Bumps alone are a reason for you to get involved with rowing at Downing. They’re an exciting combination of racing and aggression. It’s even been said, by someone with experience of both, that sitting waiting for the start cannon in Bumps is more nerve-wracking than an Olympic Final! There are two sets of bumps a year – one at the end of Lent Term, and one at the end of Easter Term, (after exams and before May week).
To an outsider, the Bumps might seem a bit odd – it’s a kind of competition that you only find at Cambridge. The boats in each race all set off at the same time, spaced a boat length and a half apart. The objective is to catch up and make contact with the boat in front of you – to ‘bump’ them. Add the winding river Cam, furious whistles, coaches cycling alongside, and hundreds of spectators into the mix, and you’ve got an exhilarating race experience unlike any other.
During the Lent and May Bumps, crews race once a day for four days, giving crews four opportunities to move up the division. Crews that pull off a bump on each day are awarded with ‘blades’. Meanwhile, crews unlucky enough to be bumped four days in a row are said to have ‘spooned’, and are awarded wooden spoons as prizes.
The ultimate aim is to reach the top of the first division and obtain the coveted Head of the River title. A club’s position in the division, (with Lents and Mays being independent events) is carried over into the next year, meaning that each crew passes on a bumps legacy to future generations of the club. Although not every crew will have the chance to become Head of the River in a given year, the possibility of gaining blades means that the particularly fast crews lower down the divisions are rewarded.
In recent years, Downing crews have dominated the top of the bumps charts. In the Lent bumps, M1 were Head of the River in 2014, and are currently in 4th. W1 are currently in 2nd place, and also held the Lent Headship between 2011& 2013. In the May Bumps, M1 are currently in 7th in the May Bumps. W1 most recently held the Mays headship between 2011 & 2012, and 2014 & 2016. They are currently in 7th.
Downing second boats also consistently sit at the top of the second boats on the river, competing with and, (in many cases) beating other first boats. M2 are currently the 9th highest second boat in the Lents, and 6th highest in the Mays. W2 are the 7th highest second boat in the Lents, and 6th highest in the Mays.
The Bumps Crews for previous years can be found here, with the photos of the Bumps found in our gallery here.
