The Women’s crew had been training hard over the months leading up to the race, training six days a week in the gym and on the river, and were even seen training on the River Irwell at 7am some mornings.  SUBC women’s crew entered the race in a coxed 8+ within the category of IM3 and started the race at position 254 in division 5. The course itself is the same course that the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race takes place on, on the River Thames. All 6.8 kilometres of it, this is by no means an easy feat.

As the race started the SUBC Women’s crew seemed relaxed and were confident that they had put the training in, placing them in the correct mindset to aim high. This attitude definitely reflected in the results which saw SUBC place 184^th with a time of 21:45, something definitely to be proud of, especially as it transpired that the time is in fact the fastest time, by 45 seconds, that the SUBC Women’s crew have completed the race in, in 15 years. The women’s crew also comfortably beat a crew from Agecroft and two Manchester University Crews, definitely a promising result and confidence booster especially with the up and coming Two Cities Boat Race in May.  It seems SUBC definitely mean business this year.

Patrick Salmon

Both squads were looking to develop their freshers further during the week as well as carry out various tests to aid in the selection of top boats for this semesters upcoming races.  Notable races include BUCS Champ & Beginner Head as well as the eagerly anticipated WHORR and HORR.

Below is a short video of one of some of the men’s squad out on the river.  Don’t worry there are plenty of photos to follow which can be viewed in the gallery under ‘Races’

Last Sunday the men’s crew from Salford University Boat Club (SUBC) competed in the National Indoor Rowing Championships at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.  Athletes from all over the country were on the entry list including the men’s GB squad who competed in the Open Heavyweight category.    Besides this, many universities were in attendance due to BUCS points being on offer.

This was to be the first BUCS event of the year that SUBC would compete in and possibly the most gruelling of the season.  The championship consisted of a 2000m individual race on the ergo (rowing machine).  This is the standard test that any rower will go through for selection in a crew and evidently is severely challenging seeing as athletes push themselves well beyond their physical capabilities and begin to battle with their own mental strength.

Being a BUCS event, points were on offer in two categories for the men, heavyweight and lightweight (below 75kg).  The crew consisted of four seniors Patrick Salmon, Alan Moore, James Bullock and Simon Harrison.  And accompanying them for their first ever race were three freshers, Chris Burgess, Ryan Morris and Andy Pass.

The first BUCS event was the Men’s Lightweight category in which Patrick and Alan were to be participating in.  For this they had to endure a strict balance between training and food intake to make the weight on the day which in the lead up to the event put them both under a lot of duress.  Thankfully before the race start both competitors made the weight and took up their positions on their respective ergo’s.  Both did exceptionally well coming in 9^th and 10^th out of 54 competitors, beating respectable universities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Loughborough.

After the lightweight, the big boys mounted their machines, with fantastic results from all, notably James and Ryan who finished a very respectable 26^th and 30^th out of 104 competitors.  The remaining athletes performed incredibly well and a big shout must go to the other members of the crew who came down to support!

The crew’s results can be found here http://concept2.co.uk/birc/results.  The boat clubs next race will be the Head of the Float in Liverpool on Saturday 5^th December.

Alan W Moore

These young, and not so young, hopefuls were down at the boat house the following weekend as they were introduced to the teams’ coaches, rowing machines and the boats. After some basic technique training with a quick core session thrown in for good measure, the freshers still wanted to learn more, and their excitement for getting in the boats the following weekend could hardly be contained!. Now they continue to learn at an amazing rate, showing that this year promises to be another successful one for the fresher crews of SUBC.

However the senior crews have also been in action, trying to continue the good form set over the summer. The switch from short sprints to longer distance head races was made last weekend on home turf, or the water equivalent, at Salford Quays. A 3.2 kilometre race, with 2 boy’s crews and one girls’ crew entered, all in coxed fours, it would prove to be an exciting day. The girls’ crew had a battle on their hands from start, as at the last minute a change of boat was forced upon them, putting them on the back foot before the race had begun. But once again the girls showed their natural grit and determination by still posting a good time down the course. The first boys’ crew down was racing in a high division, meaning the opposition was stiff, and this was reflected in their final position of 6^th out of 8. The second men’s crew, in a slightly lower division finished a credible 4^th, with the old foe Manchester coming in front of them! Both boy’s and girl’s knew that better results could have been had, and look back at the race as a practice, and a new determination to improve the times for the next race, Head of the Dee, taking place in a couple of weekends time down the road in Chester

Within a month of university exams finishing, the Men’s 8 and Men’s 4 traveled down to Marlow Regatta, near Eton, on Dawney Lake to see how they could compete within such a large and important regatta. To reach the final, the 8 had to compete in two heats, of 2000 metres, of six boats and finish 1^st or 2^nd. The lads shot off the start and held 2^nd until 500 metres to go, when their endurance ran out and were overtaken to finish 3^rd. Disappointment all round, but it was later found out that the recorded time for their heat was very respectable, and had it been any other heat, the crews would have progressed into the next heat.

The next day the Men’s 4 raced, not sure what to expect. Once again the boat zoomed off the start, but again, with 250 metres to go, all technique within the boat disappeared, and the crew were overtaken, finishing within 2 seconds of qualifying.

On the same weekend, the Women’s senior 4 raced just down the road from Marlow at Women’s Henley. The girls expected to get through their time trial, which they did comfortably, but knew they would be up against some stiff competition in the first of the heats, which was soon confirmed when they were drawn against Imperial, a high performance club to say the least. The umpire started the race and the Imperial crew veered straight into the Salford Girls! Panic broke loose and the Umpire stopped the race, and for the third time for this type of incident in Henley’s history, the offending crew were disqualified and the girls were through to the next round, something that has never happened before in Salford’s history. Unfortunately, 16 crews now remained, all top university crews, and Salford were drawn against a crew in the running to win the category; Oxford Brooks, who won the heat by a couple of lengths. Even so, the girls were still overjoyed that they performed so well in the time trials, and managed to get through to the second round of heats.

Later on in the summer the Men’s 4 raced at Peterborough Regatta, where they reached the final and finished 3^rd, a great result! And nearer the end of the holidays, they traveled up the M60 to Hollingworth Lake, where they entered their own category and the category above them. They reached the final with a great performance in the higher category, proving to themselves that their level of Rowing is increasing dramatically, but unfortunately came 2^nd. In their own category they again reached the final, and had to race Manchester University. They held them off all the way until the very end when one of the boys made the smallest of errors, but it was just enough to let Manchester, who were practically neck and neck with them all the way, to edge in front right on the finish line and take the victory. The lads knew they could do better, but in just a couple of years, the level of rowing within this small club has really climbed and we all know that we have a lot to offer this coming season.

James Bullock