All race reports for Robert Shearme
Event: Clare Novice Regatta 2014 - Cup
Posted as: Robert
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With a strong and confident slap of spoons on the waters we pulled up to the start line, we felt powerful and intimidating. Unfortunately this was the highlight of our race as Maggie pulled away by about half a boat fairly soon: We lost confidence and our chances of beating them in that moment. It was still a fun race against the red boat and we look forward to beating them next time.
Event: Clare Novice Regatta 2014 - Cup
Posted as: Robert
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Brilliant race all together. It was my first sprint in which I rowed more than 2 strokes and I have to say it was exhilarating. An unfortunate crab at the start was soon dropped back in the water and we pulled out in front. Magdalene seemingly decided that speed would not be their method of victory and so aimed to charge at us; to no avail. We finished in a solid position with Magdalene giving a good effort.
Event: Cambridge Regatta 2017 - Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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I had to jump over to bowside for this racing (having just done strokeside for the Cat crew) so it was a bit of a scrappy start. It was also a little painful when our coxswain, Rachel Grewcock, noted that I looked better on bowside than strokeside.
The boat sat incredibly well and we managed to let it just run when easying for several lengths. I'm hoping that saying "I wish our Bumps VIIIs can sit the boat as well as that scratch mixed VIII" is an indication of a lucky VIII which worked rather than our Bumps VIIIs.
Event: Cambridge Regatta 2017 - Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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On the way up Fordy noted that Caius looked respectable and may have been paddling in the time trial. Perhaps we were in for a surprise when the real race kicked off?
We weren't.
Event: Cambridge Regatta 2017 - Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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Annoyingly we didn't get to race this as a start marshall made a joke about us having to go home... except without any comedic delivery... so we went home. Ah well.
It being my fourth race of the day, and having snoozed during marshalling, I think it was a wonderful high to end on the race against Caius.
Event: Cambridge Regatta 2017 - Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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Well we knew that Cantabs were about 13 seconds faster than us but we weren't going to let them go for victory without a fight. We certainly did that. Although we blew a few hundred metres in, we held on to contact up to the railway bridge and kept the grind on as hard as we could. I am very excited to see what a crew from this squad, who will have trained together for a term, can do.
Event: Cambridge Regatta 2017 - Senior VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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I was not expecting to turn up to row in such a sat boat. I am incredibly proud of how good we looked despite most of not having been on a river all summer.
Event: May Bumps 2017 - Thursday
Posted as: Robert
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Definitely not our cleanest or most powerful row. We either lost our edge due to fear, or complacency. Either way, we still bumped Darwin coming into Grassy Corner (even if it sounded like Rachel had missed the bump).
Tomorrow's race with u chasing Downing M2 chasing Jesus M2 is sure to be a race to remember. All that is left now is to gear up for that and prepare to deliver as much pain to Downing as our legs give us. Ra ra First and Third.
Event: May Bumps 2017 - Wednesday
Posted as: Robert
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Well no one expected that result. Many out of FaT on the messageboards doubted us. So did a lot of the Club itself, and in all honesty a few of the crew probably secretly thought we'd be taking our first step down this week.
I have never been in a more exhilarating race. Pembroke stayed about a length away from us until the reach whilst we were grinding into the station of length between us and Clare.
A strong Bumps push after Griffiths' roar coming round Ditton spurred us on for our Bump into Clare. I am very excited to see how much we can surprise the rest of the University in the next three days.
Ra ra First and Third.
Event: Lent Bumps 2017 - Tuesday
Posted as: Robert
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Having come back from almost a year of injury, and sporadic training I was excited for a strong bumps campaign in the highest men's crew I had ever been in.
We had a good term, coming together and really brought it together in the last day or so before bumps. On the day, it simply got even better and felt slicker.
We pushed out, with little time sitting out in the river due to the wind, and off the cannon went. First day nerves came into our start, but we held it together and came to a nice rhythm.
I had never bumped before, and over 16 days of bumping races, my average per day was a solid -1. This time was different though. I heard whistles being called from the bank party at an angle I had never heard them from before - our own bank party. We kept the pressure on Darwin, and really took it to them. A few more strokes later and we took them out on First Post corner.
As our coxswain called "Hold it up!", I was a bit too keen and managed to nearly eject myself with a crab. As I sat up, and right myself, and we were pulled in by those on the bank I must admit that for the first time I shed some tears of joy. It felt like the culmination of two years of my time in First and Third, and to bump was simply splendid.
Ra ra.
Event: Head of the Nene 2017 - Novice VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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This was our first outing together as a crew as M1 had previously stolen one of our bowsiders a few days before when their bowman did not show.
It wasn't a bad race considering it was our first together as a crew. The weather was surprisingly sunny for a February, morale was high, and if we had had a few more outings together we could have shaved off those 4s to come in pole position and win ourselves some pots. A good set-up for this term.
Ra ra
Event: University IVs 2017 - Light IVs
Posted as: Robert
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With only two outings together as a crew and me managing to break the boat both times it was not looking optimistic.
We lost to Downing and Clare in a pretty unmemorable race but Jon's lines were sharp and Jacqui's (new coach) encouragement from the bank spurred us on.
I'd have liked to have had had this crew training more together but with the nature of the squad system and availability of both rowers and coaches this was not possible.
Well done to Clare and Downing.
Event: Cambridge Autumn Head 2017 - College VIIIs
Posted as: Robert
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These boats were a mix of the squad's ability and speed. The aim was to build cohesion amongst the whole squad and I think the racing did this well.
Onwards and upwards.
Event: Cambridge Head-2-Head 2018 - 1st division
Posted as: Robert
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Our first leg lacked guts but it was our first outing as a "crew" - we did have one 7-watt sub. Unfortunately we "accidentally forgot" to turn the telemetry on so won't know just how much Marcus quiched.
The second leg we really aimed to attack with guts and did move on Clare until we hit the wind.
It was a pretty choppy set of rowing but a good start. A lot of free speed will come with some miles together. At this time I am reminded of Julia Attwood's unrelenting optimism and am looking forward to hunting down some crews come Bumps.
Ra ra First and Third.
Event: Newnham Short Course 2018 - 1st division
Posted as: Robert
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It felt really good to get down the seconds compared to last week.
We sat down the night before to write out a race plan and I think for the first time ever for me we followed the plan through the race. We possibly could even have done it without prompting from the coxswain... maybe we'll ditch her next time.
3 1/2 weeks to go and I'm getting a more and more positive feel about these Lents. Ra freaking ra boys.
Event: Bedford Head 2018 - Open Eights (Band 2)
Posted as: Robert
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A much better second race than the first thanks to the lack of an overhead crab for 200m of the race. Annoyingly it seemed that that was only worth 5s of time though.
Felt better in terms of loading and so hopefully we can keep working on that and shaving down the seconds between crews like us and the ones we're chasing. Ra ra First and Third.
Event: Bedford Head 2018 - Open Eights (Band 3)
Posted as: Robert
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Goose seemed insistent on not having an ability to use telemetry to measure his 8 watts and so overhead crabbed for 200m of the race, shearing his backstay in the process...
It was a pretty choppy row and definitely not our best.
Event: Lent Bumps 2018 - Friday
Posted as: Robert
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There was too much hype. That's what finished us really.
We were expecting to go up two, maybe three, and against all odds perhaps four these Lents. We'd made our mark in the sand at Pembroke Regatta by clearing out the crews that were near us in Lents. We should have done so much better.
Instead, the Beast from the East took it's toll on our crew. Not physically in terms of temperature, but rather, two days of excitement and hype being built up due to cancellation shook us. We had a solid paddle up but then it were as if all of the jitters from the last few days from not racing were released in our start.
Any inkling of a race plan went and although we splashed about we didn't rate high enough, we didn't squeeze harder enough, and we certainly didn't gun hard enough for it.
We lost this race mentally and shouldn't have. All that will be left are lessons learnt in Lent.
Event: May Bumps 2018 - Wednesday
Posted as: Robert
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This was really not the result that we wanted nor should have produced. There's always the usual Bumps nerves but this was more than that. The crew has so much speed and we've been putting out some really great starts and pieces recently.
Unfortunately, we just cracked under the pressure here. We'd moved up on Sidney to 2/3 of a length, the second whistle didn't come, and Pembroke M2 did.
We really should not have let Pembroke catch us and should have taken out Sidney. Next day.
Event: May Bumps 2018 - Thursday
Posted as: Robert
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Darwin were big and came at us faster and harder than Pembroke did. We still hadn't managed to come together as a crew and they took us out just coming into the Gut.
It was such a shame to have been taken out like that, not because of the result, but because of the rowing. It was better than yesterday but was still not the result we should be producing.
Hopefully, Friday will be better.
Our cox did a great job at clearing us and making sure we wouldn't drift out. So good in fact that our bows were firmly wedged 4 feet into the bank. I had to get out, wade through the mud, and unlodge us.... there goes my nice white zephyr...
Event: May Bumps 2018 - Friday
Posted as: Robert
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YES. This was so much better. Clare came at us and we knew that all we had to do was hold them off and feed them back to Emma. Emma didn't move much on us but Clare did a lot.
We had moved on them firmly in the previous two days so this was a bit of a shock but the panic and dread from previous days didn't set in. Instead, we sat up and buckled down for a grind. Blades went in together. Blades came out together. We rowed like we had been trained to and although it slipped, thankfully, it always came back together when Clare made a push.
I think Emma were outside station on Clare coming into 1st post corner and Clare were gaining on us. Coming into grassy Clare had moved to 1/4 length on us but we fended them off with each surge; and then, the Clare cox decided that rudder strings were overrated. He aimed straight for the outside bank and at the very last minute straightened up.
I thought their rudder wire had broken. Others said he might have been told to take it wide to avoid our wash.
Either way, that took them back half a length towards Emma. Emma, having already gone up 5 by this point (overbump and then bumoing up to sandwich boat) started to reel them in.
It was amazing to go round grassy corner and hear all the support for us. Anytime the Club's name was bellowed I felt a tingle in my legs and went for some more knowing that the adrenaline would carry me.
We kept making length along Plough Reach. Emma didn't really move on us, it was more that Clare had clearly blown. They presumably set out knowing that Emma would get them ad hoping that they could continue our previous trajectory towards spoons.
Instead, we simply moved away up the Long Reach. The incrfeased distance between us and the fact we had absorbed several bumps pushes from Clare gave us confidence and we relaxed. We settled into our rhythm and before long Emma had taken Clare out.
Now, onto the next day. It is going to be a heck of a race with Jesus (spooning) in front of us and Emma (blading) behind us. Lets secure some spoons and break some blades - Rah Rah 1st & 3rd!
