St Catharine's College Boat Club

 In the current environment, some parts of ‘normal behaviours at SCCBC will have to be changed in order to protect members of our small community. We recognise that some of the changes may be frustrating, but it is imperative that the below guidance be followed.

 The following changes have been produced on current guidelines (as of 04/09/2020) and are subject to change depending on government, university and British rowing guidelines.

 General Guidance:

 Opt in Culture: as always we want SCCBC to be a culture in inclusivity and trust, meaning that no one should be asked to do more than they want. If you are feeling pressured to do something that you do not wish to do for any reason please contact Carmen, the Head Coach, or John and Charlie, the Captains, so we can make sure such behaviour is brought to halt.

• The single exception to this rule is races. We recognise that some people only wish to row recreationally, and we run lower boats that go out to have fun and get some exercise. Generally, our higher boats will be working towards some big races, namely Bumps. When placed in a higher boat, we will not demand that you race, but we do ask that you tell us if you are unable to row or feel unsafe/ uncomfortable doing so, preferably with as much noticed as possible 

Booking System:

 SCCBC have been using spreadsheets to book erg timings in past years, this will continue to be the case except for there being limited equipment and strict time slots.

 We ask that rowers are rigorous in following the booking procedure and make any changes clear on the spreadsheet. This is so that we can track who has been in the boathouse at what times, which may become necessary in the event of a local breakout.

Following COVID Policy:

 These are policy changes, people are bound to slip up and make mistakes – there is small allowance for human error. However, if you see someone making such a mistake or see actions that do not align with the new policy in place please politely mention it. If you do not feel comfortable speaking out, please do reach out to Carmen and she will address the situation and pass on your observations / concerns anonymously.

Risk Assessment:

 All new and returning rowers will be asked to watch a short video and will be signed off when they have. This video will out-lines and show how to follow the COVID rules.

Off Water Training:

 Boathouse Availability – Following advice from the College and British Rowing, some changes will be in effect in the boathouse, until further guidance:

 Crew ergs will not happen (see below). We do recommend that you find an erg buddy or two in order to keep up enjoyment and motivation
 Only 4 of the 8 ergs can be used, in order to facilitate safe social distancing.

• Ergs will be set to face the windows
• The changing rooms are out of bounds. We ask that you arrive in the gear you will be rowing in and must take all of your belonging with you when you leave (not clothes to be left at the boathouse)
• The toilets outside of the changing rooms will be accessible
•  To prevent mingling and cross contaminations there will be a 15mins time gap between every session. We ask that in this time you disinfect the equipment with the wipes etc provided and leave the boathouse. (Socialising outside the boathouse, distanced on the hard is encouraged - in groups no bigger than 6 (updated as of 11/09/2020)
• Be mindful of ventilation in the upper room. We highly encourage you to open windows when erging
• Please do not pass other on the balcony or stairs. Wait at the bottom or top and until others have passed through and it is therefore safe

Circuits:

• Circuits will be unavailable in the form they were last year
• We will however be running zoom sessions two evenings a week. These can be done anywhere and enable a form of circuit fitness to continue in a safe manner.
• In the case of a strict lockdown in Cambridge these will be the primary sessions for maintaining fitness. There are no expectations for you to attend, and you are fully welcome to join without video and/ or audio should you wish. These sessions are done at your own level.
• There is a possibility of running circuits outside where social distancing can be maintained. This will be looked into as an option but highly unlikely in poor weather and winter months due to temperatures and lighting (both impacting safety)

On Water training:

 Warm ups: with only 4 ergs available warm ups will not consist of group exercise and possibly bridge runs

Moving Boats:

 The boats will be moved by 6-8 people, observing social distancing.

Washing Boats:

 All equipment must be washed before and after every outing. We recognise that this takes times and will endeavour to make time for these activities. Boats will no longer be rubbed down with towels, but Instead washed with soap and a hose on trestles.

Crews and Boats:

 We will try to prevent movement in crews as much as possible. Obviously, subs will still ne required, and the support between crews is part of what makes rowing at Catz so enjoyable. We will likely be setting crews earlier than usual. Also, we will avoid where possible the sharing of boats and/or blades.

Crew Bubbles:

 If a member of a crew tests positive for coronavirus, the rowers, cox and coach of that crew will be required to self-isolate as per college guidelines and preferably get tested.

Coxboxes:

 Each cox will be assigned a coxbox, and it must be cleaned after every outing. They will be numbered, along with the lifejackets – once you are assigned a number it is your responsibility to charge, clean and look after the equipment. You cannot share.

Socialising:

 We permit (and actively encourage) any sort of socialising between members of the boat club that align with College and government guidelines. More official boat club socials will be carefully looked at so as to keep everyone present as safe as possible. Obviously, socials are voluntary and you are never expected to attend (although welcomed if you are).

It was always going to be a challenging bumps campaign for St Catharine’s as the squad is heavily dominated with very promising novices. Both M1 and W1 were starting in strong positions going into Lents of which the crews last year earned. This did not phase any of the remaining seniors, the six 'new' rowers or any member of each crew as they all committed to having the best campaign possible.

SCCBC ready for BCD -photo credit: Jonathan McCree-Grey

 W2 Report: (-1, -1, +1, -1)

Due to Ciara and Dennis W2 did not get much water time this term, which has been difficult. This boat was predominantly novices (7 out of 9). Even with minimal water time, these girls had a fantastic attitude, both the original rowers of each day and every sub that was willing to jump in to help with outings and during bumps – thank you. Knowing they had a challenging fight on their hands they attacked hard coming off the start each day so much so that with a poorly angled push off went charging into the opposite bank on day two! However, on Day three were able to bump back Cauis, ok so it was a technical bump due to Cauis not pushing off correctly, but a bump is a bump and it was St Catharine’s first bit of foliage! Suffice it to say W2 set the tone and proudly brought some greenery back to the boathouse. I am excited to see what these girls are able achieve next term with more water time under their belts and a bit more fitness. Well done W2!

M2 Report: (0, -1, 0, +1)

These lads (inc Maya) rowed with great commitment everyday of bumps. The comradery of the crew was palpable and with an unforgettable start to Lent bumps (of which insiders know it will always been too soon to joke about) M2 performed excellently, holding their place on the river from last year. This was no easy task with some fast crews behind them piling on some dangerous bumping pressure. These lads were tough enough to pull away inches from being bumped to have a well-deserved row over on Day 3, after fighting hard with Eli only rowing arms and body due to an unexpected seat malfunction on Day 2. What better way to end a campaign with a bump, and these lads did it in style bumping Christ’s right by grassy corner! A very big well done to you all, I hope you bring the same passion into Mays!

M1 Report: (0, -1, -1, -1)

Lent term has been an interesting term for the members of M1. A lot was learnt and many changes were made. To the lads credit they did a phenomenal job at showing true guts and grit during bumps. This boat had three novices, one new rower, two returners from M1 last year and two rowers from M2 so it is fair to say the experience in this crew was low coming into bumps. I was extremely impressed with the determination of this crew when put under severe pressure; they respectably and amazingly held boats off when just inches from having to concede. The most rewarding part of bumps was the lads coming off the water being proud of their performance and being ready to fight another day, confidently knowing that long term this crew will be something to be reckoned with! They are unfortunately the only crew that didn’t bump however the performance they gave each day was something to be proud of!

W1 Report:  (-1, -1, -1, +2)

Well, what a week it was for the Women’s 1^st boat! Wow! Again another young boat, in a near on brand new shell made for some teething issues but nothing the women weren’t willing to knuckle down on to improve. It would have been very easy for these girls to be passive and accept defeat when being bumped out of Division 1 on Day 3, hooooooowever (there is a Catz theme starting) they were so tough and showed so much courage to achieve two bumps on Day 4. This accomplishment meant they solidly moved back up and held a spot in Division 1.  At no point did anyone show any doubt in any other member of the crew, they knew they were a unit and when fuelled on digestives and skittles went off like a rocket and ended their week on a brilliant high! I am beyond proud of these girls and am very excited to see what they are able to achieve in Mays! 

-Carmen Failla

Today was the day. With a fast Magdalene behind us and a confident Kings ahead, we only had one option - fly or die. The plan was simple, to execute 3 minutes of madness and power. We hoped that Kings would be complacent having bumped us the day before, giving us the element of surprise. Rowing up to the start we were nervous but also excited. The prospect of unleashing hell for a fast bump was liberating - we knew it would all be over by grassy corner either way. As the starting gun fired, we executed our most powerful (although not most beautiful) start. Within what felt like seconds we were rowing in Kings wash and Stephen called for the kill! None of us could quite believe how well our plan seemed to be working. Carmen was blowing the whistle, and we really thought we were going to catch Kings. However, Magdalene were also catching up fast, and the situation quickly turned into a tight sandwich between us all. Despite our best efforts, we didn’t manage to catch Kings and Magdalene took the bump. Having said that, we really were 5 strokes away from catching Kings and it was a performance we were all proud of. Despite the bumps this week, we came away feeling positive. We managed to take the fight to three fast crews and went down with pride that we had given it our all.

W1 this year has seen a complete overhaul following a mass exodus at the end of last June. It is the first bumps for Amelia (3), Claire (4) and Izzi (5), and first bumps in the W1 boat for Fiona (B), Anousa (2) and Charlie (C). Following a successful crew pasta and pancakes (that earned Amelia the nickname of “Amelia Syruphands”), we were feeling carbed up and ready to chase down Fitz. With the free speed of our Catz colour coordinated caps (worn in reverse, of course), we held Queens’ well off the start and round the first corner, with Darwin gaining strongly on them. But unfortunately our free speed ran out, and despite our best efforts Queens’ reeled us in after the motorway bridge resulting in a bump. Despite the outcome, our morale remained high following a solid row.

FTW!

#freespeed