All race reports for Yining Nie

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2012 - 3rd division
Posted as: Yining
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LMBC recovered amazingly quickly from their stroke's crab and never let up. "Neil for 10" before the Railway Bridge seemed to hold them for a bit and we had a great lift off of the White House, but Maggie just kept putting the power down. There were multiple blade clashes which could/should/would have resulted in LMBC's disqualification (hmm... sounds like Clare Novices again), but props to Matt for repeatedly taking chunks out of the Maggie 7's blade. We stubbornly inched forward on LMBC in the last 10 strokes, finishing only half a length behind.
A great end to a great day of racing, and one to be proud of.

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2012 - 3rd division
Posted as: Yining
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Brought back memories of drowning in the cox's seat at Clare Novices as well as Ahmad's 1000-word race reports.

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Event: May Bumps 2012 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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We had prepared ourselves for a long race and spoke of potentially having to chase Queens' to Top Finish. However, we were able to gain overlap coming around First Post Corner. Queens' then pulled away by a canvas only to be caught just before Grassy. Again the cox was slow to concede but the sight of Gonzo, Fordy and Fletch cheering and wildly throwing punches in the air was enough for me to call "hold it up!"

Despite the seemingly endless bumps push, we pushed, it ended, and we bumped. Fantastic work, ladies, and thank you for a thrilling Mays as well as an anazing term!

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Event: May Bumps 2012 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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We had our best start to date to heartening cheers from the Plough. Paddling up to station was also very smooth and sharp, setting the tone for our second attempt at a bump.

And bump we did! It was quick and powerful thanks to some massive pushes and a Tit Hall cox who followed every possible bend in the river. Trinity Hall pulled away from us slightly off the start but we came up to a length behind halfway down First Post Reach. The next series of whistles came in quick succession, and we lifted hard and fast out of First Post Corner. There was a bit of confusion at the end where Tit Hall's cox, who had previously adhered so faithfully to every rule of the river, refused to concede. Nonetheless, it was a satisfying overlap bump in the Gut.

On to Maggie now, ladies - it's time to take them down!

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Event: Cambridge 99's Regatta 2012 - 4th division
Posted as: Yining
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A massive push 10 strokes before the railway bridge instilled some much-needed confidence into the crew as they started to gain back that 1/2 length Clare had on them. Alex did a great job of staying cool while the Clare cox took a remarkably aggressive line under the railway bridge; for once we came out of a blade clash for the better. Clare took a bad stroke and crashed down onto one side, and I suddenly morphed into a heavy-burdened, high-pitched screeching lunatic on wheels. Apparently only those on the bank noticed my transformation, but the boys found enough motivation and strength from themselves and Alex to pull ahead by 1/4 length. Fantastic!

Fewer crabs and more deliberate catches would have been helpful though admittedly a lot less dramatic.

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Event: Cambridge 99's Regatta 2012 - 4th division
Posted as: Yining
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Ah, Corpus. Eight novice rowers with rainbow and mesh wifebeaters, one novicer cox and a novicer-er coach just didn't make for the best combination.

As for the race itself, there was little doubt that we would win after gaining almost two lengths in the first minute. However, there could have been a lot more control and separation. This is especially crucial if the coxbox or speakers aren't working, so that changes can be made together down the boat. Cleaner rowing was seen in the next race and would have made beating Clare simpler.

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Event: Champion of the Thames Eights Head 2012 - Women's 1st Div. Mays
Posted as: Yining
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Good to see lots of commitment from the crew, though missed water prevented us from translating this into the boat speed we could have had. Still lots of things to work on, including catches and getting full length in general, but I'm certain that we will see steady improvement over the next few weeks. Let's do this, ladies!

Now if there were only more bridges on the Cam to push off of...

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Event: Lent Bumps 2012 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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Ooo, spoons!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2012 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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Had great fun today. We were massive through the start and pulled away from Hughes Hall, though Churchill II once again ensured that we had to go wide around First Post corner. Most of the other boats bumped out very quickly, and we did well to keep powering through. Hughes Hall were certainly as swift as the coursing river and had the force of a great typhoon, but the strength of a raging fire could be implemented in holding it up after a bump.

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2012 - 3rd division
Posted as: Yining
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Caius was good. Steven's 10-second roar was better (and likely contributed to the opposition's crab and possible boat/barge repair costs).

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Event: May Bumps 2013 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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From the very beginning we knew that this would be "our race." But as emotions showed afterwards, this meant much more than just W1 - it was a collective "our race" for all the people at First and Third who ensured we could put an VIII on the water, who forced us to change our entire mindset about rowing, who coaxed the best out of us, who pushed us past our limits, and who were generally responsible for us getting to where we were this term. It was a stressful eight weeks but those two minutes at a smooth, pressed-out rate 36 (sorry Julia) were so very worth it.

And, of course, thank you to the girls of W1 who gave and gave and never stopped giving. I better see you next year, 'cause there's no way to go but UP.

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Event: May Bumps 2013 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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They sprinted hard and died harder. Christ's were apparently 4 lengths ahead coming into Ditton, lost two of those lengths through the corner, hit the headwind and then basically began moving backwards. There were two or three strokes just past the railings when both boats only had seven people rowing: Alexa was busy scraping paint off the top of Christ's stern and their 7 girl was fending off stationary crabs while trying to avoid contact with our rapidly-advancing bow. Quite satisfying.

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Event: May Bumps 2013 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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We were sure that Christ's were going to go on a mad sprint in revenge, so we went pretty hard off the start but soon became puzzled when Christ's never gained more than a (very dubious) single whistle. A couple squeezes were all it took to shake them off our tail completely, though Eva's intense facial expressions prompted me sneak a couple looks behind. Even now I don't know whether Christ's were looking to do a long race or a short race, but I think the past couple of days have helped prepare us for any eventuality.

The fact that I actually managed to park properly (twice!) probably should have forewarned us about the inverse proportionality between the quality of the row up and the race down. The bladework was scrappy and our shoulders tense, though our legs were nonetheless effective, especially into the headwind. We actively tried to reclaim rhythm and looseness on the row back, and Preeyan (subbing in for Fordy who was subbing in for Jason) noticed this, calling our row back "classy." I'm confident that we can translate that same classiness into our race when we approach Pembroke and Maggie tomorrow - let's bring it, girls!

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Event: Cambridge 99's Regatta 2013 - 1st division
Posted as: Yining
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For once meadowside was good to us. "Okay girls, coming into this final bend, this is their corner so--" *HORN* was a surprise to all but welcome nonetheless. This was probably our best (and funnest) race in terms of getting our blades in the water, but the later races showed that we still need more consistency through fatigue, wind and wash. Inches to gain in the coming two weeks!

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Event: Cardinal's Regatta 2013 - 8+
Posted as: Yining
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Do I detect a hint of jealousy in the report above of my fantastic catch and massive puddles (which were, of course, commended by our brilliant cox)? Alas, I was so good that the one-second overhead crab probably only made us go faster...

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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Commitment, belief, ability to change strategy on the fly and keep pushing through the pain... that's what it takes to go the distance. So proud of what we accomplished and thank you for laying it all on the line (quite literally)!

One step further, ladies - 3rd to 1st we're bound, Downing will go down!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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Yes, boys! A bump three days in the making but you did it - well done!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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As textbook as it gets. We believed in our rhythm and we made the boat fly, clean and natural. Simple lifts kept Jesus at bay and reeled Emma in; "keep calm and bump" was never executed so perfectly. Great work, girls - looking forward to more tomorrow!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Wednesday
Posted as: Yining
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W1 were happy to break out of general marshalling faff to cheer at the sight of dark blue blades closing in on remarkably slow-moving Barbie pink ones as they were coming into men's top finish. Slightly confused at what was happening, we were nonetheless delighted to see a pink cox arm up in the air. Having actually paid attention to Crew 9 and 10 possibilities, I was sure that it counted as a bump. We looked around for umpires in vain and waited as John and Matt came back with the verdict: a bump made and a bump awarded. Elation!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Tuesday
Posted as: Yining
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A solid row under pressure from a faster crew. A fairly scrappy start saw St Catz pulling up to a length by the railway bridge but I was excited to see them more or less sticking there for another 20 strokes in the face of our valiant pushes. Catz closed in rather quickly afterwards and 5 strokes of marginal overlap later their bowball tapped our stern.

Now that the jitters from inevitable first-day nerves is out of the way, a clearer and more structured race plan should prove promising for tomorrow - good luck, boys!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Tuesday
Posted as: Yining
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A longer race than expected but a convincing victory nonetheless. After all, crushing Maggie is what First and Third does best. Good work, boys!

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2013 - 1st division
Posted as: Yining
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Easily the best start of the day. Downing were able to pull ahead by 3/4 length early on but we matched them push for push all the way down the reach. Our racing line quickly turned to a rather racy line under the bridge but we did well to hold it together through the wash. A big thanks to Catherine for subbing in to what was some of our most committed rowing all term. Indeed it was a disappointing result but still one that demonstrated the serious challenge we pose to Downing's headship. I think we can come out of this regatta with renewed conviction that if we lay everything on the line and work together, Downing will go down.

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2013 - 1st division
Posted as: Yining
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First time I've turned around in the cox's seat in a while. Unfortunately I still missed seeing the crab.

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2013 - 1st division
Posted as: Yining
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Sun in Lent term is a rare occurrence and we had it in boatloads on the day. Our first race saw the crew in high spirits and committing solidly to moving the boat together, a good start to one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Definitely agree with Thornton about the meadowpath (yes, there's a path) line - must have been the bizarrely idyllic weather messing with our heads! Would've liked to practise our wind for the finish in non-early morning water, but we decided to spare Sidney the "easily."

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Event: Christmas Head 2012 - 4x+
Posted as: Yining
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Thanks to Sam's great lines and our massive back swing, we came in all of First and Third and last place. The race was pretty enjoyable, ignoring Thornton's ridiculous amount of splash that instantly reduced me to a block of ice at the finish line. I will forever remember this race as the one that should've-earned-me-my-likely-one-and-only-sculling-point.

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Event: Cambridge Winter Head 2012 - Student Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Yining
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Marshalling next to barges is even more awkward in an VIII.

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Event: Cambridge Winter Head 2012 - Student Senior IVs
Posted as: Yining
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Marshalling next to barges is awkward.

This was a rather dramatic race! It was chilly and damp, and being handed an inhaler by my strokegirl might have been taken too lightly. Still, I think the race went quite well, despite a couple of wide lines and Daisy beginning to gasp less than halfway in - blades went in together, came out mostly together and moved some boat in between! Tiredness did begin to creep in through the last two minutes, but never had I seen such an effective response to a "spin the hands" call. The race ended with me screaming to come by some novice VIII that had set off three boats ahead of us, and our last ten strokes gave us half a length - a relatively good sign, I think.

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Event: Lent Bumps 2013 - Wednesday
Posted as: Yining
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We were in high spirits coming off what was probably our best outing of term Tuesday (was it only yesterday?) morning. Decent paddling on the row up and some clean and length-ful practise starts looked promising for our first day of bumps.

A blade stuck in the water disrupted our start slightly but we recovered immediately, pushing out our previously massive rhythm change to an unprecedented but clean 38. We quickly lengthened out again, taking a reasonable line around First Post while moving up on Emma. Our first whistle from Iain came along the Gut and took us all by surprise, especially as Emma were taking a predictable push out of First Post. We closed in steadily around Grassy and committed to our big Plough Reach burn out of the corner.

Almost too soon we heard two whistles, brought in our back swing and suddenly we had three feet of overlap coming towards the pub. We launched into our bumps push but things began to fall apart and Emma were able to pull away. Ditton was incredibly difficult and we gave them half a length of clear water as we blew up. Pure psychology kept Emma going down the Reach, but the girls were able to recover enough to take our well-rehearsed wind to the line, finishing at about station.

A hard race today but we have proven that we are faster than Emma. Day two tomorrow. Bring it!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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Day 3 traditionally sees a gap in W1 race reporting, so I thought I'd oblige.

After I had grabbed the bung just before it was too late, we delivered a confident start, if a little scrappier than the previous day. We pulled away from Downing almost immediately and continued to do so while taking several strides to stretch out to our optimal rhythm. They fell back along Plough Reach and never regained distance until their final attempt to scramble away from Emma halfway up the Reach. Our own row was strong and committed until Downing were bumped approx. 2 lengths behind at the white house, whereupon we settled down and finished the course to a heartening amount of support from various M1 crews marshalled along the bank.

Well done to Emma W1 for their clinical bump. I'm looking forward to meeting them tomorrow and seeing both crews pull out all the stops. Let's give 'em a good show!

P.S. To those hungry for every excruciating (occasionally literally) detail, hold on til Sunday for Julia's incredible narration. As faithful readers will know, you won't be disappointed.

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Event: May Bumps 2014 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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Jesus were visibly alarmed when they noticed us having a practise push-off into the station 6 outflow, which was worlds better than yesterday's nightmare. The real push-off was coordinated perfectly, courtesy of Fordy and our illustrious bankparty.

Despite a scrappy first three strokes (but at least this time Julia's blade wasn't held hostage underwater), we wound to a record high and settled into a strong rhythm. We stuck on station with Jesus around the corners while steadily pulling away from Newnham, who started to fall apart coming out of Grassy. Then both gaps opened on the straight, where Jesus moved away and Newnham just faded into the distance, resulting in a rather quiet end to the race.

We felt healthier and more prepared today, and it definitely showed. One day more now, girls - tomorrow we go for the bump!

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Event: May Bumps 2014 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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Like W1, like W2. The girls ground Newnham down around the corners and made massive gains past the Plough and into Ditton corner, where it became clear that the opposition were falling apart. Newnham tried to flee to the far side of the Reach but W2 stayed hard and committed, with 1/2 a length of overlap for a full minute before Newnham were forced to drift back past the kink and simply steered into Chris' line. Very satisfying.

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Event: May Bumps 2014 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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YES YES YES, BOYS!!!

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Event: May Bumps 2014 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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A valiant attempt to chase Caius though it soon became clear that they would catch Jesus before we could make much of an impression on them. Their bump just before Ditton and subsequent indecisive clearing made cornering difficult and allowed Newnham to make up some ground behind us, sticking at 1/4 length for the middle half of the Reach. We pressed on with various combinations of sharp catches, legs, and/or hips, took it up at the Railway Bridge and finished about a length clear.

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Event: May Bumps 2014 - Wednesday
Posted as: Yining
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Solid plan of bumping "10 strokes out of Ditton" and even better execution. Not a dress rehearsal in sight. YEAH, GIRLS!!

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Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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Much of this is being posted after Julia's report below, but I wanted to make sure I got a few words in first; the headliner should always come after the supporting acts.

We were marshalled at the finish line when Madgalene M1 rowed over comfortably ahead of Caius M2 at the top of the men's second division. They were pleased to have "controlled every minute of the race". Kate and I agreed that we had to follow suit. Simon later said that that was exactly what we did.

Julia and Kate might have been relaxed coming into this final race, but I don't think I've ever been so nervous. Everything about me was shaking - my legs, my hands, the rudder wires that I was so crucially responsible for. I must've readjusted my grip on the bung a hundred times in the two minutes leading up to the starting gun. Then my hand went up in the air, Alexa and Nina took a tiny tap, a moment of silence and suddenly I was calling the draw strokes.

It was a bizarre experience to row bumps twice without having anything to chase. While the girls had the benefit of seeing Downing and Emmanuel rise up or fall back, I could only gauge how well we were doing from hearing our respective bankparties: distances and "you're moving away!" from Thomas and Fordy and a vague, optimistic buzz from Emma's infamous wishful thinkers. It was oddly backwards from the usual situation, where the girls have to rely on my vision and their ears. Coming past the Plough, I was struck with the sense that the girls could have just defended the headship by themselves; this was our best row technically and the support we received from spectators on the bank certainly drowned out any inkling of doubt.

I was surprised when Emma moved up on us coming towards the Railway Bridge. Thomas shouted "station!" rather anxiously and then the whistles began. We took our well-rehearsed lift off of the bridge, but when they still got to three whistles and I wasn't getting any feedback from Kate or Julia, I had to break a coxing rule and turned around for a quick glance. Relief. They were killing themselves for that 3/4 length gap. We were strong and ready to lift up a pip. And so we did, to the rousing shouts of M1 crews, including our own. We crossed the line with our heads held high and an easy length clear of Emmanuel.

A great race, to be sure, but I think the sheer ridiculousness of everything that occurred afterwards will leave a stronger impression. I was given a massive flag to wave/hold/keep dry as we took our victory lap to a stunning amount of applause and respect from both sides of the river. Lots of hugs, tears, medals and congratulations. Then I was carried back to college on a wooden boat by my rowers and coaches, trembling to have been singled out in such a way - and to have been taller than Jon Glass for a glorious 20 minutes! The boatburning was incredible and emotional. The whole club had contributed to that moment and joyfully shared it with us.

From Nie (2014: iv): To the girls and coaches at First and Third: every day you teach me what it means to be dedicated. Two years ago with spoon in hand, I would never have dreamed of being part of a plausible Headship campaign, but this W1 crew stuck together, fought for every inch and proved that hard work and commitment pay off. I am so, so proud of what we have achieved, and thank you for trusting me enough to allow me the honour of being part of this crew. Someday I might even forgive you for tossing me in the river...

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Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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Sometimes you gotta play nice; sometimes you gotta go in for the kill. Today was kill day.

"You're underrating them and gaining" was the theme of the race. With first-day frustrations out of the way, we set out ready to race and hungry for a Headship. Our stride was as effective and efficient as it had ever been and really gave us the length we had been chasing yesterday. We had fantastic corners as always and closed to half a length around Ditton. Then we just ate up the distance, sticking at a canvas of overlap before Nina scraped a good chunk of paint off of Downing's stern.

"Show me how much you want this!" The ease of that row made me believe that we could've pulled it off a second time right then and there. Luckily for us, we get two more chances to do just that.

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Event: Lent Bumps 2014 - Wednesday
Posted as: Yining
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An inevitable dress rehearsal. The stage is ours tomorrow, girls!

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Event: Cambridge Head-2-Head 2014 - 1st Mays
Posted as: Yining
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I think what struck me most about this race was the simplicity and 'pleasantness' (please don't kill me) of the whole thing. We didn't have many ups or downs, just consistent, committed rowing through the first 2k and then again for the second. I was impressed with our cover at rate 34 for the downstream leg, on which we earned an amazing 6:50. The upstream/headwind leg gave us more difficulty with catches, but our frustration at Jesus M1's overtake coming out of Ditton gave us the drive to really destroy the second half of the Reach, cheesy motivational calls included. Great work today, girls - very pleased with the way our technique and grit held together. You deserve those pots!

Though I have to admit that the best thing about today was Thornton's "I was surprised you took a decent line around First Post" - win!

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Event: Cambridge Winter Head 2013 - Student Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Yining
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I've noticed a general trend in race reports: the better we do, the more we chat about non-race stuff. Alexa's coverage of the always comedic Winter Head marshalling situation was quite comprehensive, so I'll just move onto the serious business.

We were close to a minute faster today than we were in Autumn Head three weeks ago. I figure 10s comes from having less headwind, 10s from W1 blades and Valkyrie, and the rest from greater togetherness through the boat and sheer hard work (we gained our 10s winning margin essentially entirely on the Reach). The smoothness and contrast we've been trying to develop in the IVs has translated astonishingly well into the VIII and really made us fly. Now that we've regained some confidence, let's commit to getting even bigger, better and faster!

Three more weeks 'til Fairbairns, ladies - LET'S GET IT!

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Event: University IVs 2013 - 1st division
Posted as: Yining
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The fate of a few overturned lawnchairs had us amused at the amount of devastation wreaked by the UK's "worst storm in decades." By mid-morning, the sun was shining and the chairs had been rescued. Nonetheless it was a blustery day, made more difficult by the lack of working speakers in Scylla.

After waiting and tapping nervously for a full 5 minutes for Selwyn to be pointed in the right direction, we executed the best start I've seen since Mays, and our first half of the race was long and relaxed. We started flagging around Grassy and managed a decent Plough Reach before things started feeling heavy. Cornering was difficult, especially as the wind began to catch our bows but we endured against the massive headwind to reached our post before our opposition. Selwyn were fast and sat hard on our tail until they were blown into the clutches of Ditton and its patron tree.

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Event: Pembroke Regatta 2015 - 2nd division
Posted as: Yining
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Fantastic effort from M2, and definitely not the first time Maggie has gotten away with colliding into a FaT crew. In the words of Grenfell-Shaw, "I call conspiracy" (Pembroke Regatta 2012)!

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Event: May Bumps 2015 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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Yeaaah boys!! A massive well done from across the Atlantic!

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Event: May Bumps 2015 - Saturday
Posted as: Yining
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So proud of you girls (and guy). You committed to each other and making the boat work, and your dedication shone through today. Congrats on your success!!

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Event: May Bumps 2016 - Wednesday
Posted as: Yining
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Clare gained some ground down First Post Reach, but from Grassy onwards W1 began walking away. A solid row saw the girls cross the finish inside station on Jesus (who had overlap on Emma throughout the second half of the course but never made the hit) and with Clare nowhere in sight.

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Event: May Bumps 2016 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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A solid row in front of a faster crew. Fantastic steering from Emily through the corners prolonged the race past Ditton, but M2 fell to Corpus on the straight, just before the Railings. Definitely more to give -- greater commitment in response to pushes from behind should yield a favourable result tomorrow!

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Event: May Bumps 2016 - Thursday
Posted as: Yining
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First half of the race looked much like yesterday, except this time Clare were prepared and we were not. Not the result we wanted today, but many lessons were learned. You're fully capable of bumping Clare back tomorrow -- believe in your rhythm, stick with each other, and you'll fly!

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Event: May Bumps 2016 - Friday
Posted as: Yining
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Visibly more confident that yesterday, W1 set off ready for any eventuality but determined to row on their own terms. Before the start, Millie cracked such amazing jokes that Iain threatened to boycott the push-off. The station 6 outflow distracted us a little but fortunately gave us no trouble.