News & Events
Cygnet Weekly Update: Monday 26th Jan 2015
26th January 2015
Evenin' All,
Great to have 8s training side by side on the water over the weekend. And not a moment too soon, as the first race is upon us, with Quintin Head on Saturday.
We've got two crews racing, and the draw's up: our Masters B crew are off at number 60, and our Novice crew are off at number 175. BBLRC are off at 186. Race starts at 1.45pm, from Chiswick Bridge to Harrods.
It's great to have two 8s racing on Saturday, as that's our aim for the Head of the River Race weekend at the end of March - and we'll enter more crews if we've got the numbers. We've got more opportunities to race and try different combinations in the timetable, including Henley 4s & 8s Head (14th Feb), and Hammersmith Head (1st Mar), and we will get as many Cygnets racing as possible. But that does mean having 16+ oarsmen available for regular on-the-water training as much as possible for the next couple of months. And turnout at ergs and circuits has been well short of that recently. So please update the spreadsheet for all of February and March, and do as much training as you can, alongside crewmates if at all possible.
This week
- Tues evening, Squad Erg Night. 40mins feet out, rating 20.
- Thurs evening, Circuits. 7.00pm at the club, or 7.15pm at the school. Hopefully Greg will be back to chivvy us, as some of us have barely recovered from Neil's regime last time, but I'm not going to be too rude about that session, because...
- Thurs evening, food after training - Neil P is cooking, let him know if you're staying. Essentially, on a Thursday night you can get an intense training session, a beer, and a hearty dinner, for about £5. You'd be crazy not to.
- Sat & Sun mornings - crew-lists and outing times to be confirmed later in the week. The early morning outings (7.15am) have been effective in securing some quieter water. Outings on Saturday will be changed on account of Quintin Head.
Further Ahead
- Don't forget Thursday 12th Feb, drinks in the Duke's Head, Putney, for our 125th anniversary drinks.
- Sculling Camp is now pencilled in for Fri 10th to Sun 12th April. Not to be missed. We'll also try and incorporate Sculling Camp into the next Learn-To-Row course. More details to follow from Nick Bates.
And finally:
- another gentle reminder that subs are due. £260 for CSSC, £320 for the rest. Next week's reminder may be slightly less gentle given that it's payday later this week...
- no-one put in a bid for the bargain Godfrey sample kit I've got, so it's now reduced to £45 for the all-in-one, and £60 for the Gilet, both Large - let me know. (This may process may continue until the price drops far enough for me to buy it or for Bates to pounce on it as 'unclaimed kit').
That is all.
D
Cygnet Weekly Update: Monday 19th Jan 2015
19th January 2015
Evenin' All,
A cold but busy weekend. Albeit with much heat emanating from the shed on Saturday morning as a good number of us completed our 5k tests. It was a beautiful thing, and it did everyone good to see crewmates giving it their all. Thanks all who clocked a time (and as ever, any time is infinitely better than no time at all), and thanks to Sue for sticking around to encourage each of us in our ordeal.
This week
- Tues evening, Squad Erg Night. 50mins feet out, rating 20-22. Blimey.
- Thurs evening, Circuits. Usual time (7.15pm), usual place (Cavendish School). Numbers had dropped off a bit from an encouraging start, so do please try and make it - the more the merrier.
- Thurs evening, food after training - Matt B will be cooking up a feast, let him know if you're staying.
- Sat & Sun mornings - crew-lists and outing times to be confirmed later in the week.
Other stuff
- We're entering at least one crew, and hopefully two, for the Quintin Head on 31st Jan - so please make sure you're available if called. Various combinations have been going afloat over the past couple of weeks, but a key aim is to get as many of us our first Head race experience for a long while (or ever, in some cases).
- Sincerely hope that Thursday 12th Feb is firmly in your diaries, for our 125th anniversary drinks. 7pm, Duke's Head, Putney. With perhaps some associated revelry.
- We will be running our next Learn-To-Row course in April, which means planning and marketing now. In particular, if you know of any friends/ colleagues/ acquaintances who might fancy having a go, do let them know and encourage them. A very high proportion of Cygnets learned to row at this club, which is great.
Kit reminders:
- the ordering window closes on 9th Feb. http://godfrey.co.uk/club/cygnetrc
- if you order that time the most you'll pay for an item is the '2-11 items' price (even if you're the only one), e.g. £54 for an all-in-one, £70 for a 'Mazu' gilet.
- if you're minded to get something to mark Cygnet's 125th year, a number of us will be investing in the Cygnet 'Zephyr' - which is fetchingly retro, and indeed is probably the only bit of kit that any of the original 1890 members would recognise...
- finally I have a couple of bits of brand new kit that Godfrey gave us as samples, yours for a reduced price (to go to into the Cygnet coffers): Cygnet 'Custom Finesse All-in-one' (L) £50 ono, and a Cygnet 'Custom Mazu Gilet' (L) £65 ono. Let me know.
Other reminders:
As we approach the first competitive race of the year, now is a particularly important time to make sure that you're up to date with your British Rowing membership - as we literally can't enter you into a race without it. Also, if you're a CSSC member, worth ensuring that that's still valid.
And finally:
There will shortly be a number of 'opportunities' coming up on the Cygnet Committee, and indeed on the Boathouse Exec. None too onerous, all good for the soul, and all playing a crucial role in the well-being of the rowing club and boathouse that we know so well. Nomination forms will be issuing shortly, but do have a think now whether you could lend a hand on one of the committees - the club and boathouse really do depend entirely on volunteers to keep things working so that we can all enjoy ourselves.
That's all for now.
D
Cygnet Weekly Update: Monday 5th Jan 2015
12th January 2015
Evenin' All,
Welcome back from wherever you've been over the break. And welcome to 2015, the year in which Cygnet reaches the ripe old age of 125!
There were a few smaller boats seen out in the water over the Christmas break, as well as a few (smaller) ergs witnessed in the shed. Otherwise hope you were treating your bodies like temples throughout the festivities. If the shock of the return to the domestic and work routines has hit you half as hard as me, then you're in need of returning to the rowing and socialising routine around our favourite boathouse.
And we're straight back into it, with a clean and fresh training plan from Coach Sue, ergs and circuits this week, and only just over three weeks until the first race of the season. And less than three months until the Head of the River Race weekend. Three months is time enough to substantially improve your fitness, technique, and boat speed - but only if you work on it from now, it simply won't do to get to March and wish you had several weeks' more training backing you up.
This week
Tues evening - Squad Erg Night. 2x 20min, rating 24/26 (changing after 10mins). The more of us that can do this together, the better - and will start getting us into the right frame of mind for the Head distance, and indeed next weekend's 5k test.
Thur evening - Circuits, 7.15pm at Cavendish Primary School, or meet at 7.00pm at the club to jog over together. Turnout waned slightly towards the end of last term. Circuits is really invaluable, is rowing-specific, and makes a tangible difference to speed and fitness. And furthermore, it's paid for directly out of the coaching budget, so you've no reason at all to miss out. If you want to be in a Cygnet boat for HORR weekend, you ought to be putting in three months' worth of Thursday night 'fun'.
Also on Thur evening is the welcome return of post-training food. Nick R is stepping up to the plates this week, so please let him know if you want to stick around. See you there.
Sat and Sun mornings - 7.45am and 9.45am outings (for 8am and 10am sharp on the water). Crew lists to follow.
Note that we may have one or two boats going out earlier if that means we can do some side-by-side pieces with the BB Ladies.
Further Ahead
Quintin Head is on Sat 31st Jan, 1.45pm start. We ought to be able to muster two crews for this, so please update your availability, which we use as confirmation that you're up for racing.
If you're interested in attending the British Indoor Rowing Champs on the 8th Feb (Olympic Park Velodrome) let me know. You can enter directly, or they are also hosting relay events this year - ideal for any four Cygnets who fancy their chances over 500m each.
An important Feb date for diaries is Thursday 12th Feb, Cygnet's 125th anniversary. Something will be happening that evening, even if it is in combination with circuit training...Finally, a little moan to start the year - my Sunday evening riverside run was interrupted by spotting that the shed lights were on, and in fixing that, discovering that the shed garage door was unlocked - you know what to do.
That's all for now.
D
