Hello, I’m Ryan, a fourth year Engineer at Downing and M1 rower with DCBC. I’m honoured to take over from Rachel Franks as Captain of Boats for the 2016-17 season. This will be my 4th season with DCBC and I’m hugely excited and optimistic for the year ahead!
I’m one of the few in the club who had rowed before university, having rowed at Methodist College Belfast in Northern Ireland for 4 years previously. I’ve found that Cambridge, and particularly Downing, is a truly special place to row, whether you have previous experience of the sport before coming to uni or not. We have top-level facilities and world-class coaching and this is a club with a rich history, the passion for the sport dating back generations.
During my time at Downing so far I’ve met numerous alumni, who often return to coach and support our crews. It’s extremely inspiring and motivating to know that alumni who graduated as much as 50 years ago still care so much about the club and come back to Cambridge to watch our races. Their love of rowing is clearly still as strong as when they were students themselves.
Athletes who learned to row with DCBC have gone on not only to race in the prestigious Cambridge-Oxford Boat Races, but to represent their countries at the highest level, including the 2016 Rio Olympics!
Yet it’s not all training, the Boat Club also has weekly social events and formal dinners, making it a great way to make new friends!
So why not try rowing? Most people leave here with a degree, why not also leave with a new skill, a new group of friends and potentially, a passion for rowing that could last a life time!
Ryan Macpherson, Captain of Boats 2016-17
Good luck for the year ahead to you and the club, Ryan.
Thank you very much!