Hi, I’m Ethan, a 4th-year Chemical Engineering student and Captain of Boats for this year.
I had never rowed before coming to Cambridge, and had no idea what coxing was*, but fell in love with both in my first term. At the end of that term, I got to both row and cox (not at the same time) in the Novice Fairbairns Cup. After Christmas, I came back a week early for the Winter training camp. It was quite cold and wet, but a very worthwhile week, which definitely made me a better rower. Training camp also involves lots of food, which makes the icy mornings more than bearable. In Lent, I had a brief stint of rowing in M2, then coxed M3 until the end of Easter term. We didn’t quite make it onto Bumps, but it was a lovely crew to be a part of!
*(If you also have no idea what coxing is: the cox is the person who steers the boat, and tells all of the rowers what to do. If you are a talkative person, you’ll definitely enjoy it.)
In second year, we went to Banyoles, a famous 2km-long rowing lake near Barcelona, for our Winter training camp. This is one of my favourite rowing memories – the scenery was beautiful, the sun was out, the food was lovely, and we did some great training. This was also the time I began coxing W1, which is the boat I’m still coxing today. Soon after, I coxed my first Bumps campaign in the Lent Bumps, moving up from 5th to 4th place on the river. May Bumps was slightly less successful, as two other crews had the audacity to catch us, but nevertheless, we worked very hard and had a good time.
Last year, I thankfully got to keep coxing W1, and we had a brilliant time. We moved up one position in both the Lent and the May Bumps, so we’re now only two bumps away from being Head of the River in the Lents! This was my favourite year so far, as we had excellent vibes across the whole squad, and our hard work payed off in Bumps.
There are a million things I love about rowing at Downing, both on and off the water. One of the best has to be Boat Club Dinner, at which we celebrate at the end of each term. There are also pub trips after land training sessions, socials with other boat clubs, Bridgemas celebrations at the boathouse, and a boathouse gym for strength training.
If you’re new to Downing, I’d emphatically recommend that you give rowing or coxing a go, even if you’ve never tried it before. The sport and the club have both become a huge part of my life, and a defining part of my time in Cambridge. Plus, the club is a fantastic community, so you’ll be surrounded by a very lovely bunch of people, whilst fitting lots of exercise into your busy Cambridge life.
See you in October!
Ethan