News & Events
Captain's update, 25th November
25th November 2024
Morning all,
It has been a busy few weeks since I last did an update but here are the main things to update on:
Racees.
It was disappointing that the fours head races this weekend were cancelled, but definitely the right decision. Our focus will now shift to the head races after Christmas, and in particular the head of the river race on 22 March. I’m hopeful that we can get two eights out for this- and will base the selection based on the training that has been done, the scores achieved, and the technical progress.Training.
We continue to see real improvements across the board. Our consistently full shed for weights is paying dividends, and erg scores are continuing to improve- as shown by everyone improving their 5k scores. We will look to do one more erg test before Christmas - details shortly.On the water, two things to update on. First, for those with relatively less experience- whether on the LTR this year or last, or just without experience of small boats- please do sign up to the sessions with Simon at the weekend. We have bought special floats (essentially stabilisers) for single sculling. I can’t recommend this highly enough- you improve your technical skills far quicker in a small boat.
For those with more experience, we’ve now rigged up two of the boats as pairs, and two as doubles- with the intention of doing more battle paddling between now and Christmas.
For the water sessions, safety is paramount at this time of year- and so please do accept my apologies if there are any last minute change of plans!
Coaching.
Just so you are all aware, Wes is going back to spend the next few weeks with his family and will be back after Christmas. But fear not, he will send me the programme for weights and ergs, and Simon will be with us for some of the water sessions.
Christmas social.
Hopefully you’ve all seen the email from Charles with the latest social info. Please do sign up!Think that is everything, but please do drop me a line if you have any questions!
Thanks, DomCaptain's update, 1st November
1st November 2024
Morning all,
Hope you’ve all had a good week. Hopefully nothing scary in this post Halloween update:Upcoming races. You’ll have seen that I sent around the provisional crews for Vet 4’s and 4’s Head later this month. These were based on the recent training records – well done to those selected. They are provisional still on confirmation from the organisers (these races are over subscribed so they do have to cut a few – the tideway ticketmaster!), but I also want to make clear that they can change – we need people signing up and coming down so that they are not scratch crews on the day. Lots of people are working hard and want your seat!
Upcoming erg test. On this note, we will do our November progress test – a 5k free rate – to see how the training has paid off in the past month. It also gives some of our new LTR graduates a great chance to benchmark themselves in the squad. I’ve been really impressed with some of erg scores recently- so make sure you are there at 7pm on Wednesday. Please sign up on fitclub so that if necessary, we can stagger the use of the ergs.
Safety. I’ve previously written about the safety. Unfortunately I saw multiple instances last weekend of bad practice- all related to getting in and out of boats. First, speed is vital during the winter – so please do not hang around – from putting the boat on the water, you should be kicking off in less than a minute. Second, there was an instance of stepping on the bottom of the boat which could have put a hole in the boat and left those still in there in trouble. Despite being told by multiple senior members of the squad, the individual persisted. If I see this again, water sessions will have to be limited. If you are not sure, please do just ask me or other experienced oarsmen.
Social. Thanks to Charles, we will be doing a club fireworks on the 9th Nov – please do come along to celebrate the time when some bloke from Yorkshire tried to cause havoc in Westminster (how I got a job in the civil service is beyond me).
Charity. Finally, we have had contact through the website from a former member asking for a bit of help with some fund raising. All information is on the website- do please consider it as looks like it will help your erg scores and also, more importantly, raise some much needed funds for MND research. https://www.cygnet-rc.org.uk/article-all_in_a_good_cause8.html
Onwards,
DomCaptain's update 14th October
14th October 2024
Morning all,
Hope you are all having a good start to the week. Lots of notices this week!Pairs Head. Thanks to all who came down to help at the boathouse on Saturday, and those who cheered me and Jordan from the bank. We had a solid race coming third in our category of the Open Club 2-. A good first race of the year and something to build on!
Fours head. Which leads me onto the next big race on the tideway. The Fours Head takes place on 24 November. Entries open shortly and I intent to enter two crews (a quad and a four). Please could insert your availability on FitClub this week. I will be selecting crews based on training scores and experience. I will set these crews at the weekend so that we have 5 weeks to train in them beforehand. If you want to race, it is also critical you commit to the sessions running up to it.
Training. It has been fantastic to see a full shed in our recent sessions, and there has been great commitment to match- well done. The 2k and 5k erg tests give everyone an excellent benchmark for the months ahead. One plea from me is to get signed up early where possible, and to show up ready to go on time.
Weather. Lots of us commented this weekend that it felt like the start of winter. The temperature has dropped and it’s darker. In the depths of winter – conditions and weather won’t always play in our favour. Rest assured the Coach and Captain both keep a very good eye on the forecast – we will update you if plans change, please bear with us and if you know the weather is bad, keep a good eye out for comms about outing changes. If we end up not going on the water, you are still expected to attend a training session you are signed up for on land. Remember warm clothing and if it’s still a bit dark when we are boating, to wear high visibility clothing if possible, as well as lights on boats.
Boat maintenance. If you spot a problem with a boat please do let us know. Boats are expensive and spotting issues early can help massively. And obviously remember to clean the boats after use!
Any questions/ comments, let me know!
Dom
