The premiere event on Oxford’s collegiate rowing calendar, Summer Eights takes place each May or June. Eights Week traditionally falls under sunny skies, and Blues rowers — that is, those who compete against Cambridge in the Varsity boats — are eligible to row for their colleges.
Because much of the Isis is too narrow for side-by-side racing, the bumps format was developed. At the beginning of each division, thirteen crews line up front-to-back down the river, with one and a half boat-lengths of clear water between them. When a cannon is fired, the crews start rowing, and each tries to bump the boat in front before being bumped by the boat behind. The start order for subsequent races is adjusted to move successful boats up, while unsuccessful boats move down. Over the years, boats aspire to reach “head of the river”, first place in the first division. Trophy oars termed “blades” are awarded to boats which successfully bump up on each of the four days of racing without themselves being bumped. Boats may only be bumped once each race in Summer Eights, leading to more stability in the bumps charts. Sunny weather and strong crews attracts tens of thousands of spectators to the river for Summer Eights; it truly is a sight to behold.
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Summer Eights 2023 is around the corner (24–27 May), and at Wolfson we’ve been training hard for the past couple of months to make the most of it. See below for announcements of the crews that will be competing this…
M1 defends their position of 5th on the river, while M3 remain the highest men’s 3rd VIII, at 9th in Men’s Division V. W1 finished the week at 6th in Women’s Division I, their highest ranking since 1992. W2 bumped up into Division II, while W3 finished at the head of Division V.
This website will host the race report after the event has finished. For now you can download this year’s bump chart to print and track the bumps throughout VIIIs.
Wolfson had a repeat of its Torpids success for Summer Eights. M1 soared back up to fifth on the river, one spot below its highest position ever. W1 defended itself in Division 1, and M3 and W3 both won blades.…
Summer Eights 2014 went well for Wolfson. Both men’s and women’s first boats proved themselves in strong Division I finishes, M3 achieved blades, W2 earned its highest finish in decades, and great fun was had by all!
Wolfson had a fantastic Summer Eights 2013 campaign. For the first time in thirteen years, our Women’s First Boat is in Division I!
Wolfson had a strong Summer Eights 2012 campaign. The men defended their position as fourth on the river, and the women are within inches of Division I.
What a year! M1 has just got blades bumping them up to 4th position on the river in first division. W1 had a brief nibble at the toes of division 1 and are now in a strong position to bump into the first division next year.
The men’s side got more bumps than any other college on the river, with M1 and M2 both earning blades, and M1 finishing at their highest ever position. Also tremendous achievement from the women’s side, with spectacular bumps all around. All six crews ended their campaigns at their starting positions or higher.
On day 4 of Summer VIIIs 2009, M1 bumped into Division I whilst W1 moved up stealthily through Division II.