— By our Men’s Captain Calvin Cheng

Summer 2022 The men’s rowers experienced a competitive summer Eights in 2022. Our M1 crew made two bumps and rose to the fifth position in Division I, which is our joint highest-ever position in Summer Eights. They were only mere centimeters from bumping Pembroke on the last day. The Wolfson M2 crew showed dominance in their division and proudly won blades. Unfortunately, our M3 and M4 crews weren’t lucky and lost 4 and 3 positions respectively. 

As summer came, we maintained regular training and actively participated in the city- and national-level regattas. A composite crew with four Wolfson rowers and four Univ rowers won their band at Marlow Regatta (beating many crews that pre-qualified for the Thames Challenge Cup) but missed out on qualifying for the Temple Challenge Club among many overseas entries. We also entered Henley Town & Visitor Regatta with a number of crews, though unfortunately did not bring back any pots. At Oxford City Royal Regatta, our 8+ won their division, and 4+ came second.

We were lucky to have two experienced coaches, Natasha Oughton and Rachel Cannon, joining the Men’s coaching team. Together with Rory Copus and Philipp Schaefer, the coaching team planned thorough training plans and organized more mixed training sessions during the summer. We saw huge improvements in strength and techniques in both junior and senior squads. 

Michaelmas 2022 As the summer ended and a new term came, we started to recruit novices as well as experienced rowers to join the club. For novices, we organized a couple of taster sessions which were a great success and attracted more than a hundred students from both Wolfson and St Cross colleges. Also, Experienced rowers were individually scheduled for senior training sessions with our head coach. As a result, we welcomed a handful of competitive senior rowers and more than fifty talented novices joining Mens’ team in the new term. 

In Michaelmas term, our senior crew (M1 and M2) were rewarded for their hard work over the summer by winning the ISIS Winter League IWL-A. And in the Novice Regatta (formerly Christ Church Regatta), we entered two talented novices 8+. The novice A-crew lost only in the quarter-finals to the eventual 2nd-placed crew, while Novice B-crew’s race was unfortunately cancelled after the repechage because of the weather.

Winter training and preparing for Torpids We continued training over the Christmas vacation, even though sometimes it was under -5 degrees on the river. Our coaching team also prepared a detailed Christmas training plan, including stretching, weights, and alternative cardio, like running or cycling, for people to keep fit when they were unavailable for water sessions.

The Hilary terms began with the flooding season, where high rainfall and rapid current made the river temporarily unrowable. As alternatives, we organized more land training and tank sessions, focusing on strength building and technique polishing. We went back to water outings as soon as the flag turned to Amber and started systematically preparing for Torpids. In IWL-D, our senior crew again won the race, with M1 putting down the fastest time by 16 seconds and M2 the fastest time of any M2 by 10 seconds. 

With four of the strongest crews of recent years, we are now in a very exciting position for the upcoming Torpids. We are looking forward to making history for WCBC in the bumping race.

— Calvin Cheng, Men’s Captain

Crews entered into Torpids 2023

M1: Last year’s three bumps (including two overbumps) saw M1 rise to fourth on the river, the joint-highest position of the Wolfson Men in Torpids ever. This crew is filled with Wolfson veterans, including five members of last year’s M1 and only one who has never rowed for Wolfson in a Bumps race.
The crew’s dominant performance in the IWL, in which M1 remains unbeaten, has put St Catherine’s, Christ Church, and Oriel on notice and promises some exciting racing ahead.
Get ready to cheer on this crew, which includes five returning members of last year’s M1, as they look to break the Wolfson record and finish at the highest position for a Wolfson Men’s Boat ever!

M2: This crew is a force to be reckoned with. One of the largest senior men’s squads in recent history has produced a crew whose skill, experience, and raw power is the envy of many colleges’ M1s. Currently the third-highest M2 on the river, the latest IWL races have shown this crew to be in a different league to other M2s.
Will this crew manage to clinch the coveted M2-headship, or will the vagaries of Bumps racing keep that prize just out of reach?

M3: Last year, a strong M3 on for blades tragically believed they had bumped out on the last day, leading to the crew dropping down seven places and out of the fixed divisions. This year, with a balanced blend of experienced seniors and talented novices, M3 is poised for a strong comeback.
Get ready to cheer for M3 as they strive to reclaim their deserved spot in the fixed divisions!

M4: The strength of the upper-boat squads has cascaded down to make M4 a seriously competitive boat this year. This crew has successfully rowed on and will be one of the very few fourth boats, aiming to join M3 in proving Division 6 to be fertile hunting grounds for the Wolf.

Women’s Third Boat

The Women’s 3rd Torpid started the week well for the club. With Somerville II hot on their tails they closed on University II. They piled the pressure on, and Univ cracked and caught a crab before Donnington Bridge, allowing W3 to bump, with only three-quarters of a length between them and the following crew. On Thursday, Somerville II gained again, and Regent’s I ahead bumped out on Worcester II before the bridge! But W3 settled onto a strong rhythm and held Somerville at a length before catching Worcester in the gut. Somerville also went on to bump Worcester, meaning that the third day began in much the same way. Our women gained on Regent’s, and thought that they had the bump. But Regent’s had already bumped out, so W3 had to keep rowing until they passed a New College crew who had crashed into the bank. The final day saw them once again chasing Regent’s and aiming to hold off Somerville. As on the previous days, Regent’s bumped out ahead, and this time W3 did not manage to get the overbump before being caught by Somerville outside Falcon. But they did not let it deter them, and continued on, bumping Lincoln II on the Green Bank! The Boat Club only awards blades if the crew has not been bumped during the week, but the Women’s 3rd Boat can be proud of their four bumps, moving up to 5th in Division 4, their highest ever position!

Men’s Third Boat

The Men’s 3rd Torpid had a slow start to the week. A close encounter with the bank allowed Merton II to gain significantly, and while M3 quickly wound up to a fast race pace, they were forced to concede. However, Merton did not see the concession and rammed into the boat. The resulting entanglement allowed Regent’s Park I to close in as well, and M3 had to concede again. Having mentally reset, they settled into a solid rhythm and gained on St Hugh’s II, who had started three places ahead. They managed to get the bump outside University boathouse. The second day saw a much cleaner start from M3, and they gained on Regent’s. But Regent’s bumped out on Merton by the Gut, which meant that our crew had to go for the overbump. Despite a strong row, they did not completely close the distance, and ended the day in the same position. However, the next day was a different story, and the 3rd boat managed to bump Merton II at the end of the Gut. On the final day, a slow start allowed Merton to close to a length. But M3 settled onto a good rhythm and were gaining on Trinity III when: klaxon! Swans on the racing line. And so there was no final resolution for the 3rd boat. But they can be proud of successfully defending their initial starting position of 5th in Division 5, M3’s highest position ever in Torpids!

Women’s Second Boat

The Women’s 2nd Boat had a relaxed start to Torpids, staying under their standard race rate. Nevertheless, they quickly closed in on Corpus Christi, and bumped before the Gut. Their second race was tougher, as the crew in front of them, Mansfield, managed to get the bump on St Hugh’s before they could be bumped. However, Mansfield swiftly cleared the racing line, allowing W2 a clear shot at the overbump. And they went straight for it, bumping St Hugh’s by the Gut. On the third day, the women swiftly bumped St Catherine’s to move to the head of Division III. This meant that they raced a second time at the foot of the next division. Starting behind Mansfield once more, they had a strong start. But Mansfield bumped out on Brasenose before Donnington Bridge, and so W2 were in it for the long haul. With a solid rhythm, they slowly reeled Brasenose in, finally gaining a concession along Greenbanks. On the final day, the 2nd crew were behind Mansfield once more. And once more, W2 were unable to catch them before they had bumped out on Worcester. But they never faltered, and kept surging onwards. They finally gained their well-deserved bump before the end of the Gut, winning blades! A fantastic achievement: five bumps in four days, moving up to 11th in Division II (W2’s highest position ever in Torpids), and cementing their place as the highest-ranked women’s 2nd boat on the river!

Men’s Second Boat

The Men’s 2nd Boat gained fast on Balliol II, closing by the Gut. With half a length of overlap, Balliol refused to concede, and so Allison Bryan, the cox, steered in for the bump, leaving Balliol tangled between blade and bank. The second day saw misfortune for M2, as one of the crew was too powerful for the equipment, and a backstay and pin were broken. As they were unable to make it to the start, St Anthony’s were awarded a technical bump. On the next day, the crew were hungry to make up for the technical mishap, and closed on St Anthony’s by the Gut. But Wadham II were gaining on Wolfson in turn, and the bump was conceded when M2 slowed due to steering round a bumped out crew. In another unlucky turn, St Anthony’s bumped out on St Peter’s before the 2nd crew could bump them, and the river ran out too soon for the overbump. On the final day, M2 started behind the faster Wadham II, and as expected, Wadham bumped out on St Peter’s. Undeterred, the crew pushed on for the overbump on Peter’s, gaining it on Greenbanks. With that bump, their second of Torpids, M2 erased Thursday’s technical bump and regained their initial starting position of 8th in Division 3, M2’s highest position ever in Torpids (you might notice the trend here)!

Women’s First Boat

The Women’s 1st Boat set off with a calm determination to truly test their speed against the top half of Women’s Division 1. Gaining swiftly on University, there was no doubt of the result, and a concession was given before the Gut. The next day saw them chasing a falling Magdalen crew, and they got the bump within twenty strokes. On Friday, they continued their dominant performance by bumping Pembroke by Falcon’s boathouse. W1 started the final day at fourth on the river, their highest position in Torpids since 1979 (the second year Torpids had a women’s division). They had a good start and a cracking race, and in the top of the Gut were just a canvas off of Christ Church, and blades, when disaster struck: their rudder broke off. This caused the crew to crash into the bank, where five crews overtook them. After restarting they had to pressure steer, but managed to cross the finish line ahead of Magdalen to finish a disappointing two places lower than they had started the week, at 9th in Division I. A heartbreaking end to what should have been a spectacular Torpids.

Men’s First Boat

The start of the week saw the Men’s 1st Torpid at third on the river, the highest they have ever been, due to Magdalen not entering a crew. In the first race, Wadham closed to half a length, but once the crew settled into a strong rhythm and cleaned up their rowing, M1 started moving away. They finished the day as it had started – at third – showing that they deserved their position. Disaster struck on the second day, with Jasper Barth, the seven man, taken out by vertigo. Despite Michael Plant stepping up from the 2nd Boat, no crew is faster with a sub, and M1 conceded to Wadham within sight of the finish line. Jasper had recovered enough to be in the boat on Friday, when M1 were being chased by a strong St Catherine’s crew. Wolfson were closing on Wadham ahead, when they steered across the river to try and escape the fast approaching Catz boat. Unfortunately, it was not quite enough, and the bow clipped M1’s stern, spinning them sideways across the river. Their restart took them side-by-side with Christ Church, who steered sharply for the bump. The resulting collision pinned M1 against the raft outside Pembroke’s boathouse, and allowed Hertford and Balliol to row past. The second restart allowed M1 to row across the line with clear water in front of St John’s. In the final race of Torpids, the 1st Boat were looking for a bump on Balliol to make up for the previous day. But Balliol managed to find new speed, and finished only a foot in front of Wolfson. M1 therefore finished at 8th in Division 1, five places lower than they began, with bad luck outweighing their moments of good racing.

Men’s First Boat

M1 was in a tough spot. 5th place is where Wolfson peaked after the incredible rise over the years 2006 – 2012. In 2015 they managed again to reach the top five. Could they tighten their grip on it in 2016?

In their first race, the M1 quickly set the bar for how to start Torpids. A clean start and a strong push off from Wadham, Wolfson began closing in on Christ Church. Surprised at their sudden gain, Wolfson unfortunately lost rhythm and sat in Christ Church’s wash for a little too long, rowing over. That all changed on Thursday. With a no-nonsense plan of action, the M1 went out and took their prize. A blazing Green Bank’s push saw Wolfson Christ Crunch, leading to Wolfson’s first-ever bump on the club. The rest of the week was spent chasing Magdalen, getting closer and closer each day, but never quite making contact. M1 finished the campaign 4th on the river, the highest ever position for WCBC.

Women’s First Boat

Following the roaring success of the women’s side of the boat club in 2015, the W1 was ready for more. Having soared from 2nd in Div II to 9th in Div I, the women were ready to secure their place in the top division in Torpids as in Eights.

Wednesday, the Wolfson set off to a sharp start on their first day of racing, gaining on Christ Church, ahead of them. Unfortunately, whilst not as fast, Christ Church was a quick crew too, and by the gut they managed to escape Wolfson by overbumping on St. Edmund’s Hall. Teddy was nearly caught by Wolfson as well, with a canvas to go at the finish line.

On Thursday Wolfson thundered towards their prey of yesterday, catching Teddy Hall before Donnington bridge. Enough said there. In their third race Wolfson had their eyes set on St John’s. Gaining with every stroke and with fiery determination, the women had them by the gut. Saturday saw the W1 hunting their old rivals, Univ W1, but surprisingly having to hold off a fly-or-die St John’s before the gut! John’s died and was bumped by two crews, whilst the W1 got in half a length on Univ.

With two bumps and a solid 7th place in Div I, this is the highest the W1 have been since 2004!

Men’s Second Boat

The M2 started second in Division IV, behind Wadham II. Could they reach for Division III? Yes they could. A textbook bump at the end of the gut had them racing twice on Wednesday, the second time at the bottom of Division III chasing St Antony’s I. The M2 Torpids campaign would become all about hunting St. Antony’s, as each day the M2 would get closer to their prey, yet St Ant’s would bump out on the crew they were chasing, shortly followed by Wolfson bumping out on the same crew.

By Saturday morning, the M2 had bumped Wadham II, New College II, Christ Church II, and Oriel II. Each day they had gotten closer and closer to St. Antony’s, and often they would need to perform evasive maneuvers to get around the cluster that would St. Antony’s and their pray. (Handbrake-turns spring to mind.)

The M2 was determined. Ahead of St. Ant’s, Linacre I bumped out, leaving Antony’s with nowhere to run. M2 closed steadily and, with considerable overlap, finally cornered St Antony’s and bumped them in front of their own boathouse, winning blades!

Women’s Second Boat

Despite mistaking the 1 minute gun for the 5 minute gun, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) nailed their unexpected start, and had St. John’s II concede by Donnington Bridge on Wednesday. The W2 enjoyed the latter half of that performane so much that they decided to repeat it on Thursday, bumping Merton I again just before Donnington Bridge. Come Friday, the crew were quite curious to know what lay beyond the Bridge. They were denied that experience by Queens I, who conceded to them on Friday, just under the bridge.

Come Saturday the W2 were chasing Wadham II, the highest-ranking second-boat on the river. Despite a shaky first stroke, W2 soon began to gain on Wadham, and as they went under Donny Bridge, W2 were just a length behind. After that the gap narrowed rapidly, and after a few strokes of overlap, W2 bumped Wadham just before the Gut, winning blades in front of a legion of cheering Wolfson supporters on the bank!

Men’s Third Boat

Chasing Mansfield II, the Wolfson M3 took Wolfson’s first bump of the season! Their race was off to a rocky start, and after flirting with a crab the M3 showed that they meant business. The Mansfield crew went on to bump after Wolfson got them, giving the M3 an overbump on their first day of Torpids. Thursday had the crew much more relaxed, executing a clean start – before strokeman found himself flat on his back wrestling a massive crab! Like a champ, he recovered in two strokes, and proceeded to lead his crew to an overbump on Pembroke III before the Gut.

For their third race, the M3 started ahead of Merton, chasing St. Hilda’s I. Just after the start, St Hilda’s bumped Worcester II at the Bridge, so M3 were now looking to overbump. A good stride set up a nice race pace, which in turn led to overlap as the crews exited the Gut. After a short chase across the river, M3 overbumped Worcester on the towpath side above Timm’s boathouse.

Starting Saturday with three bumps to their credit, the M3 went off hard in pursuit of St Hilda’s, and despite the odd blade scraping the bank, they closed to under half a length well before Donny Bridge. St Hilda’s unfortunately bumped out on Regent’s Park I, but Wolfson was coming just behind, and bumped them as well, winning blades!

Women’s Third Boat

A W3 full of lots of experienced rowers set off at rate 42 during their first start of the season. Following some interesting steering along the bunglines, as St Hugh’s II and Balliol II swerved around a few stationary crews, W3 put in a series of strong pushes and caught Balliol just after Donnington Bridge! Balliol eventually overbumped Hertford II, so Wolfson went up two positions on the first day. Thursday saw a text book race from the girls, gradually reeling in St. Hugh’s II (to Sofia’s (former St. Hugh’s) mixed feelings) and bumping them before the gut. Hugh’s bumped as well, moving the W3 up another two spots.

Friday had an excited crew ready to bump Oriel II. Unfortunately, just two strokes before solid contact – KLAXON! The race was abandoned, and the W3 left to race another day.

The W3 lined up behind Oriel II again on Saturday. This time Oriel rowed much better, bumping University II just before the Gut, while W3 were still a length and a half behind. Univ, in turn, were gaining on Jesus II through the Gut and bumped them as they exited on to the Green Bank. Undeterred by the two crews ahead bumping out, W3 set out to track down Jesus. All the way up the Green Bank they steadily reeled them in, until Jesus crumbled and W3 bumped them, just shy of our Boathouse. Overall W3 moved up five places on three bumps and a row-over, and finished at 7th position in Division IV, tying their highest ranking ever in Torpids (1997)!

Men’s Fourth Boat

The M4 had a tough set of races. Despite a fast start and an early gain on Balliol III, the lads were bumped by a strong St. John’s IV. Thursday had all crews ahead of them bump out, so the M4 got to practice rowing over the Isis, managing to hold off the faster St Antony’s II until the gut. On the Friday, the M4 set off hard. Up ahead, St Antony’s II bumped out on St John’s III, who struggled to recover from the blow. Wolfson, scenting blood, pushed hard on John’s, with St Edmund Hall III close on their tail. A powerful push sent M4 straight into St John’s for a bump. Then came confusion. A series of appeals saw Wolfson’s bump being taken away, and unfortunately Teddy Hall was awarded a bump on the M4 for unknown reasons. It was an eventful, if disappointing, finale for the ever-determined M4. Looking to halt their slide, they executed a smooth start, and seemed to be gaining on Teddy Hall III when, as luck would have it, a massive crab stopped the boat in its tracks, and they were bumped by Keble III. Not the result they’d hoped for, obviously, but M4 deserve a big cheer for showing guts and determination in every single race.

Women’s Fourth Boat

Torpids’ first ever Wolfson W4 consisted of a crew of twelve, and started at the bottom of Division V. W4 had a good start but promptly caught a crab. Remaining composed, W4 restarted cleanly and were about a length from overbumping Pembroke III when the race was klaxoned due to what has been called ‘tree-ejector-crabbing’ in the middle of the division. An even more eventful race was Thursday, W4 chasing Pembroke III, who caught Trinity II past Donnington Bridge…or so Pembroke thought; Trinity were apparently under the impression that they had already bumped out. Both Pembroke and Trinity stopped racing, and W4 zipped past them in search of Wadham III, who had started five places ahead, and who were just then in the process of crashing into a stationary boat. By the time Wadham got going again, W4 had gained mightily, and they continued to gain up the Green Bank and past Boathouse Island, until Wadham, now under immense pressure, finally caught a crab and conceded.

Come Friday W4 was chasing Wadham III again, after being awarded a bump on Trinity II the day before. Trinity hungry for revenge gained a bit on W4 off the start, however, an amazing stride of W4 saw them leave Trinity in the dust. Our crew had their eyes set on Wadham III, confident they could catch them once again. A long race followed, but just after boat house island Wolfson had the bump, at the same place as the day before.

Full of confidence now, Saturday saw the W4 off to a good start and early gain on Pembroke III. With half a length to go Pembroke bumped out on Hertford II, and Wolfson had to go around. Now, with only half a length to go on Hertford the W4 gave it everything and caught them, taking three bumps and a row-over in their first ever Torpids!

Cliff’s Race Reports

Clifford Sofield, one of Wolfson’s longest-serving members, has offered to regale us with his daily observations of Torpids 2016. He compiled reports based on the observations of a team of intrepid Wolfson reporters. Read on below!

Wednesday – Day 1

What’s this — has Torpids taken you by surprise?! Me, too. But the mighty rowers and nimble coxes of Wolfson and St Cross were ready, even though racing is a week early this year. In fact, WCBC is boating a record eight crews: four men’s and four women’s! Here’s how the first day went down.

Leading off was the Men’s 4th Boat (M4), who rowed on earlier this week into a surprisingly tough Men’s Division VI. Despite gaining early on Balliol III, our boys could not catch them quickly enough to escape a strong St John’s IV, and they were bumped in the Gut. Unfortunately, the Women’s 4th Boat (W4) were no luckier. Starting at the bottom of Women’s Division V, W4 had a good start but promptly caught a crab. Remaining composed, W4 restarted cleanly and were about a length from overbumping Pembroke III when the race was klaxoned due to what has been called ‘tree-ejector-crabbing’ in the middle of the division. It was a row over for W4.

Two races and no Wolfson bumps? The Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) set out to put that right. With an excellent (if slightly choppy) start, M3 committed to a hard race and stole a length on Mansfield II. Held there for some time, and flirting with a crab, M3 finally pounced just before Donnington Bridge for Wolfson’s first bump of 2016! In mysterious circumstances I still don’t understand, Mansfield went on to overbump St John’s III, so M3 moved up two places on the day. The Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) kept up the momentum with a ‘wicked fast’ start, at rate 42. Following some interesting steering along the bunglines, as St Hugh’s II and Balliol II swerved around a few stationary crews, W3 put in a series of strong pushes and caught Balliol just after Donnington Bridge! Balliol eventually overbumped Hertford II, so W3 also moved up two places today.

Today’s biggest stars were the Men’s 2nd Boat (M2), who started second in Men’s Division IV, behind Wadham II. A good start resulted in little gain at first, and Wadham still led by a length entering the Gut. But they had no answer for M2’s great steering and composed rowing, which led to overlap and a textbook bump at the exit of the Gut. This gave M2 the headship of Division IV, and a chance to row again in Division III! But first.

Despite mistaking the 1 minute gun for the 5 minute gun, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) nailed their unexpected start and instantly took half a length out of St John’s II. A good stride and some solid race pace accounted for another length before John’s obliged with a boat-stopping crab at Donnington Bridge. W2 rowed past for victory!

Back to M2, now at the bottom of Division III. Another good start brought our boys within a length of St Antony’s before Donnington Bridge, but Antony’s got away by bumping New College II. With some exceptional steering, M2 passed several parked crews to gain rapidly on New, and delivered the bump in the middle of the Gut. All in all, M2 moved up two places on two bumps and are now sitting pretty in Men’s Division III.

Our top boats came out for the last two divisions. At 9th in Women’s Division I, the Women’s 1st Boat (W1) had a great start, composed and speedy. Unfortunately their quarry, Christ Church, was also fast; and Balliol were gaining in W1’s wake. At Donnington Bridge, Christ Church finally started to surrender water, but they escaped by overbumping St Edmund Hall before the Gut. Undeterred, W1 set their sights on the double overbump, with Balliol right behind. Coming out of the Gut, Balliol flagged and fell back while W1 pushed on towards Teddy Hall, closing to a length past the boathouse and a canvas at the finish. It was an excellent row over for W1, who are looking to close out the bump tomorrow.

The Men’s 1st Boat (M1) closed out the day in Men’s Division I, at 5th on the river. With a clean start, M1 pushed away from Wadham and gained steadily on Christ Church. The difference was already down to half a length going through the Gut. M1 nailed the Green Bank push and gained overlap, but Christ Church held them in their wash, even pulling away to about a canvas by the boathouse. Christ Church held our boys there for the rest of the race, and both crews rowed over, not far behind Magdalen.

A great day for Wolfson – no surprise there! Get ready for more great racing tomorrow.

Thursday – Day 2

Thirsting for revenge on St John’s IV, and knowing the swift St Antony’s II would be right in their wake, the Men’s 4th Boat (M4) had a tense start, missed a few strokes—but they recovered well, holding off St Antony’s into the Gut. M4 went on to row over, as every crew ahead of them bumped out.

Up next, the Women’s 4th Boat (W4) were chasing Pembroke III, who caught Trinity II past Donnington Bridge…or so Pembroke thought; Trinity were apparently under the impression that they had already bumped out. Both Pembroke and Trinity stopped racing, and W4 zipped past them in search of Wadham III, who had started five places ahead, and who were just then in the process of crashing into a stationary boat. By the time Wadham got going again, W4 had gained mightily, and they continued to gain up the Green Bank and past Boathouse Island, until Wadham, now under immense pressure, finally caught a crab and conceded. A quadruple overbump for W4!—or rather just a normal bump: race desk seems to have decided that Pembroke bumped Trinity after all, so apparently W4 got their bump when they rowed past Trinity. (It makes no difference; W4 would move up one place either way.)

In the very next division, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) executed a much better start than yesterday, and were looking relaxed—when suddenly the stroke man found himself flat on his back wrestling a massive crab! Like a champ, he recovered in two strokes, and proceeded to lead his crew to an overbump on Pembroke III before the Gut. The next race was text book for the Women’s 3rd Boat (W3): a clean start, a smooth row, gradually reeling in St Hugh’s II and bumping them before the Gut. Hugh’s went on to bump Green Templeton II, so W3 moved up two places again, just like Wednesday. More text book from the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2), way up in Women’s Division III. Shrugging aside a brief crab, they had a good, quick start and soon pulled rapidly on to Merton (a 1st boat, I might add!). Merton conceded before Donnington Bridge.

The Men’s 2nd Boat (M2), now in Men’s Division III, started well and proceeded to gain, slowly and steadily, on St Antony’s, who had escaped on Wednesday by bumping out. Trailing by a length at the bridge, M2 began to gain quickly, narrowing the gap to a third of a length going into the Gut. But once again St Antony’s escaped by bumping out, this time on Christ Church II in the Gut. Our boys held it together and walked all over Christ Church in no time, getting the overbump on the Green Bank.

In Women’s Division I, the Women’s 1st Boat (W1) were looking to finish the bump on St Edmund Hall that they had nearly closed out the day before—only this time, Teddy Hall were starting just one place in front of them, not three. W1 had a clean, composed start and closed on Teddy Hall right away with a strong push, forcing Hall to concede before Donnington Bridge. Finally, in Men’s Division I, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) got out of the blocks cleanly, and immediately began to inch on Christ Church. With a good race rhythm and great steering M1 gained half a length in the Gut, emerging hot in Christ Church’s wake. A big Green Bank push ate up the rest of the distance, and moments later came the satisfying crunch of a bow blade meeting a stern. Wolfson’s first-ever bump on Christ Church M1 elevated them to 4th on the river, M1’s new highest position ever in Torpids!

Well done to our rowers and coxes for a fantastic day! Looking forward to more great things tomorrow!

Friday – Day 3

A day when hopes are made and dashed, a day when certainty dissolves in confusion, a day when fortunes change.

Looking to change their fortunes, the Men’s 4th Boat (M4) set off hard. Up ahead, St Antony’s II bumped out on St John’s III, who struggled to recover from the blow. Wolfson, scenting blood, pushed hard on John’s, with St Edmund Hall III close on their tail. A powerful push sent M4 straight into St John’s for a bump. Then came confusion. From what I’ve been told, I *think* that while M4 and John’s were tangled up, Teddy Hall may have rowed past; while Keble III, the next crew, rowed into Wolfson, thinking they were still racing. In any case, John’s appealed afterwards that they had been obstructed. Race desk decided in their favour, taking away M4’s bump. Why that should have resulted in Teddy Hall being given a bump on M4, instead of all three crews being awarded row-overs, I don’t know.

Things looked slightly ominous for the Women’s 4th Boat (W4) when Trinity II gained on them at the start, but an amazing stride left Trinity in the dust, and W4 were on the hunt. After Pembroke III bumped out ahead, W3 found themselves once again chasing Wadham III (the crew they had tracked down yesterday before they knew they’d bumped Trinity). This time W4 closed on them in front of the boathouses and bumped them just past the island. An excellent race!

With two bumps already to their credit, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) managed to pull away from Merton with a clean start. Just ahead, St Hilda’s boys (!) bumped Worcester II at the Bridge, so M3 were now looking to overbump. A good stride set up a nice race pace, which in turn led to overlap as the crews exited the Gut. After a short chase across the river, M3 overbumped Worcester on the towpath side above Timm’s boathouse. For anyone counting, that’s three bumps in three days. Just sayin’.

Also with two bumps to their name, the Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) had a cracking start that seemed to guarantee an early bump on Oriel II. The whistles came quickly: one length, half a length, canvas, overlap — then suddenly a new sound drowned the whistles: KLAXON! Just one or two strokes from solid contact, the race was abandoned, due to tangled crews up ahead in the Gut. A tremendous disappointment for W3! They will be going hard to complete that bump on Oriel II on Saturday.

Yet another crew to start the day with two bumps, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) mustered a splendid start that had them on Queen’s (W1) in no time. Queen’s tried to run away across the river, but it was futile: they conceded to W2 as the crews rowed under Donny Bridge. Three bumps in three days for W2; and tomorrow they are chasing Wadham II, the highest-ranked women’s 2nd boat on the river. It’s all to play for!

One Wolfson crew entered today with three bumps: that was the Men’s 2nd Boat (M2), who, despite a slightly shaky start, gained almost a length on St Antony’s by Donnington Bridge—just when Antony’s bumped out on Oriel II. Some emergency steering around Antony’s took M2 across the river and straight at the Falcon raft. Dropping out stroke side for five strokes provided the hand-brake turn M2 needed to get back on track, now two lengths behind Oriel II, and not far ahead of Christ Church II. But the rhythm was good, and M2 bumped Oriel crossing at the top of the Green Bank, for their fourth bump in three days! (Who writes this stuff?)

That brings us to the two top boats. No melodrama for the Women’s 1st Boat (W1). With a fiery determination, they gained steadily with every stroke on St John’s, who were plainly overmatched. A length deficit at the Bridge soon evaporated, and John’s conceded entering the Gut, boosting W1 to 7th place in Women’s Division I. Finally, in Men’s Division I, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) started to move on Magdalen as they came around the bend after Donnington Bridge. Gaining half a length in the Gut, they charged up the Green Bank on a great rhythm that took them to a canvas before the boathouse. Despite a great effort from our boys, however, Magdalen rallied and held them there for the rest of the race, and both crews rowed over.

So it’s shaping up to be a great Saturday! I hope to see some of you there, cheering on the Wolf Pack!

Saturday – Day 4

The following launch has crossed the finish line on another Torpids, and overall it was a very successful campaign for Wolfson College Boat Club. Here’s how the final day unfolded.

It was an eventful, if disappointing, finale for the ever-determined Men’s 4th Boat (M4). Looking to halt their slide, they executed a smooth start, and seemed to be gaining on Teddy Hall III when, as luck would have it, a massive crab stopped the boat in its tracks. (This may be when Keble III bumped them.) After recovering, they set their sights on St John’s III, who had been bumped by Teddy Hall. As M3 rowed past the boathouses, they found themselves chasing not one, but two boats on opposite sides of the river. Perhaps thinking they had bumped one of them, they wound down, but quickly started again and rowed over. Not the result they’d hoped for, obviously, but M4 deserve a big cheer for showing guts and determination in every single race. After four bumps, they finished Torpids ranked four places lower, at 9th in Division VI.

For the Women’s 4th Boat (W4), Saturday’s race was never in doubt. W4 had a good start and quickly gained on Pembroke III. There was only half a length to go when, just before Donnington Bridge, Pembroke bumped out on Hertford II. When Pembroke cleared the line, W4 found themselves only a length down on Hertford, and a few strokes later they bumped them, just after the Bridge. Overall, W4 rowed over once (when their first race was klaxoned), and bumped each of the last three days to reach 10th in Division V, in their first Torpids ever!

Starting Saturday with three bumps to their credit, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) went off hard in pursuit of St Hilda’s, and despite the odd blade scraping the bank, they closed to under half a length well before Donny Bridge. It transpired that Hilda’s were gaining just as fast on Regent’s Park, however, and bumped out just after the bridge. Before Regent’s Park could properly get going again, M3 bumped them, just before the Gut, to win blades! Rising five places on four bumps, M3 finished at 7th in Division V, their highest position ever in Torpids! (They reached their previous best of 11th in Division V when they last won blades, in 1997.)

The Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) lined up behind Oriel II, the crew they were inches from bumping on Friday when the race was klaxoned. This time Oriel rowed much better, bumping University II just before the Gut, while W3 were still a length and a half behind. Univ, in turn, were gaining on Jesus II through the Gut and bumped them as they exited on to the Green Bank. Undeterred by the two crews ahead bumping out, W3 set out to track down Jesus. All the way up the Green Bank they steadily reeled them in, until Jesus crumbled and W3 bumped them, just shy of our Boathouse. Overall W3 moved up five places on three bumps and a row-over, and finished at 7th position in Division IV, tying their highest ranking ever in Torpids (1997)!

In Division III, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) came to their bungline with three bumps and a chance to bump Wadham II, the highest ranked women’s 2nd boat on the river. Despite a shaky first stroke, W2 soon began to gain on Wadham, and as they went under Donny Bridge, W2 were just a length behind. After that the gap narrowed rapidly, and after a few strokes of overlap, W2 bumped Wadham just before the Gut, winning blades in front of a legion of cheering Wolfson supporters on the bank! Not only are W2 now the highest ranked women’s 2nd boat on the river, but with a rise of four places they have reached 4th in Division III, their highest ranking ever in Torpids! (The previous best of 5th in Division III was held in 2001.)

With four bumps already, the Men’s 2nd Boat (M2) were determined to settle the score with St Antony’s, who had escaped them each of the previous three days by bumping out. But St Antony’s, chasing a better crew than usual in Linacre, were equally determined. They actually pulled away a little at the start, but M2 found a nice race pace rhythm and gained that water back by the middle of the Gut. Ahead of Antony’s, Linacre bumped out on Balliol II near the exit of the Gut, and M2 really started to move on St Antony’s as both crews maneuvered around Linacre. On the Green Bank, with their lead cut to a third of a length, St Antony’s began to feel the pain of M2’s inexorable rhythm. M2 closed steadily and, with considerable overlap, finally cornered St Antony’s and bumped them in front of their own boathouse, winning blades! Having entered Torpids at M2’s highest ranking ever, they finished five places higher still, at 9th in Division III, having earned five bumps in four days.

In Women’s Division I, the Women’s 1st Boat (W1) were prepared for a long chase as they lined up behind a strong University College crew, and in front of St John’s. Despite a solid, composed start, St John’s gained to within a length at Donny Bridge, but that was the closest W1 let them get. Meanwhile, W1 gained about half a length on Univ before the Gut, but Univ pushed on hard and held them there up the Green Bank, past the boathouses, and across the finish line. W1 finished Torpids with two bumps, moving up two places to 7th on the river, their highest ranking since 1993!

Finally, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) chased Magdalen for the second day in a row, trying to be the first Wolfson men’s crew to break into the top three crews on the river. As expected it was a long, hard race. Wadham put M1 under serious pressure, coming within a canvas in the Gut. But M1 was nearly as close to Magdalen, and on the Green Bank their signature push took them away from Wadham and toward Magdalen. All the way up the Green Bank they gained, coming to about two feet just before crossing over to the towpath side. Magdalen pulled away slightly on the crossing and increased their lead to about half a length with a good push in front of the boathouse, then steered evasively. M1 fought hard to regain that lost ground, and rowed over just a few feet behind their quarry. They finished the week up one place on one bump, a staggering 4th on the river, their highest position ever in Torpids!

As a club, Wolfson had 21 net bumps, more than any other college.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the recaps. Since I could only make it to the river for a few races, most of the credit for them belongs to Tom Aarholt’s team of roving reporters, and I will now attempt to list all of them: Andrew Balin, Philipp Becker, Allison Bryan, Neil Dhir, Tim Dungate, Zoë Goodwin, Susan Graham, Fuchsia Hart, Sofia Hauck, Matthew Hnatiw, Robbie Massey, Niclas Palmius, Richard Reschen, Kevin Schlegel, Claudia Vadeboncoeur, Luis Valenzuela, and Stefany Wragg. Thank you!! (and I’m sorry if I missed anyone!)

Go Wolfson! – Bring on Summer Eights!

Crews

Wolfson entered seven boats into Torpids 2015: four men’s crews and three women’s crews. Due to a great novice intake, Herculean efforts of organisation by the captains, and a can-do spirit, M3, W3, and M4 all successfully “rowed on” and competed in the main bumps event!

Men’s First Boat

This was a challenging year for M1. With a lot of new faces in the boat, the men had a lot to prove and a high position on the river to defend. But they rose the occasion. On Wednesday, they were chasing a very speedy Oriel, who bumped out ahead of them on St Catherine’s. Undeterred, the Wolves powered on, gaining the overbump on Catz and moving to 6th on the river. Thursday, Oriel again bumped out in front of them, this time on Balliol. Though the men closed to within two lengths of the overbump, they couldn’t quite complete it.

They would have their revenge on Friday. M1 gained on Balliol from the start gun, and bumped decisively exiting the Gut. Balliol, slow to concede, wound up tangled in the bank and was bumped by three more crews, falling from 4th to 12th on the river in one day. Finally, on Saturday, the men were chasing perennial powerhouse Christ Church and being chased by a very speedy Wadham, who were on for blades. Though the race was exciting for both potential bumps, in the end all three crews rowed over — a canvas between each pair — and the men finished 5th on the river, tied for their highest Torpids position ever.

Women’s First Boat

The Wolfson women had a fantastic Torpids campaign! On Wednesday, after a rapid row-over at the top of Division II, they gained a textbook bump on a speedy Worcester crew on the Green Bank to earn their place in Division I. On Thursday, they had a flying start and caught a sluggish St Catherine’s crew by bungline 5 (still in the starting area). Friday’s race wouldn’t be quite so easy: though they gained half a length on Balliol by Donnington Bridge, Balliol were able to bump out on New College. The lady Wolves redoubled their efforts through the Gut, and smashed New College abeam Longbridges Boat House.

Finally, Saturday was W1’s opportunity to catch Balliol, but Balliol refused to go quietly. Off the start, Balliol pulled away from Wolfson and started gaining on Univ ahead of them. By Donnington Bridge, Balliol were two lengths away from the Wolves and only a quarter of a length off Univ. But coming through the Gut, Univ pushed away (and on to Christ Church ahead of them) while Wolfson’s W1 made a strong move. Exiting the Gut, Christ Church was in the lead, followed a quarter of a length behind by Univ, who had Balliol just a canvas off them, and finally Wolfson half a length behind. Steering on to the Green Bank made all the difference. In a matter of a few strokes, Sofia (cox) had shifted Wolfson on top of Balliol, as they didn’t take as sharp a line. Wolfson got the bump on Balliol, and almost simultaneously Univ bumped Christ Church. The women had achieved four bumps in four days, earning blades and a firm finish in Division I.

Men’s Second Boat

M2 fought a proud Torpids campaign in the hectic men’s 4th division. On Wednesday, despite a messy first stroke, they quickly bumped St Catz II before Donnington Bridge. Catz went on to bump a (presumably crashed) Worcester II, so M2 moved up two spots. Thursday, M2 had a massive start and nailed a sluggish Magdalen II in under 20 strokes.

Friday was a more exciting race. Though the men were gaining on Trinity II off the start, St John’s II was also gaining on them. Exiting the Gut, there was less than a length between each pair of crews, and Trinity fled to the towpath side. Nicky (cox) stuck to her racing line, and swiped at Trinity as she crossed the river toward the end of the Green Bank. Unsure whether they’d bumped, the men rowed on, and St John’s subsequently bumped them. After the race, video evidence proved that Wolfson had indeed bumped Trinity, so the John’s bump was disallowed (they were awarded a row-over).

On Saturday, M2 had their finest rowing of the race. Unfortunately it was not quite enough to catch St Antony’s first boat. Though M2 gained a few times, they couldn’t quite make the bump, and both crews rowed over. The men finished 2nd in Division IV, their highest ranking since 1996.

Women’s Second Boat

The W2 boat also had an epic campaign. On Wednesday, they started at the head of Division IV, being chased by their old rivals: the St Peter’s first boat. Peter’s put up a good fight and kept tight on the Wolves off the start, but W2 began pushing away through the Gut, and rowed over at least five lengths ahead. In their second race, rowing as sandwich boat in Division V, W2 had a flying start and closed to within half a length of St Hilda’s first boat by the stride. Hilda’s responded decisively by catching a crab, and W2 got their bump by bungline 6. St Hilda’s went on to bump New College II, so W2 moved up two places on the day.

On Thursday, the women were chasing a strong Univ II crew. W2 gained strongly off the start, closing to within a canvas well before Donnington Bridge. Univ made a big push to hold them off, but the result was inevitable: W2 bumped just downstream of CORC. Friday, they were chasing St Antony’s first boat, but made quick work of them, making contact before Donnington Bridge. Saturday, W2 completed their campaign for blades with another textbook bump, eating into Exeter’s first boat stroke by stroke, bumping before the Gut.

They finished 8th in Division III, the third-highest second torpid on the river.

Men’s Third Boat

The men’s third boat had a mixed campaign. On Wednesday, they were chased by St John’s III, a crew made up of former first boat rowers, at the head of Division VI. Though M3 fought hard, John’s ground them down and achieved the bump before the Gut. Thursday went a bit better: starting second in Division VI, M3 gained steadily on Green Templeton II before bumping them before Donnington Bridge to emerge sandwich boat. M3’s Division V race was klaxoned before they could make progress into the higher division.

On Friday, M3 had a great start as head of Division VI, but weren’t able to escape a rapid Mansfield II, who bumped them in the Gut. The race was klaxoned shortly thereafter, leaving M3 to regroup overnight. Saturday, the men came into their own. Racing 2nd in Division VI, M3 gained steadily on Merton II and gained the bump heading into the Gut. In their second race, they were chasing a speedy St Anne’s crew, who managed to hold them at arm’s length through the Gut and onto the Green Bank. But with a Green Bank push, M3 started to steadily close, and finally earned their bump right outside of the Univ boathouse, in front of the gathered Wolfson crowd. M3 finished at their highest place since 1997, and as they are in the fixed divisions, they won’t have to row on next year.

Women’s Third Boat

The W3 boat had a strong Torpids in Division V. On Wednesday, they had a flying start chasing Keble II. Keble were intimidated into rowing into the bank, and W3 bumped them in under 30 strokes. Thursday, the women gained convincingly on Magdalen II, who conceded before Donnington Bridge. Magdalen would go on to bump Brasenose II, so Wolfson W3 moved up two spaces that day.

Friday, W3 bumped St Anne’s II, who had crashed into the bank. They didn’t realise that they had made the bump, and rowed strongly through the remainder of the course, narrowly holding off Linacre’s approach. Of course, as W3 had already bumped, any bump by Linacre would have been inconsequential. Finally, Saturday, W3 completed its blades campaign by bumping Hertford II in the lower Gut. They finished 4th in Division V.

Men’s Fourth Boat

After narrowly qualifying in the rowing on race, M4 had a valiant bumps campaign. On Wednesday, the men earned a textbook bump on St John’s IV, gaining on them consistently until bumping just after Donnington Bridge. Thursday, M4 gained half a length on Mansfield III off the start. Mansfield recovered and tried to hold Wolfson off, but a few crabs in the Gut allowed the Wolves to pounce.

On Friday, the men were chasing LMH II, a speedy crew. Wolfson and LMH appeared evenly matched, but Balliol III, four boats ahead, was no match for either. First, Balliol was bumped by Jesus III, then by LMH. Unfortunately, the race was klaxoned before M4 could give them their third bump. Saturday was also a tough race. Balliol must have recovered some nerve overnight, as they managed to hold off Wolfson — and Wolfson held off St Johns IV — for the whole race. M4 rowed over 9th in Division VI, up three places from the start order and proud of a strong campaign.

Cliff’s Race Reports

Clifford Sofield, one of Wolfson’s longest-serving members, has offered to regale us with his daily observations of Torpids 2015. This year, as our crews fought their ways upriver, Cliff wasn’t able to be there to chronicle the details himself until Saturday, but he compiled reports based on the observations of a team of intrepid Wolfson reporters. Read on below!

Wednesday

Another year, another Torpids…and another set of race reports from me! Since I can’t be at the river for most of the races I thought I would have to retire, but a handful of plucky reporters have agreed to be my eyes-and-ears on the bank, so that I can keep you up to date on Wolfson’s inevitable rise up the bumps charts. Thank you to my correspondents!

Technically speaking, Torpids always starts with a bang — but for Wolfson, it was a really big bang this year! With an (in recent years) unprecedented seven crews qualified, we had two men’s boats in the first division of the day (Men’s Division VI). The Men’s 4th Boat (M4), starting next-to-last on the river, got off to a cracking start with a textbook bump on St John’s IV, gradually reeling them in and catching them just after Donnington Bridge. John’s later bumped Keble III, sending our boys up an extra place in the rankings. The Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) were not so lucky. Chased by a crew of former first-eight rowers (St John’s III), the outcome was never in doubt. Our boys raced well but were caught coming out of the Gut.

Just half an hour later, in Women’s Division V, the Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) executed a swift and furious start and gained rapidly on Keble II—who responded by crashing into the bank. The result was a bump for W3 within 30 strokes of the start. The Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) started at the head of Women’s Division IV, chased by their old rivals, St Peter’s. Our girls held St Peter’s through the Gut, then pulled away, rowing over with at least five boat lengths of clear water. This victory gave W2 a chance to row again at the bottom of Division III, and they seized the opportunity. By the stride they had closed to around half a length on St. Hilda’s, who promptly caught a crab; W2 finished the bump at bungline 6. Hilda’s went on to bump New College II, so W2 moved up two places on the day and is now the fourth highest women’s second boat on the river.

Next up in Men’s Division IV was the Men’s 2nd Boat (M2), who, despite a messy first stroke, quickly bumped St Catz II before Donnington Bridge. Catz subsequently bumped Worcester II, so our boys moved up two places today. The Women’s 1st Boat (W1) rowed over comfortably in front of Queen’s at head of Women’s Division II. After the Gut they were far enough ahead that they could wind down, and they rowed past the boathouse at rate 22. Conserving that energy was important, because an hour later they had a chance to bump up into Division I! Our girls put in a solid start and gained quickly on Worcester, entering the Gut only half a length down. Worcester rallied and held them through the Gut, but with a final push and a perfect line, W1 rapidly closed the distance and gained the bump as they straightened out on to the Green Bank. They’ll start in Division I tomorrow. Finally, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) executed their race with workman-like efficiency. They were chasing Oriel, who got away by bumping St Catz early on. Unfazed, our boys took aim at Catz. Steadily eating away the distance stroke by stroke, they caught them on the Green Bank for the overbump. That returns M1 to sixth place on the river.

Thursday

Apparently Wolfson started Torpids as they meant to continue, because today was just as successful as yesterday!

It all started, as it always does, with Men’s Division VI. The Men’s 4th Boat (M4) gained half a length on Mansfield III off the start, and pounced on them in the Gut when Mansfield caught a couple of crabs. Meanwhile, at the head of the division, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) had a rapid start and bumped Green Templeton II just before Donnington Bridge. That bump made M3 sandwich boat in Men’s Division V, but that division was klaxoned before our boys reached the Gut. (Apparently there was a major pile-up further upstream.) So it was a rowover for M3, who will be starting at the head of Division VI tomorrow.

In between M3’s races, the Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) snared their second bump of Torpids. They had a good, strong start, and Magdalen II conceded before Donny Bridge. Magdalen II went on to row past Brasenose II, who had managed to get stuck in the bank, so our girls moved up two places on the day. The Men’s 2nd Boat (M2) had a massive flyer off the start in Division IV and demolished Magdalen II in about twenty strokes. In the very next race, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2) responded in kind, closing to within a canvas of Univ II by about halfway to Donnington Bridge. Univ made a final effort to hold off the bump, but our girls finished it with satisfying bow-on-stern contact just downstream of City of Oxford Rowing Club.

That brings us to Division I! The Women’s 1st Boat (W1) had another great race and caught St Catz by bungline 5. ’Nuff said. The Men’s 1st Boat (M1) also had strong race, even though the result was a row-over. The crew ahead, Oriel, bumped Balliol quickly, but our boys kept their heads high and gained convincingly on Balliol, passing the boathouse about two lengths behind. (I’m no mathematician, but even I know that means our boys had gained about two lengths on Balliol…and of course they start one-and-a-half lengths behind Balliol tomorrow…)

Friday

The day three blues are a well known phenomenon in bumps racing. After the adrenaline rush of the first two days, the energy starts to flag and the attention starts to wander on the third day for most colleges. Wolfson isn’t most colleges.

The day kicked off once again with Men’s Division VI. The Men’s 4th Boat (M4) were chasing LMH II, and the two boats proved to be evenly matched—but Balliol III, who started a couple of places ahead of LMH, were slower. First Balliol was bumped by Jesus III, then they were bumped by LMH. Before our boys could give them a third bump, the division was klaxoned due to a pile-up in the Gut. Meanwhile, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) had a great start but were unable to avoid getting bumped by a speedy Mansfield II in the Gut. M3 recovered and were on their way up the Green Bank when the klaxon sounded.

The Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) was chasing Hertford III today, until Hertford bumped out on St Anne’s II, who had crashed into the bank. Moments later our girls also rowed past St Anne’s for the bump…but didn’t realize it, and kept racing. Their oars clipped the bank a couple of times in the Gut, allowing Linacre (who had also unwittingly bumped) to close to within half a length at Boathouse Island! But our girls held Linacre off and completed what would have been a row-over, had they not already bumped St Anne’s! That was W3’s third bump in three days.

The Men’s 2nd Boat (M2) had an even more dramatic race. They gained on Trinity II off the start, but meanwhile St John’s II was gaining on them, until there was less than a length between each crew going through the Gut. Exiting the Gut Trinity fled to the towpath bank, but the M2 cox stuck to the racing line. When M2 eventually crossed further up the Green Bank they bumped Trinity. Trinity did not acknowledge the bump, however, and St John’s took advantage of the moment of confusion to close in and bump Wolfson. Our boys, not sure the bump had been recorded, continued to chase Trinity and nearly bumped them again before the finish—but it was moot, since video evidence later proved M2 had got Trinity the first time. (St John’s, whose bump was of course disallowed, was awarded a row-over.) It was M2’s third bump in three days.

The Women’s 2nd Boat (W2), in contrast, executed yet another quick victory, making solid contact with St Antony’s before Donnington Bridge. Yes, it was W2’s third bump in three days as well. The Women’s 1st Boat (W1), racing in Division I, did not have it so easy. Although they had gained half a length on Balliol before Donnington Bridge, Balliol was gaining faster on New College and in fact bumped them shortly after the Bridge. W1 didn’t hesitate but set out after New College, steadily reeled them in, and got the overbump opposite Timms Boathouse. That was—you guessed it—W1’s third bump in three days! In the final race of the day, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) emerged from under Donnington Bridge hot in the wake of Balliol. By the time they reached the Gut there was substantial overlap; another five strokes and the Wolfson bowball was within arm’s reach of the Balliol cox, who finally conceded. That bump restored M1 to fifth place on the river, its highest position ever in Torpids.

Saturday

The day began, of course, with Men’s Division VI. The Men’s 4th Boat (M4) were chasing Balliol III and being chased by St John’s IV. St John’s, whose cox box died at the five minute gun, nevertheless had a good start and put M4 under pressure early, closing to within half a length by the Gut. But M4 responded courageously: first they held St John’s, and then they broke them, pulling away and leaving them in the proverbial riverine dust. They went on to row over, getting as near as a length off of Balliol. M4 finished Torpids at 9th in Division VI, having moved up three places on two bumps—a pretty good result in Wolfson M4’s first ever* Torpids!

While that was happening, the Men’s 3rd Boat (M3) was busy chasing Merton II at the top of the division. Our boys gained right from the start, pushed through the rough water, and bumped them bow-on-stern heading into the Gut. That made them sandwich boat in Division V, so an hour later they raced again, this time chasing St Anne’s II. St Anne’s held them at arm’s length through the Gut, but on the Green Bank M3 started to close, foot by foot, and gloriously bumped right outside our boathouse! Over Torpids M3 bumped three times and got bumped twice, moving up one net place to 12th in Division V. That’s in the fixed divisions!…and it is M3’s highest ranking in Torpids since 1997!

In between M3’s races, the Women’s 3rd Boat (W3) was racing with a chance to win blades, having bumped every day so far. They started moving on Hertford III immediately and had cut Hertford’s lead to half a length by Donnington Bridge. With the help of some neat steering our girls started to close fast, while a bunch of Wolfson supporters and ‘all of Hertford College’ ran along the bank to watch. After a few strokes of overlap W2 bumped Hertford in the lower Gut to win blades!! Having gone up five places on four bumps, W3 finished at 4th in Division V.

The Men’s 2nd Boat (M2) had also bumped each of the first three days, but they saved their best rowing of the week for their last race. Unfortunately it was not enough to catch a speedy St Anthony’s, and despite gaining on St Antony’s a few times, both crews rowed over. Naturally the boys were disappointed not to win blades, but they rowed great and had a fantastic Torpids, moving up four places on three bumps to finish at 2nd in Division IV—M2’s highest ranking since 1996!

Half an hour later, the Women’s 2nd Boat (W2), who were also ‘on’ for blades, lined up behind Exeter, who were on for spoons. The race was textbook. W2 picked up half a length on the start and just kept gaining. With half a length to go as they hit the rough water under Donnington Bridge, our girls never wavered. Stroke by stroke they ate big chunks out of Exeter and bumped them before the Gut, winning blades!! A fabulous result for W2, who finished 8th in Division III, up five places on four bumps. It’s the highest ranking W2 has ever*† gained in Torpids, and they are now the third highest women’s 2nd boat on the river.

In Women’s Division I, the Women’s 1st Boat (W1) were also on for blades, but they were chasing a good crew in Balliol. From the start, Balliol pulled away and started gaining on Univ; by Donnington Bridge, Balliol were just a quarter length down on Univ, and Wolfson were at least two lengths back. But Univ held strong and pushed off of Balliol and onto Christ Church as they rowed through the Gut. Meanwhile, our girls started to gain on Balliol. Coming out of the Gut, Univ were about a quarter of a length down on Christ Church, Balliol were just a canvas off of Univ, and Wolfson was still half a length off of Balliol. The coxes’ steering around the bend onto the Green Bank proved critical: with a great line and a strong push, Wolfson was suddenly on top of Balliol, and moments later our girls bumped across from Timms Boathouse, winning blades!! (Univ bumped Christ Church almost simultaneously.) W1 finished Torpids up four places on four bumps, at 9th on the river! It is their highest ranking in Torpids since 2005.

Finally, the Men’s 1st Boat (M1) had thriller in Men’s Division I. Chasing perennial rowing powerhouse Christ Church, M1 was under threat from Wadham, who had already bumped up five places and were racing for blades. There wasn’t much in it for the first half of the race; by the time they reached the Green Bank, Christ Church had pulled away slightly from Wolfson, and Wadham had gained maybe half a length. But our boys moved well on the Green Bank and the cross-over, pulling away from Wadham and gaining substantially on Christ Church. In front of our boathouse our boys had Christ Church down to under a length—but Wadham was starting to gain again! The gaps between the three crews narrowed rapidly as they raced past Boathouse Island; they continued to narrow along Christ Church Meadow…but they never closed completely. All three crews rowed over, Wolfson just a canvas off of Christ Church, and Wadham a canvas off of Wolfson. It was an outstanding Torpids for M1, who went up two places on two bumps to regain their highest ever ranking, 5th on the river!

Congratulations to all crews, especially the three women’s crews, who all won blades! Wolfson has won three sets of blades in the same bumps campaign just twice before,* in Eights 1986 and in Torpids 2009. Gaining a combined 22 bumps, and conceding just two, the seven crews went up a combined 24 places, the most of any college this Torpids! That ties us with Hertford (1987) for the second most bumps in a single Torpids since ‘records began’ in 1980, after Balliol, who went up 27 places in 2008. We went up an average of 3.43 places per crew, the second highest this Torpids.

Thank you to my trusty band of correspondents, who made these reports possible: Sofia Hauck, John McManigle, Sabine Parrish, Tom Aarholt, Claudia Vadeboncoeur, Gregers Bangert, Iana Alexeeva, and Zoe Goodwin. Next up: Summer Eights!

* Since ‘records began’ in 1980.
† Wolfson W2 started fifth in Division III in Torpids 2001 after many crews scratched on safety grounds.

Wolfson had a strong Torpids 2013 campaign, with M1 holding a strong finish position, W1 pushing ever closer to Division I, and huge gains by the lower boats!

Crews

Wolfson entered five crews in Torpids 2013.

Men’s First Boat

After spectacular results over the past decade, Wolfson’s M1 had a new goal for this Torpids: to prove themselves worthy of the top half of Division I during a rebuilding year. The men did their job on Wednesday, easily holding off St. John’s before falling to St. Catherine’s on Thursday. Friday proved a contentious result: after narrowly holding off and then pushing away from Oriel, a race committee decided on appeal that in fact Oriel had bumped M1. The chaps did their job Saturday, pushing strongly throughout the length. They finished 7th on the river.

Women’s First Boat

After a brisk climb of the Torpids charts over the past couple of years, W1 found themselves in a strong field at the top of Division II this year. But that didn’t hold them back. On Wednesday, W1 achieved a snappy bump on Exeter. On Thursday, they bumped Queen’s in about 30 strokes at the top of Division II before racing again as the sandwich boat and forcing a glorious quadruple overbump on Hertford, reaching Division I. Hearts were broken on Friday, when W1 narrowly missed Univ, only to be bumped by Balliol alongside Boathouse Island. On Saturday, they rowed over at the top of Division II before missing one last attempt to secure a Division I berth when two crews bumped out ahead of them. One thing is for sure: the wolves are hungry for Torpids 2014.

Men’s Second Boat

Wolfson’s M2 was the star of the show in Torpids 2013. On Wednesday, one of our oarsmen misplaced his feet leading to a quick bump by Hertford II, but M2 went on to recover and bump Univ II in the gut, moving up a place on the day as Univ II went on to bump Lincoln II. The men got their revenge on Hertford II in a Thursday tangle-up. They went on to easily bump Jesus II on Friday and St. John’s II on Saturday, moving up a grand total of five positions over their four Torpids races, missing blades only because of the Wednesday mishap.

Women’s Second Boat

Wolfson’s W2 put in a strong performance in Torpids 2013. Though they didn’t quite catch St. Peter’s on Wednesday, they overbumped on Worcester II on Thursday. Friday held a strong row-over for W2, and on Saturday they finally caught St. Peter’s, in the process denying St. Anne’s blades and moving up a total of two spots over the week.

Men’s Third Boat

Wolfson’s M3 performed well throughout its Torpids campaign. Starting as the last boat on the river, they had far to go. After strong bumps on Wednesday and Thursday, they missed St. John’s III by inches on Friday, bumping them just after the finish line. But they had their revenge Saturday, bumping John’s who went on to bump Christ Church III. Overall, M3 moved up four places over their campaign.

Cliff’s Race Reports

Clifford Sofield, one of Wolfson’s longest-serving members, has offered to regale us with his daily observations of Torpids 2013. As the excitement unfolded, Cliff was was there to chronicle the details. Read on below!

Wednesday

Torpids is underway! Wolfson had a pretty successful first day. Luck was on our side in the first race of the day, as M3 rowed past St. Benet’s Hall, who had managed to get themselves stuck on the Green Bank.

After lunch, W2 turned in a steady, determined performance and rowed over. They gained on St Peter’s a few times, and Hertford II behind them were never a consideration. M2’s race thirty minutes later was more eventful. Bumped by Hertford II in the first minute, M2 kept it together and reeled in Univ II for a bump of their own in the Gut. They moved up one place on the day, since Univ II went on to row past a stationary Lincoln II.

By the time W1 raced, everything was running 18 minutes behind schedule, thanks to delays caused by a log in the river, a stubborn swan, and a St. Anne’s boat lodged in a tree. W1 were undeterred by their division’s late start and bumped Exeter before Donnington Bridge. In the final race of the day, M1 rowed a tidy race and rowed over at comfortable distances behind Balliol and in front of St. John’s. Balliol took a swipe at Magdalen before the finish and narrowly missed, but St. Catz caught St. John’s in the Gut — so today might be more exciting.

Thursday

Thursday was almost perfect for Wolfson College Boat Club. Wolfson M3 started off the day with a textbook bump on Corpus Christi II. Having gained steadily, our M3 were less than a length off of Corpus coming into Donnington Bridge when Corpus cracked under the pressure; a few strokes later it was all over.

Wolfson W2 brought us our first epic bump of this Torpids ninety minutes later. Fending off an early challenge from Hertford II behind them and not having gained much on St. Peter’s by the Gut, W2 rowed on gallantly, and gained substantially on St. Peter’s in the second half, even as St. Peter’s were gaining on Worcester II. Alongside Boathouse Island, St. Peter’s completely rowed past Worcester II for a bump. Close behind them, W2 were in a perfect position, and they bumped Worcester II before the finish! Outstanding grit and determination.

Wolfson M2 followed with a bump of their own, although the results are provisional, pending an appeal. Coming into Donnington Bridge, Jesus II were about a canvas ahead of St Catherine’s II, who were themselves half a length ahead of Hertford II; our M2 were still about a length and a half behind Hertford. Jesus conceded to Catz, who steered right to clear the line. Hertford, not seeing that Catz had bumped out, followed them and gained overlap—so that when they realized they needed to steer left and keep racing, their bows were trapped on the right hand side of Catz’s stern. Instead of easying to let Catz get clear, Hertford kept rowing on, which only made things worse. In the meantime our M2 seized the opportunity and rowed past Hertford for the bump (as did Univ II and Green Templeton behind them). Not wishing to leave anything to chance, M2 rowed on to the finish. Hertford have appealed the result, saying they’d been unfairly impeded due to circumstances outside their control, and we await the result of that appeal.

Our most successful boat of the day was Wolfson W1, who bumped twice to secure a place in Women’s Division I! The first bump was a dandy — they bumped Queen’s in about 30 strokes, just after Donnington Bridge, to go head of Division II, and giving them a chance to row as sandwich boat in Division I. It was good that their first race was short, because the second race was even more epic than W2’s. Starting at the absolute bottom of the river, 13th in Division I, our W1 rowed hard nearly the whole length of the river as first St. Catherine’s and then Univ bumped out ahead of them. Finally chasing Hertford—who had started five places ahead of us—our W1 drew on all their resources for the final push and caught Hertford just past our boathouse for the quadruple overbump! This is the first time the Wolfson women have been in Division I since 2005 — and it’s the first time ever that Wolfson men and women have been in the first division at the same time!

Finally, in the last race of the day Wolfson suffered its first disappointment, as M1 were bumped just entering the Gut by St. Catherine’s, who are rapid in the first two minutes. With characteristic resolve our boys held their nerve and rowed well the rest of the way, but did not get close to Balliol ahead of them. Balliol did not gain on Magdalen yesterday either, but Magdalen did catch Christ Church, setting up an interesting situation ahead of us for Friday. Will Balliol be able to bump Christ Church before St Catz catch them? If so, how are Catz in the second half of the race? And how fast are Oriel, who are starting behind us, having bumped St. John’s?

Friday

Friday was exciting but tough for Wolfson rowing. The excitement began with M3, who rowed a race of two parts. Hotly pursued by. St Benet’s going through the Gut, M3 held them off at a distance of about a foot, and then pushed mightily on the Green Bank to leave St. Benet’s far behind. Then in the second half of the race they closed hard on St. John’s III. They even gained overlap by the finish, but only made contact after the boats had crossed the finish line. So it was a row-over, but an exciting race!

Wolfson W2 gave their usual gutsy effort, but they couldn’t catch up to Univ II, so they rowed over. Wolfson M2 had a shorter, sweeter race, overbumping Jesus II just before Donnington Bridge. Wolfson W1, on the other hand, had a long and painful race. Despite gaining on Univ early, our girls couldn’t close out out the bump, and were instead bumped themselves alongside Boathouse Island by Balliol. Gutting result for a crew that has worked really hard and performed very well.

Finally the M1, rowed a tremendous race. Our boys had our fastest first minute yet, and held off Oriel by the narrowest of margins. They had overlap on the surge for several strokes in the Gut, and even continuous overlap for one stroke, before we pushed off of them coming out of the Gut and onto the Green Bank. Meanwhile St Catherine’s had not managed to pull away from us, and our boys gained to within a length on the Green Bank, before St Catz pulled away in front of the Boathouses. All crews rowed over . . . or so we thought! After the race, Oriel appealed the result, claiming that they had actually made contact in the Gut. I saw the video and photographic evidence, and although they show Oriel very close to us, they don’t show actual contact. Nevertheless, the race committee ruled in Oriel’s favor, saying that there was “sufficient evidence to say a bump had taken place”. It’s not clear whether they think they saw contact in the video or photos, or if their decision was based upon eyewitness testimony. In any case, we appealed the decision, but to no avail: we’re chasing Oriel tomorrow. To the right is the photo that comes closest to showing the “bump”, so you can decide for yourselves. It was certainly close.

Saturday

The boats have been put away, the wash has settled, and the Isis is glassy flat again. (Or so I assume, sitting about a mile away.) But before it was all ended, Saturday of Torpids treated Wolfson College Boat Club well, especially crews M3, W2, and M2.

Wolfson M3 finally came into their own Saturday, bumping St. John’s III in about 20 strokes. As St. John’s went on to bump Christ Church III, they moved up two places on the day, to 9th in Division VI — up four places since Wednesday, on three bumps. Not bad for a crew that failed to row on. Our boys were so excited about their success that while rowing back to the boathouse the stroke man caught an ejector crab and had to be fished out of the river and onto the bank.

Wolfson W2 had a cracking race. Chasing St. Peter’s again, our girls were themselves being chased by St. Anne’s II, a crew on for blades (having bumped on each of the previous three days). Unfazed, our girls valiantly held St. Anne’s off at about a length all the way up the river to Boathouse Island. Our girls bumped St. Peter’s in front of the boathouse we and Peter’s share, in full view of cheering and wailing fans of both clubs. (St. Anne’s went on to row over behind St. Peter’s; our girls had denied them blades.) By bumping St. Peter’s, Wolfson W2 became head of Division IV, so an hour later they rowed again as sandwich boat to try to bump up into Division III. Unfortunately Univ II bumped out ahead of them and they rowed over. But they still had an excellent Torpids, moving up two places on two bumps to head of Division IV.

In between W2’s races, Wolfson M2 notched another tidy victory, bumping St. John’s II just before Donnington Bridge. That raised them to 7th in Division IV, an impressive five places higher than they started on Wednesday. Having bumped every day, M2 only missed out on blades because they had been bumped by Hertford II in the first few strokes of Wednesday’s race, when one of our rowers’ feet came out of his shoes. Little did they know the significance of that bump at the time! Ironically, M2 went on to bump that Hertford crew back on Thursday, and Hertford finished Torpids two places behind us.

Wolfson W1 also had two races. In their first they rowed over beautifully at the head of Division II. An hour later, they tried to bump back up into Division I, only to have their hopes dashed as Balliol ahead of them bumped out on Univ, who in turn bumped out on Worcester. Going for the double overbump, our girls closed to a little over a length off of Worcester going past the boathouses, but ended up rowing over. Still, a very good Torpids for Wolfson W1: three bumps, bumped once, and up two places to head of Division II.

Finally, Wolfson M1 finished off the day and the regatta by rowing over. It was the best race of the week for our boys. They had strong start, and Oriel failed to gain any water ahead of them. St. John’s came up to about a length behind them in the Gut, but we pushed away strongly. Our boys stayed about a length and a half behind Oriel until reaching our boathouse, when we scraped the submerged raft and lost a bit of speed. Oriel pulled away then, and all three crews rowed over. Wolfson M1 finished Torpids down two places, at 7th in Division I. A respectable showing for a mid-Div I crew that had minimal water time prior to Torpids. We are all looking forward to showing Oriel what a real bump looks like on Wednesday of Torpids 2014.

Wolfson had a fantastic Torpids 2012, our four crews gaining 14 bumps overall. The women earned blades and reached the heights of Division II, while the men reached fifth on the river!

Crews

Wolfson entered a total of seven crews into Torpids 2012, four men’s eights and three women’s eights. Although we didn’t have as much luck as we might have liked at rowing on, our four bumps-racing crews (M1, W1, M2, and W2) all had fantastic campaigns!

Men’s First Boat

Wolfson M1 had a brilliant campaign this year, bumping up three places and finishing fifth on the river! On Wednesday, the men bumped Oriel, the perennial rowing powerhouse. On Thursday, they bumped St. John’s on Green Bank. Friday held a bump on St. Catherine’s on the Green Bank. Saturday, despite closing to within the canvas, the men couldn’t quite catch Balliol. Still a formidable position.

Women’s First Boat

Wolfson W1 had a glorious campaign topped off the way glorious campaigns ought to be — with blades! Despite the disadvantage of starting every race behind a strong Keble crew, the women proved their mettle with every stroke. Wednesday, they gained the overbump on Mansfield in the gut. Thursday, they overbumepd Osler House on the Green Bank. Friday, the ladies triple-overbumped Balliol, who had got themselves stuck in the bank. Finally, on Saturday, the women sealed the deal by finally gaining the bump on Keble, defeating their nemesis and earning blades in one fell stroke.

Men’s Second Boat

Wolfson’s M2 had a victorious campaign, moving swiftly up to Division IV. On Wednesday, the men rowed over when their quarry bumped out in front of them. On Thursday, they got a quick bump on St. Peter’s in the gut. Friday, they made the divisional transition, bumping St. Anne’s in the gut before racing as sandwich boat to bump LMH, who had rammed into the bank around bung like 6. Finally, Saturday the men overbumped Hertford to secure a firm place in Division IV.

Women’s Second Boat

Wolfson’s W2 had non-stop, hard-fought races throughout their campaign, but managed to move up in the bumps charts over the week. On Wednesday, they got a bump on Trinity before a klaxon stopped the race. Thursday, they bumped St. Peter’s first boat in the gut. Friday, they were bumped by Green Templeton W1, and couldn’t quite reach Hertford for the bump by the end of the river. They would see revenge on Saturday, when, despite being bumped by St. Peter’s W1 on Green Banks, they went on to bump Hertford just before the finish line in a brilliant push.

Rowing On Boats

Wolfson also entered M3, W3, and M4 into Torpids 2012. Unfortunately, these boats failed to qualify (M3 by only half a second!), but the athletes had good rows all around and enjoyed Torpids dinner as much as the rest of us!

M3: Jono Lusthaus (str), Nelson Goering (7), Joshua Anderson (6), Bartosz Raubo (5), Sebastiaan van Schaik (4), Vaughan Dutton (3), Nicholas Starko (2), Marc Brightman (bow), coxed by Kathryn Krakowka and coached by Laurence Nevay, Iana Alexeeva, and Rae Hancock

W3: Rae Hancock (str), Mary Kopsacheili (7), Charlotte Barrett (6), Zoe Goodwin (5), Isabel de Berrié (4), Nina Jetter (3), Lorna McLeod (2), Maryanna Price (bow), coxed by Susan Graham and coached by Katherine Henson

M4: Daniel Straulino (str), Andres Gonzales-Watty (7), Wei-Yu Chen (6), Joao Domingos (5), Paul Armstrong (4), Anatolij Gelimson (3), Federico Torracchi (2), Ashwin Alexander (bow), coxed by Stefany Wragg and coached by Rae Hancock and Vaughan Dutton

Cliff’s Race Reports

Clifford Sofield, one of Wolfson’s longest-serving members, has offered to regale us with his daily observations of Torpids 2012. As the excitement unfolded, Cliff was was there to chronicle the details. Read on below!

Wednesday

Three out of the first four divisions were klaxoned today, setting up a wild first day of Torpids. (A ‘klaxon’ or air-horn is fired in order to stop racing when there is an unsafe situation on the river.) Some of the more general highlights included a Pembroke W1 rower’s seat breaking in front of the boat houses in division 1, Exeter M2 losing four places in division 2, Lady Margaret Hall W1 going up 4 places into division 2, and two rowers being ejected from their boats in collisions with the bank!

It was a good day for Wolfson College, beginning with Wolfson M2 who rowed over looking very smart. They were a length off St Peter’s M2 coming out of the Gut (after St Catz II had already bumped St Peter’s) when the klaxon was fired due to a crash somewhere behind them. They maintain their position and will chase St Peter’s M2 tomorrow. Wolfson W2 achieved a bump on Trinity II in short order, before another klaxon stopped that division, too. They move up one place and will be chasing St Peter’s W1 tomorrow. (So two Wolfson crews will be chasing St Peter’s crews tomorrow!) Later in the day, Wolfson W1 continued the success by bumping Mansfield in the Gut (Mansfield had already been bumped by Keble).

Wolfson M1 capped it off with a bump on Oriel. Oriel are the perennial men’s rowing powerhouse in Oxford, having rowed at the Head of men’s division 1 in Summer Eights in 20 of the last 31 years. Wolfson College have a poster-sized blow-up of a magnificent photo showing Wolfson M1 bumping Oriel’s 2nd boat outside the boathouses in Summer Eights 2002, at the top of men’s division 3. It’s nice to be able to say that we’ve now bumped their 1st boat, too.

In other news, Pembroke M1 bumped Christ Church M1 on the Green Bank to become head of men’s division 1. Magdalen W1 rowed over at the head of women’s division 1, but tomorrow they will be chased by Wadham, who bumped Teddy Hall today.

Thursday

It was warmer and less windy today, and Emma Watson came down to watch the racing. I’m also pleased to report that there were no klaxons today.

Another successful day for Wolfson! Wolfson M2 started the fireworks by bumping St Peter’s M2 in the Gut. We experienced déjà vu half an hour later, when Wolfson W2 likewise bumped St Peter’s W1 in the Gut. Later in the day, Wolfson W1, rowing out of the Gut, overbumped Osler House, who had already been bumped by Keble. In the last race of the day, Wolfson M1 put in a solid row and bumped St John’s on the Green Bank.

Little noise at the top of the men’s or women’s divisions today. The most relevant piece of information is that Balliol bumped St Catz in men’s division 1, so my crew will be chasing St Catz tomorrow.

Friday

The sun smiled on Torpids today as Oxford experienced almost spring-like weather. The sun also smiled on Wolfson M2, who bumped St Anne’s II in the Gut to become head of division 5. This earned them the chance to race again an hour later to try to bump into division 4, which they did by overbumping the kamikaze Lady Margaret Hall II around bungline 6. In the meantime, Wolfson W2 rowed valiantly but were bumped by Green Templeton W1 in the Gut. They continued to chase Hertford II to the finish, closing to within a canvas (12 feet), but ended up rowing over.

Wolfson W1 continued their bumping success, triple-overbumping Balliol, who had managed to tangle with the bank after being bumped by Queen’s. That was the third bump in three days for Wolfson W1. It was also three bumps in three days for Wolfson M1 — we bumped St Catherine’s on the Green Bank and moved up to 5th on the river!

Saturday

When the sun set on Torpids 2012 yesterday, the big stars were Wolfson W1. Each of the first three days the Wolfson ladies had started behind Keble. Each day Keble bumped out, and each day Wolfson overbumped the crew Keble had bumped. But on Saturday the need for Wolfson to overbump never arose. It was closer than close as Wolfson raced up the Green Bank, hotly pursuing Keble, who were chasing Queen’s, who were in turn closing on Exeter. Then Queen’s caught Exeter, and Keble, now needing an overbump of their own, could not escape the Wolfson ladies a fourth time. Crossing the stream at the top of the Green Bank, Wolfson bumped Keble to earn their fourth bump in four days, thus winning blades! Congratulations Wolfson W1! They finish Torpids ranked third in women’s division 2.

All of the other Wolfson crews had similarly exciting races on Saturday. Wolfson W2 were particularly brilliant, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Knowing they had little chance of catching the speedy Green Templeton (who indeed bumped out on Hertford II in the Gut), our girls were prepared for the long overbump. Despite getting bumped by St Peter’s on the Green Bank, Wolfson W2 held it together with sheer gritty determination to overbump a stunned Hertford II at the top of Boathouse Island, 100 meters from the finish! Over the four days of Torpids, Wolfson W2 bumped three times and got bumped twice, moving up one place overall: a successful campaign. Racing 30 minutes after the girls, Wolfson M2 likewise had to go for the overbump when Univ II bumped out well before Donnington Bridge. Thanks to clever steering by both coxes, the Wolfson boys threaded the needle between Univ and the bank, rowed hard, and overbumped Hertford II in the top of the Gut! That made four bumps for Wolfson M2, who moved up a division this Torpids, and only missed blades because they did not bump on Wednesday (they got two bumps Friday instead).

The only Wolfson crew not to bump on Saturday was Wolfson M1. We were chasing Balliol, and they gave nothing away until after the Gut. We started gaining with our Green Bank push and closed to a quarter length by Univ boathouse, but from there the river is wide and our quarry had room to maneuver. We closed to within a canvas (12 feet) but could not catch them. Despite a disappointing Saturday, we had a fantastically successful Torpids: we got three bumps in the middle of the first division and moved up to 5th on the river!

That wraps up this year’s Torpids updates. Thanks for reading, and look out for Summer Eights (23-26 May)!

Wolfson had an amazing performance in Torpids 2011. The men’s first Torpid was the most successful crew on the river, earning blades for the second year running and finishing 8th on the river — its highest position ever. The women’s first boat moved up through the second division, the men’s second boat advanced sharply, and the women’s second boat suffered a series of unfortunate events but fought the good fight.

Crews

Four Wolfson crews competed in Torpids 2011.

Men’s First Boat

Wolfson M1 had a spectacular campaign, bumping Exeter and New College on Wednesday to land in the first division. On Thursday, they bumped LMH who went on to bump Worcester, moving our men up two more places. Friday, they bumped Wadham and Saturday they bumped Hertford to finish with the highest set of blades in on the river and an 8th place finish.

Women’s First Boat

The Women’s first boat also had a successful campaign. After falling two places on Wednesday on a bump by St. Hugh’s, the women recovered two places Thursday by revenge bumping St. Hugh’s (who went on to bump a crashed St. Hilda’s). Friday, the ladies bumped Somerville and Saturday they bumped Merton to finish 7th in Division II, up two places overall.

Men’s Second Boat

After a rough first day, the men’s second boat had a strong campaign. They were bumped by St. Catz II on Wednesday after losing a blade and rowing in 7’s — but managed to recover the oar and only lose one place overall. On Thursday, through a maneuver that involved bumping Regent’s Park and then a lot of other associated bumps, the men recovered 3 places. Friday, they bumped Teddy Hall and Saturday bumped Wadham III to move up 4 places overall.

Women’s Second Boat

The women’s second boat suffered a series of unfortunate races. After poleman absences, misaligned starts, and other calamities, they wound up being bumped twice on each of Wednesday and Thursday, once on Friday, and twice on Saturday, finishing 6th in Division IV. They’ll no doubt have their revenge next year.

Crews

Six crews were entered and all bumped up at least one place. Women’s 1st and 2nd bumped up a division as did Men’s 1st. Both the women’s boats were unlucky not to gain blades and looked very impressive out on the river.

Men’s First Boat

This years men’s first Torpid showed the recent Wolfson trend of having a high proportion of novices in the crew, and also a new head coach in Catherine Hawkins. With a line up eventually settled, the crew developed quite quickly, with Greg Hodgins’ Zen technique and Skipper Holland’s natural bitch seat mentality spurring the crew on. Nevertheless, after the Henley Head, the crew was on paper as being 30 seconds slower than rivals and chasing crew Linacre. Some ill-chosen words from Linacre Captain Neil Selby on the news group however, managed to psych us up on Tuesday evening, and the predicted bump by Linacre on Wolfson never happened. Nor did it happen on the second day, or the third, with the inexperienced Wolfson crew taking bumps racing in their stride to chalk up three gutsy (and at times smooth) row overs. The climax of the event left us chasing a slowish Keble crew on the last day but being chased by St Annes, the fastest crew in the division. After a flying start, Wolfson closed the gap on Keble to a third of a length through the gut, but just couldn’t close the agonising last gap. Past the boat houses, there was still half a length separating the top three crews, but St Annes closed in just after. The statistics read Wolfson down one place, but that does not tell the story. This year’s men’s first Torpid performed exceptionally, being one of the smoothest Wolfson men’s first eights to represent the college. This was due in no small part to the dedicated coaching of Cath Hawkins (at risk of job) and Gerrald Goselink, but also due to the monumental effort put in buy the eight guys and one girl in the crew. Well done lads (and lass).

Richard Holland.
Captain and 7, Men’s 1st Torpid.

Women’s First Boat

Got blades! The women’s 1st 8 faced serious problems before and during Torpids. Theresa (stroke) got injured 2 weeks before, when she had to stop completely all physical exercises. After that, the red flag came up and nobody could train. So we got back together as a crew on Saturday before Torpids, by when Fiona (3) fell ill with a very bad flu. With 2 more outings only before Torpids, calm was not easy to get. Zoe substituted Fiona once, Jo another time, and the latter ended up (even though she assumedly was unfit) racing with us on Wed and Thu. When Fiona got back on Friday, it was a relief for both the 1st boat and the schools 8, with whom Jo was supposed to row since from the beginning. Yet, the rhythm was not there tout de suite, so we took the coach’s suggestion and went out for an extra outing on Saturday morning. It was a brave decision, as we were likely to bump up one division in the afternoon’s race, so needing to race twice later on. That what was happened indeed. But, instead of what anybody could guess before, we had our best races on Saturday, having our fastest bump on Christ Church 1st eight and putting the boat between the 1st and 1nd division. Blades already there, we rowed over to guarantee our position, passing by a wonderful crash involving Pembroke, Lincoln and Somerville.

Bumped: Worcester on the first day, Hertford on the second, Brasenose on the third, and Christ Church on the final day.

Men’s Second Boat

Were pretty unlucky not to get blades. They just needed that final bump on the last day which did not happen. The overall results were a total of 4 bumps up, and zero bumps down making them rise 6 places into division IV. An excellent performance. Crews bumped include St Peter’s II, Queen’s II, Wadham II, St Catz II, Worcester II and St John’s II.

Women’s Second Boat

Women’s 2nd rowed over on the first day, narrowly missing Corpus. On the second day, they bumped Pembroke and LMH II to bump into Division III. On Friday, they bumped Somerville. On the fourth day, a crash prevented them from catching Corpus. Though miffed at not getting blades, W2 is proud to have achieved the fixed divisions.

Men’s Third Boat

Bumped on every day! Bumped LMH III (after 10 strokes!) on the first day. The second day bumped Keble III. Third day was Magdalen III followed by Osler II as sandwich boat and the final day saw a bump on Regents Park just before the gut, thus taking Wolfson III into the fixed divisions – there are only 4 colleges with 3 VIIIs in the fixed divisions.

Women’s Third Boat

On the first day the women’s third eight overbumped on Christ Church, followed on the second day by bumping Lincoln. Day 3 saw a bump on Pembroke II (who were four boats ahead!) and day 4 saw a row over nearly catching Magdalen II who started 10 lengths ahead.

As a crew we had 90% the sprint speed of all other boats in the division but because of fitness had 150% the base speed in the rest of the course so although we were nearly caught off every start (esp on day 2 when we came off the start at 45 degrees and headed straight for the other bank so that Christ Church chasing had overlap on the other side of the river) we were never that worried. Special mention should be made of Kath Allen’s excellent abilities in the 2 seat. No crabs caught (a miracle). – Liz

Congratulations go to the women’s second eight – a mixture of Christ Church novices and our two associate members – who moved up five places and won blades in spectacular fashion. Having chased Regent’s Park (a crew with an identical qualifying time) on the first day only to overbump a weir-bound Hertford crew, Wolfson finally hit Regent’s (then the only other boat in the division still entertaining the prospect of blades) on the last day, thereby winning the first blades of torpids 1996 and denying Regent’s that honour. Success was surely due to Liz’s dragon hat, Kristina’s sunglasses and John’s unflappable start routine (although some say James’s coaching may have had something to do with it – not to mention Sabine’s land training and her preference for the straightforward focus word, ‘kill’).

The men’s third eight bumped up eight places in typical lazy fashion by entering the bottom division, thereby ensuring that they averaged fifteen strokes of racing a day. Their obvious superiority was spotted by Charles who advised the cox of the St Antony’s boat he’d been coaching to concede at the start gun. She did so allowing Wolfson ‘draw, draw, wind one and easy there!’. On another day, they bumped so soon off the start that the Lincoln crew which due to an inability to reach the start the previous day was chasing them, did not realise that Wolfson had bumped out and crossed the river at 90 degrees to the bank in order to slam into them. The poor Lincoln guys thought that they’d bumped only to find that their Portuguese Princess of a cox had goof ed again. No-one touches Wolfson schools eights.