Downing College Boat Club

Hi! I’m Katy, and I am the Captain of Boats for the upcoming year. I graduated in Biological Natural Sciences in June, and am now studying for an MPhil in Cell Science. I joined DCBC halfway through my first term at Downing back in 2021, and the Club has been a massive part of my life for the last three years. I’d never been particularly sporty at school, but I was quickly drawn in by the excitement of rowing and the sense of community I found within DCBC, from my first novice outings to whole club circuits. During January training camp, I had the opportunity to row with the seniors for the first time. Bolstered by this experience, I moved straight into W1, although unfortunately poor health cut my Lents campaign short. I then joined W2 for my first May Bumps, rowing in the stroke seat.

Moving into my second year, a win at Autumn Head in the first IV started Michaelmas term off strong. Later in term, we were joined by members of W2 to make up the Fairbairns VIII. Following a hugely enjoyable (if incredibly wet!) January training camp, three keen novice women joined the Lent W1. Although W1 were bumped by several very strong crews, both M1 and W2 achieved a bump, and M2 earned blades. This success for M2 continued into May Bumps, with four days of fantastic rows granting the crew Superblades! I take this position as Captain having spent a year as a Lower Boats Captain, which has taught me a lot about myself and about the running of the Club. It was truly a pleasure to see this cohort of novices progress from their first few wobbly strokes to racing novice Fairbairns.

In the senior squads, W1 had a highly successful Fairbairns campaign, finishing 3rd behind Jesus and Catz despite a considerable loss in women’s squad numbers. This third place position was matched by M1, who finished just 4.7 seconds slower than the winning Caius VIII. We were lucky to have the opportunity to go on an abroad training camp this year, spending a week rowing on the beautiful Lake Banyoles in Spain. A stark contrast to the narrow and winding Cam, we were able to get substantial mileage under our belts, with the opportunity for side-by-side racing and training in small boats. 

This week of intense training in Banyoles served as excellent preparation for Lent Bumps. Day 3 marked my very first bump, as well as the first bump for W1 in the Lents since Headship in 2020. I will treasure this memory for the rest of my life; waiting until my fourth Bumps campaign to finally achieve that bump made it all the more special, and I was honoured to share the moment with some of my closest friends. M2 had another stellar campaign, achieving their third consecutive set of blades. Although May Bumps did not bring the results we in W1 would have hoped for, being caught by a rapid Catz W1 and a blading FaT W1, I was proud to once again represent Downing on the river.

Being part of a club like DCBC is about more than just individual crews, and it was incredibly gratifying to see everyone come out to support each other’s successes. M3 qualified for Bumps despite very limited time as a crew and M1 bumped up for the first time in the Mays since 2019, whilst W2 truly embodied the DCBC spirit with two incredibly gutsy row-overs. Entering Henley Women’s Regatta was another highlight from last year. Although we did not qualify, up against tough competition from University crews, it was an incredible experience to race the world-famous course and the love for rowing shown by competitors and supporters alike was infectious. 

Looking forward to the next academic year, I am honoured to have been elected to lead the Club. Rebuilding squad depth via our novice programme is of the utmost priority and I am excited to see our new rowers connect with the sport and the club. At DCBC, we benefit from world-class coaching and exceptional facilities. Every single one of our crews has the potential to succeed and I will do my very best to ensure this potential is realised. Being part of the DCBC family has been such an important part of my time at Downing, and I would urge anyone reading this to come and give rowing a try this year- you won’t regret it! 

Feroces ad Mortem, 

Katy Bradley – Captain of Boats 2024/25