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| Message board > Web Links > CUBC to enter the eights head | |
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| CUBC to enter the eights head | |||
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| One rowing headline away from the Cam this week is CUBC's decision to enter the eights head which this year is the weekend before the Boat Race. An interesting approach to tapering, but maybe JPD can comment on whether in previous years (CUBC have held their penultimate week camp in Nottingham for the past 15 years) the crews have spent the weekend before doing a 5k on the Trent. My guess is that this may have been linked to the cutting of funding to triallists who refused to join the GB squad for winter training in Reading. Maybe this is an attempt to point out to GB Rowing that they're just as good as Leander. Another thought is that last year's wash up suggested they couldn't cope with either the Tideway itself or the pressure of a busy race day. | |||
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| by jpd - Fri 2nd Mar 2007, 12:10pm | |||
| Interesting comments Simon - here's my take on it: Physiologically speaking the athletes will be able to fully recover from a piece such as this in under seven days, and build in a decent taper, so that shouldn't be an issue. Obviously the programme is different now, but the week at Nottingham would typically have ended with something like 2 x 2000m (that would have been eight or nine days before The Boat Race). As an aside, a week before a 2000m race I would be looking to do a couple of sub-distance pieces at race pace, aiming to gain experience about how many, how long and when to do pushes and to help judge pacing - maybe one of 1500m and another of 1000m. As a further aside, this does not0 mean that I think that CUWBC are wrong to do the Women's Head (although that's another discussion entirely). In my opinion, any preparation that can be done on the Tideway is worthwhile. I don't think that they would have won last year if they had done the head, but they must have identified a lack of experience of the Tideway conditions experienced on the day as a contributing factor (this must include the coaches, who must have played a big part in the decision not to install pumps). I expect the new navigation rules for the Tideway may have made it harder for the Blue Boat and Goldie to spar side-by-side over the course. Also, the Blue Boat did not enter the Head of the Trent this year (although Goldie did, and they won), so they probably won't have experienced the pressure of a race situation as a crew until their first fixture tomorrow. The primary reason for racing will be for the experience of racing over the course when they can guarantee a good run through. However, I suspect they won't have a great start position so will have to overtake a number of crews; this will make it difficult for them to compete with Leander. On that note, I am sure that the disagreements with GB Rowing have not had a significant bearing on the decision to race the HoRR - they proved their point in the fours head (although subsequent trials results were not so outstanding), and the only thing that should be affecting their decision-making at this stage is The Boat Race. | |||
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| by Simon - Fri 2nd Mar 2007, 12:43pm | |||
| I think the Oxford pump last year is over-rated. Given that the new Empachers are like Janouseks inside (under seat compartments), there is less opportunity for water to run through to the cox and be pumped out. Cambridge did ship more water though, and I think this was because they were on the inside of the Hammersmith bend and thus in more sheltered water for longer. I was watching from the roof of a building in Hammersmith and the area of increased exposure was deliminted by a line diagonal across the river - and Cambridge's station took them into it two or three strokes earlier. Cambridge stalled; the Oxford cox's well timed push sealed the deal. Cambridge's error wasn't to embark without a pump, but to stay in the worst water for far too long. Otherwise I largely agree with your post. The big risk is that they could end up racing in a head which is as calm and sunny as 2005 and then a Boat Race which is like last year's... | |||
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| by jpd - Wed 21st Mar 2007, 9:24pm | |||
| Duncan Holland says... This is the first time since 1992 that the CUBC has contested this event. Why? Because the President, the crew and I believe that racing experience and Tideway experience will be good for this crew! Obviously there are several sides, physiology, psychology and sheer logistics all played a part in the decision but we are confident that it will enhance the performance against OUBC on the big day. The Boat Race remains the only goal. ...and Tom James adds... There are quite a few reasons for doing the head this year but the most significant is phsiologically. Taking a leaf out of Harvard's book for their race against Yale we wanted to do a full course piece a week before the Boat Race in training and the HORR provided a convenient opportunity to do this. | |||
