Welcome back to a new term and to a new rowing season. As many of you discovered on the outing held on the last day of the Michaelmas term it can be rather chilly at the river. While crying in agony because fingers are frozen to blades may be character building there are some steps you can take to make rowing less uncomfortable. Unless you are a coxswain or a coach gloves are of no use. Go for layers of clothing - T shirts, all-in-ones and splash tops which can be peeled off as necessary. Make sure that you have decent and dry rugby socks. If the river is over the hard beg, borrow or steal a pair of Wellington boots - make sure that these are marked to prevent "liberation". Invest in a beanie so that you can make a fashion statement while keeping your ears warm.

 

For those of you new to the rowing lark at The Oratory kit is purchased by clicking on "Order OSBC Kit" which will re-direct you to the Godfrey site. "Must have" items are an Oratory all-in-one (black with yellow crest and yellow strip on the side), a G2 splash top and a beanie. If money allows you can also treat youself to a T-shirt. None of the kit is cheap and if you want to make use of bulk order reductions you must speak to your coach individually within the first two weeks of term. Like Wellington boots, kit mysteriously disappears if it is not clearly marked. Remember that we push ourselves more than the land based sports so expect to run down, if required, thus a decent set of trainers is another sensible purchase

 

Whenever possible there will be water sessions on every afternoon except Thursdays (unless you are in St Philip's House) and Sundays. Although we will not be racing every Saturday we will be training. Lifts can be arranged to stations and if you get picked up from the river you can be on your way shortly after 3.00. Leave-outs must be cleared with your coach(es) and failure to do so will result in a sense of humour failure (me) and weeping and gnashing of teeth (you). Here's to a happy term!