja vu at this point, given that we were in much the same position as we had been in the first round of Pembroke Regatta against Girton M1. Racing Girton, we had panicked and lost. Remembering this, I gave a call to keep calm and get the legs down hard (our default 'they're bloody close, this can't be good' status). They had half a length overlap at this point. As planned, we carried out a series of pushes straight down the Reach, keeping the rate at 36. Given that their racing plan had involved bumping us before Ditton, they simply did not have the energy to respond and had fallen back to half a length clear water by the Railway Bridge.
It suddenly dawned on me that the impossible was possible. We were at Morley's Holt. 50 strokes to go. Top finish was in sight. Downing made their 3rd big push at the P&E as we wound for the line, and finished it just as we had 2 small crabs on stroke side (perfect timing!). I counted the last two lifts to the line, and we'd done it!!! ROWED OVER HEAD. Against everyone's expectations. Wretching, shouts of joy and pain, and cheers from the bank followed.
90% of Bumpit had been proved wrong. And Downing had some serious thinking to do. Whatever happened in the next few days, we could hold our heads up proud after that race. If we were going to lose the Headship, we would do it in style, doing our best every single stroke and making Downing work bloody hard for it.
Event: Lent Bumps 2011 - Thursday
Posted as: Alex
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Sad, but inevitable. If success is trying your hardest to row the best stroke you can, every single stroke, then today was a success, despite the result.
Event: Lent Bumps 2011 - Friday
Posted as: Alex
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The race plan was also simple. Don't stride. Just rate 40 for 2 minutes and see what happens. Since Caius had bumped Maggie just after 1st Post on Thursday, there was no holding back.
As it happened, we ended up rating 43 off the start and settling (?) to 41, holding Caius all the way to Ditton. This was the furthest they had been pushed all week, and when asked whether they had been made to work for the Bump, responded in the affirmative. We got within a length of Downing, but they knew what we were up to, and had a fast 3 minutes until we bumped out behind them.
Event: Lent Bumps 2011 - Saturday
Posted as: Alex
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Despite the results, this was a great set of Bumps. We started the week predicted to spoon and only went down 2 places, setting ourselves up to take the Headship back in the near future. Thank you to the crew for their unfailing commitment, and to Lianne for turning round a desperate situation with her formidable training plan.
Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Tuesday
Posted as: Alex
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We were about a length off Magdalene coming into 1st post, who had Churchill 1/2 a length ahead of them. Steering to the outside round 1st post in order to get the bump via overlap, and get on their inside for Grassy, both the bank party and I failed to see an Emma boat (bumped out) hiding in the greenery outside the exit of 1st post. No lasting harm came from the brief encounter, but apologies to the Emma crew if they read this. Luckily CUCBC confirmed that this was impossible to avoid, and saved us the indiginity of a 'dangerous coxing' fine, instead deciding that our urination in public was unacceptable.
A good race right to the line sitting a length off Magdalene, but sadly they got Churchill just under the railway bridge before we could get them. As always in Bumps, nothing quite went to plan. Looking forward to an attempt on Churchill tomorrow :)
Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Wednesday
Posted as: Alex
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Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Friday
Posted as: Alex
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