Michaelmas 2022 As the summer of racing drew to a close we looked ahead to the coming intake of novices who started arriving pre-term in September. Our taster sessions were a great success with 108 attendees including both men and women from Wolfson and St Cross. Our Novice A boat raced Nephthys Regatta where they were very narrowly knocked out by St Hilda’s novices who went on to win the event. A couple of weeks later we entered two Novice Women’s Eights in the Michaelmas Novice Regatta run by Linacre this year, named Adalwolf and Beowolf. Both crews won their first two races and then were knocked out in their third. Adalwolf won against Wadham and Linacre before losing to the eventual winners, St Anthonys. Beowulf won against Corpus Christi and Jesus College, before losing to Brasenose by half a length.

Our senior women spent Michaelmas training for Wallingford Head by going through the locks with City of Oxford women’s crews each weekend. Sadly Wallingford Head was cancelled due to extremely high stream before the 8+ got a chance to race, but the long miles of training certainly prepared them well for the coming term. We also started a coached weights program for seniors this term led by Gareth Ardon and Head women’s Coach Thomas Chapman, hosted in City of Oxford Rowing Club’s new gym. We saw huge improvements in strength and functional movement through these sessions, producing newfound power both on the water and on the ergs. Zhaoying Ma joined Anna Jones as Women’s Co-Captain after previous women’s captains stepped down.

Winter training and Quintin Head Over the Christmas vacation we continued to train and began to integrate the novices into the senior squad. We spent several weeks battle paddling matched 8+ crews of mixed novices and seniors, although this was briefly hampered by the river freezing as temperatures dropped to near minus ten celsius. Those not in Oxford kept up training off the water across the globe, including skiing, hiking, rock climbing and running.

As 2023 began, high rainfall led to rapid flow rates on the river and flooding. With the river on “red flag”, the captains rose to the challenge of finding somewhere for the women to train on the water and organised weekend outings at Dorney Lake, Upper Thames Rowing Club in Henley and Radley College’s Rowing Tank. These trips allowed us to continue our preparation for Quintin Head on the Tideway in London where we raced two matched 8+s, this time named Hati and Skoll after the Sun and Moon chasing wolves in Norse Mythology. Both crews were made up of half seniors, half novices and this was their first race on the Tideway for many of the women. Hati the Sun chasers won, with a time of 14:03 against Skoll who completed the course in 15:09.

After gathering insights from the Michaelmas battle paddling, 2k tests and Quintin Head our coaching team (Thomas Chapman, James Marsden and Philipp Schafer) have selected our Torpids crews and training is now focussed on Bumps preparation.

— Anna Jones, women’s captain

Our women’s 8+ boated from Quintin, and having quite some time to spare, had a relaxed warm-up upstream of Chiswick Bridge, before proceeding downstream to our marshalling area. In the warm-up, 7-seat had noticed an odd noise coming from that the gate of 6-seat rigger. Upon inspection it was found to be somewhat loose, but with no time to return to Quintin, 6-woman Serina Lyons made due with her hands, tightening the bottom nut as much as possible. Nothing else could be done in the moment but hope it would hold for the race.

Weather conditions were pleasant, with some light SSW wind. The first divisions rowed past and we moved into the spinning are upstream of Chiswick bridge, ready to race. Our start was low and controlled, as we built up to a race pace over some 10 strokes, crossing the start line at a clean rate 29. Our focus was on the technique, getting our timing and finishes together as a unit. Passing under the Barnes railway bridge, we switched the focus onto a more aggressive race with a power move on the legs. As we approached the Eyot we were noticeably gaining on the crew ahead of us, and were sitting in their wash. Another power move along the Eyot brought us within a canvas of the crew ahead of us, and the chase was on. We pushed onto an overlap with the crew ahead of us and slowly reeled them in, pressing past them seat by seat, really upping our own boat speed. However while we were making our move, the strong St. Andrew’s crew which had started in the position behind us were also making theirs. We held them off as long as we could in their attempt to overtake, adding to the boat speed with urgent calls from cox Daina Sadurska, but at last were finally overtaken shortly before Hammersmith Bridge.

As we passed beneath the Hammersmith Bridge, we could hear people cheering for us, and used that energy for another 3×10 power move off the bridge. This was the final stretch of the race, and the focus now was to keep working in synchronisation, lifting the boat together and pushing towards that finish line. Here the water got a bit more choppy, making that control and timing ever more so important. As we came around the final corner and I could see Putney Bridge, we knew less than a kilometre was left. Working as one, we made the final push through the pain towards the finish, using up every last bit of energy left in the last 500 metres, emptying the tanks completely as we crossed the finish line. The dodgy gate at 6-seat had held, and was still somehow miraculously intact.

Some light paddling followed, and then we had to spin and start the long row upriver, all the way back to Quintin. But would that be an uneventful, relaxing paddle back? Oh no. As we reached the point were we were supposed to cross from the Surrey to the Middlesex side across the racing line, we had recovered enough to cross at with a short high rate burst until… nothing quite like a massive crab at 3 seat, right in the middle of the racing line to spice up the crossing. But despite the panicked shouting from marshals and cox alike, all was well in the end. We got out of the way of any racing crews quickly enough, but the excitement was not over. The dodgy gate at 6-seat finally gave up the goose and disintegrated, losing its bottom nut and washers somewhere just before Barnes Bridge and leaving us limping around the last corner rowing in fours.

At the end of the day, great is the race where all the crazy stuff happens *after* the finish line, and not before it.

The 27th of January marked the date of the Wolfson women’s first competitive race of 2018. Though there was much excitement in the lead up to their annual trip to the London Tideway, training was inhibited by the rainy English weather, which quickly raised the Isis river levels to Red Flag conditions with only one outing under the crew’s belt. Undeterred, the she-wolves set off on Saturday morning to take on Quintin Head.

The course was to be raced with the ebb tide, beginning alongside Chiswick Bridge, in the Filippi eight, Cliff, christened in the spring of last year. Though meant to be a 4.8k race, the crew were informed on the water that wind conditions had led the Senior Umpires to shorten the course to 4.2k, placing the finish just before Hammersmith Bridge. After a long hour and a half wait in the marshalling queue, battling the stream and the rising winds, it came as a welcome relief to finnally hear the call to de-kit and prepare to race.

The start was marked just past the shelter of the Chiswick Bridge, and as the crew wound up to being racing, they were immediately forced to battle a side-wind that had rapidly built up during the final few minutes of marshalling. Despite this, the Wolfson crew maintained power and quickly passed the Globe RC crew, which had started ahead of them, within the first 500 metres of the race. However, while our women raced on to pass Globe RC, the Putney Town crew which had started behind them were simultaneously gaining, ultimately forcing Wolfson to concede the fastest stream in order to let them past. Despite this, our crew did not make it an easy row-past for them, and the two boats were still side-by-side as they passed under Barnes rail bridge.

As the crew rounded the corner they were met with a tail-wind, and cox Gwilym shifted the focus to technical and clean rowing to keep up the pace. The following long straight was covered at a strong rate 28, keeping hot on the heels of Putney Town, who sat only a length ahead for most of this stretch. In the final third of the race, Gwilym called for a push and the crew responded instantly, gaining on the Auriol Kensington crew ahead and passing them in the final 500m.

Given the shortened course, the finish came abruptly and the crew was called down just under Hammersmith Bridge, having crossed the finish with a time of 12 minutes 15.4 seconds. This placed the Wolfson women 11th of 24 racing crews in the W.IM3 category, and pushed them into 161st position, a marked rise from their starting position of 198. Overall, an excellent showing by the only attending Oxford college women’s crew, and a solid performance by a crew which had little preparation and several members brand new to the London Tideway.

The past few months have been busy for the senior rowers of Wolfson College Boat Club. After a greatly successful bumps campaign in Summer VIIIs, the wolves kept their noses to the ground and blades to the water through the (sometimes) sunny weather of another English summer. The women were the first to represent WCBC outside of Oxford this summer, sending two crews to Reading Town Regatta in late June, with the men then entering multiple crews in to Kingston Amateur Regatta two weeks after. All crews performed admirably, but none came away with pots nor points…. yet. Henley Town and Visitors Regatta was to change that, when the Wolfson women’s coxed four smashed through the competition in the three-lane, side by side, knockout regatta to take an overall win (and bring home some highly-coveted silverware).

Left: Winners of Henley T&V W.IM3 4+ (stroke) Sophie Diarra, (3) Georgie Bowyer, (2) Jessica Dunham, (bow) Bronwen Hudson, (cox) Sophie Schauman. Right: The sweet taste of victory (left to right) Bronwen Hudson, Jessica Dunham, Georgie Bowyer. (Photo Credits: Laura Depner and Bronwen Hudson)

Meanwhile, over the course of the same weekend, the groundbreaking women’s coastal coxed quad was on its way south to Dorset for the first ever British Offshore Rowing Championships. Never before had Britain hosted such an event: a full 4km to 6km race (heats versus finals) with a beach start and finish, requiring the rental of a special coastal boat. But our wolves were up to the challenge, even transporting their sculling blades by bus, train, and taxi, all the way down to their final destination of Sandybanks Beach, where they attended an additional set of training courses the day before the race was to begin. It was worth it in the end: one of the only college crews to enter, they still came 5th out of 6 women’s coxed quads overall (of all levels), and were crowned with the prestige of partaking in an inaugural international-level event.

Left: Practice and preparation surveying the Offshore boat the day before the race (left to right) Sofia Hauck, Natasha Bowyer, Stef Zekoll. Right: The full Offshore crew (left to right) Sofia Hauck, Stef Zekoll, (cox) Daina Šadurska, Natasha Bowyer, Sharlayne Waller. (Photo Credits: Daina Šadurska and Natasha Bowyer/Adrian Mathers)

Wolfson’s next entries of the summer were to be at Maidenhead Regatta in Berkshire, where five competitive sculling crews (a coxed quad, two single sculls, and two double sculls) took to the water meaning serious business. Four of the five entered crews made the finals, with three ultimately coming away victorious as overall winners in their divisions (see summary below for full crew details).

Back on our home stretch of river, Oxford City Royal Regatta and the Oxford City Sprint were waiting, and WCBC was ready. Twelve entries heralded the wolves’ mighty presence for the two days of side-by-side racing, but only two came home with the win and the silverware: our lightning-quick senior men’s sprint 8+ and the unyielding senior women’s coxed quad.

Left: Winners of the IM3.8+ Oxford City Sprint (left to right) Josh Combs, Sabin Sulzer, Nawamin Pinpathomrat, Chris Vaas, Lucian Purvis, Christian Cöster, Jasper Barth, Sofia Hauck, and Phil Schäfer. Right: Oxford City Royal Regatta NOV.4+ crew (left to right) Rik van der Veen, Sabin Sulzer, Nawamin Pinpathomrat, Andrew Balin, (cox) Gwilym Jones. (Photo Credits: Nawamin Pinpathomrat)

The next month would bring the Isis Sculls to Oxford, and with it, numerous medals and pennants for our fabulous small boats competitors. Five categories were entered for the 1850 meter Head Race, with Stef Zekoll taking second in the Intermediate Single Scull category, and wins being taken in the Women’s Novice Single (W.Nov.1x), Men’s Intermediate Double (IM3.2x), and of course, the now-club-favored Coxed Quad (W.IM3.4x) events. Small boats would again finish out the summer season with a mixed-double, double entry into Milton Keynes RC Regatta.

Wolfson shows off on its own home turf at the 2017 Isis Sculls, bringing home wins in 3 of its 5 entered categories. Picture above (left to right) are winners of the IM3.2x category, Chris Vaas and Phil Schäfer, winner of the W.NOV.1x category, Sophie Schauman, and cox of the winning W.IM3.4x+, Allison Bryan. (Photo Credits: Chris Vaas)

In addition to club activities, two of our number, past and current presidents Jessica Dunham and Laura Depner, joined in with the Oxford University Women’s Development Squad this summer, racing alongside members of six other colleges to represent Oxford in the 30th annual Henley Women’s Regatta in June, and ultimately making it to the quarter-finals on the Saturday of racing. Laura is now trialling full-time with the OUWBC squad along with fellow WCBC members Abigail Killen, Sophie Schauman, and Rachel Anderson. Trialling with the lightweight women this year are Ellie Watts (President, OUWLRC) and Jill Betts (Assistant Coach, OUWLRC), and for the open-weight men (OUBC), Christian Cöster and Josh Combs. We wish all of our triallists the best of luck in the coming months!

SUMMARY OF EVENTS RACED SUMMER 2017

Reading Town Regatta 24 June 2017
o W.NOV.2x Laura Depner and Stefanie Zekoll
o W.IM3.8+ (cox) Laura Depner, Georgie Bowyer, Philippa Hammond, Stefanie Zekoll, Bronwen Hudson, Sofia Hauck, Verena Wiedemann, Sophie Diarra, Sophi Schauman

Kingston Amateur Regatta 08 July 2017
o IM3 4+ (cox) Allison Bryan, Jasper Barth, Keir Bowater, Kevin Schlegel, Chris Vaas
o W.NOV2x Laura Depner and Stefanie Zekoll
o NOV 4+ (cox) Sophie Schauman, Bill Mulligan, Klaus Weichinger, Sabin Sulzer, Leo Wossnig
o IM3.1x Kevin Schlegel

Henley Town and Visitors 29 July 2017
o W.IM3.4+ [WON] (cox) Sophie Schauman, Sophie Diarra, Jessica Dunham, Bronwen Hudson, Georgie Bowyer
o W.NOV.1x Laura Depner
o IM3.1x Kevin Schlegel
o Mx.IM3.2x Sophie Schauman and Kevin Schlegel

British Rowing Offshore Championships 30 July 2017
o WC4x+ (cox) Daina Šadurska, Sofia Hauck, Stefanie Zekoll, Sharlayne Waller, Natasha Bowyer

Maidenhead Regatta 05 August 2017
o W.NOV.4x+ [WON] (cox) Jessica Buck, Jill Betts, Laura Depner, Abigail Killen, Stefanie Zekoll
o IM3.1x [WON] Phil Schäfer
o NOV.2x [WON] Laura Depner and Phil Schäfer
o Mx.IM3.2x [FINALS] Kevin Schlegel and Sophie Schauman
o IM3.1x Kevin Schlegel

Oxford City Royal Regatta 19 August 2017
o NOV.4+ (cox) Gwilym Jones, Andrew Balin, Rik van der Veen, Sabin Sulzer, Nawamin Pinpathomrat
o IM2.4+ (cox) Kirstin Anderson, Lucian Purvis, Chris Vaas, Philipp Becker, Jasper Barth
o W.IM3.4+ [FINALS] (cox) Sophie Schauman, Sofia Hauck, Estelle Beguin, Kirstin Anderson, Daina Šadurska
o Mx.IM3.2x Depner and Schafer
o Mx.NOV.2x Schlegel and Schauman
o IM3.1x Phil Schäfer
o NOV.1x Kevin Schlegel

Oxford City Sprint 20 August 2017
o W.IM3.4x+ [WON] (cox) Anna Corderoy, Jill Betts, Laura Depner, Abigail Killen, Hannah Patel
o IM3.8+ [WON] (cox) Sofia Hauck, Lucian Purvis, Chris Vaas, Christian Cöster, Josh Combs, Sabin Sulzer, Nawamin Pinpathomrat
o NOV.1x Kevin Schlegel
o IM3.1x Phil Schäfer
o Mx.NOV.2x Kevin Schlegel and Sophie Schauman

Isis Sculls 16 September 2017
o W.IM3.4x+ [WON] (cox) Allison Bryan, Stefanie Zekoll, Sharlayne Waller, Daina Šadurska, Sophie Schauman
o W.NOV.1x [WON] Sophie Schauman
o IM3.2x [WON] Phil Schäfer and Chris Vaas
o W.IM3.1x [Second] Stefanie Zekoll
o IM3.1x Phil Schäfer

Milton Keynes RC Regatta 23 September 2017
o NOV.2x Sophie Schauman and Kevin Schlegel
o Mx.NOV.2x Sophie Schauman and Kevin Schlegel

Women’s Second Boat

By Bronwen Hudson

It was under remarkably clear and sunny conditions that Wolfson’s W2 crew raced WeHORR 2017. Novices and seniors alike were impressed with the skies and planned to use them to our full advantage. Those of us who had never raced more than the length of the Isis before were excited to try our strength our in a more endurance-based task; we were also thrilled to be out on such a wide body of water, and in the company of inspirational women out on the water. Our boat boasted a contingent of Blade-winning Torpids W2 women — Philippa Hammond, Jessica Hoff, Sophie Diarra, and Bronwen Hudson — some of our strongest and most inspiring W3 women — Natasha Bowyer, Anna Pitt, and Ellie Kavanagh — and W1’s Torpids cox and Wolfson’s pride, Sophia Hauck. We were coxed by a new addition to the Wolfson W2 crew, James Marsden, a motivating voice and veteran tideway cox.

W2 began our tideway experience with a strong push off from Quintin Boat Club, rowing up against the stream we warmed up rapidly with the sunlight on our backs. We positioned ourselves for the division starting at 98, a strong place for a B crew to begin, thanks to last year’s women. Our race began with steady acceleration, bringing our rate up to 30 as we crossed the start line and began to push off Chiswick Bridge. The first three kilometres seemed to fly by in a rush of adrenaline, but we retained our attention and pushed off the boats following us. As the railway bridge faded from sight it became clear that the crew chasing us was strong; our determination to keep them at bay mounted and we dug in to our strength as Hammersmith Bridge approached from behind. James was spectacularly unrelenting and kept an eye on the crew behind us, calling for us to push off them. As we passed under Hammersmith bridge we were feeling the lactic acid, but the crew chasing had gained just enough for us to feel angry about it. With five kilometres under our belts the race really began, and the final two kilometres were our chance to prove our mettle as a crew. The shadow of Hammersmith Bridge leaned over us briefly but we pushed away from it, ready to sprint to the end, past the boat houses and on to Putney Bridge. What was so close seemed far to our muscles, and the boat felt heavier than it had for the first 5km. Yet still we kept the crew behind us at bay, despite some discouraging remarks from a Marshall for us to let them overtake; James called out in response a reviving, “If they can catch us, Marshall, if they can catch us!” and invigorated by his words, we lifted the boat up even faster. At this point we realized that we were not only threatened by one chasing crew but two; out of the rankings another boat was rapidly gaining, so that by kilometre six, we were pursued by a boat on either side. With our peripheral vision full of competition, we reached deeper and deeper into our reserves, and crossed under Putney bridge just off both crews, never letting an overtake occur. It was a strong race for W2, and finishing with a race time of 21:23, we were proud to have competed so well with essentially a scratch crew, and grateful to have the powerful voice of James, our cox. After an exhausting but steady paddle back to Quintin we indulged in a well-deserve pint at the boat house. Next year we hope to rise in the rankings and prove again that Wolfson women, though we train on the Isis, can hold our own on the tideway.

Line-up: Anna Pitt (bow), Ellie Kavanagh (2), Bronwen Hudson (3), Natasha Bowyer (4), Sofia Hauck (5), Sophie Diarra (6), Jessica Hoff (7), Philippa Hammond (stroke), James Marsden (cox)

Women’s First Boat

By Sophie Schauman

Wolfson’s W1 crew crossed the startline by Chiswick Bridge with Cantabrigan B more than 4 lengths ahead and UCL A about the same distance behind us. The crew knew they were up for a long and hard race and settled in for a steady rate 30-31 with focus on finding a strong rythm and keeping UCL away. As the crew came through Barnes Bridge the water got quite choppy, but the crew did not let that bother them, they maintained rate and power all the way up and around the bend, past the Eyot, and then headed for Hammersmith Bridge. Still with plenty of space to both Cantabrigan ahead and UCL behind Wolfson stepped it up as cheers from familiar voices reached them from the bridge. After the bridge the crew stepped up the power and started their sprint to the finish. They saw UCL disappear into the distance and that spurred them on even more. The last 2k to Putney and the finish line was not the prettiest rowing seen by man, but there was strength and dedication behind each stroke. Overall, a strong race from W1 finishing with a time of 20 min 25.1 sec.

Georgie Bowyer (bow), Laura Depner (2), Estelle Beguin (3), Bernadette Stolz-Pretzer (4), Lauren Kedar (5), Stef Zekoll (6), Jess Dunham (7), Charlotte Diffey (stroke), Sophie Schauman (cox)

Bleary-eyed, too early on a Saturday morning, a small group of Wolfson women assembled and travelled down to London, for Quintin Head, a popular ~4.8km race on the Tideway, from Hammersmith Bridge to Chiswick Bridge. After a friendly reception at Quintin BC, a small incident involving a rigger, and a pep talk by our supporter-on-the-ground Zoe “Monster” Goodwin, we boated. We began our long paddle up to the start line, using the opportunity to get used to a relativley new crew line-up.

As we approached the marshalling area, it became very apparent that the tide had turned. Boats were being pushed around and it was a struggle to keep out of the carnage that surrounded us. Luckily our cox Sophie had learned to row and cox on the Tideway and kept a calm head while boats around us were seemingly trying their absolute best to plough into us (special shout-out for crew 124, who managed to crash into pretty much every single boat within a visible radius).

At last our division was ordered to turn and we began to spin towards the start line, but not before a rather panicked looking J16 crew sped past, apparently having missed their spot in the race by around 30 crews. We took it off at a strong, steady paddle and brought the power and rate up, to cross the start line at our racing speed. Due to an abundance of BR points in the boat, we were racing in the IM2 division, and therefore we knew that the competition was going to be tough, and that we would have to race surrounded by strong, fast crews.

As we came under Hammersmith Bridge, Sophie called for us to “stride out” and we pressed down into a strong, lively rhythm that we would sustain for the majority of the race. We had a speedy Cantabridgian crew behind us, and a CORC (City of Oxford Rowing Club) crew in front. As the Cantabs inched closer to us, our pushes off them brought us closer and closer to CORC. We spent the majority of the middle of the race, in an exciting “pack” of boats. Our crew was pushed on, both by the chance to overtake the crew ahead, and also to give the crew behind us as much of a hard job of getting past us as possible.

One of the best things about racing on the Tideway is that when you are with the tide, you feel like you are flying. A good cox can make a great deal of difference, especially on this stretch, as there is a delicate balance between taking the shortest route through the course, and not coming out of the “escalator” – where you are carried by the strongest, fastest part of the stream. Sophie’s smart line, and the determination from the crew meant that we managed to hang on to the Cantabs, as we both pushed past CORC, just as we came to Chiswick Bridge. We came under the bridge, to the cheers of our supporters who had set up camp there. This now marked our sprint for the finish. We were still within touching distance of the Cantabs at this point and we took the rate up for what would be the last few-hundred meters of the race. Our crew gave it everything, although the Cantabs did eventually pull away from us, we flew across the finish line to earn ourselves a very respectable 5th place in the Women’s IM2 division.

Line-up: Sophie Schauman (cox), Charlotte Diffey (stroke), Jess Dunham (7), Laura Depner (6), Stef Zekoll (5), Alex Isard (4), Tabitha Serle (3), Phillippa Hammond (2), Georgie Bowyer (bow)

With so many keen rowers in this year’s senior squads, Wolfson decided to end a long term of intense training with a fun day out racing at one of the most popular pre-Christmas head races of the year –- Wallingford Head, held in early December over a stretch of 4250m from Moulsford Railway Bridge to the OUBC boathouse at Wallingford Marina.

It was a beautiful winter day. Clear skies but very frosty with temperatures around zero degrees in the early morning. As the event had a total of two divisions, Wolfson decided to make the most of the day and enter two W.IM3.4+ into the morning division, then combine both boats to form a W.IM3.8+ for the afternoon division as well as enter a separate boat for the IM3 8+ category.

Division 1 W.IM3.4+ “WOO – Hammond” crew

Although it was a crisp December morning, we were very lucky to have the sun out for most of the day — it definitely helped calm our nerves as we marshalled for our first race. For a couple of members of the crew, racing a 4+ down a five-kilometre course was a new and slightly daunting experience, but we got stuck right into it with the women from Exeter University chasing us, and our other Wolfson 4+ setting off a few boats after us. After a slightly shaky start we settled into the race and pushed our way down the winding course. Although Exeter caught us in the S-bends, we put up a strong fight to keep chasing them, and finished 6th in our division with a time of 20:30.4.

Line-up: Kirstin Anderson (cox), Philippa Hammond (stroke), Jessica Dunham (3), Ellie Kavanagh (2), Tabitha Serle (bow)

Division 1 W.IM3.4+ “WOO – Zekoll” crew

The W.IM3.4+ crew racing in ‘Hermione’ started off as 138th in the division not too far behind the other Wolfson four (132nd). Once past the start, the crew quickly settled into a strong and steady rhythm. The four slowly started to gain on the crews in front of them as it pushed off the first bridge, leaving the other competing W.IM3.4+ crews behind them. After 1km into the race, full focus was set on the crews in front. The Wolfson four rapidly gained on University College (Univ), which started two positions ahead of them. It is in the S-bend (1.5km into the race) that the Wolfson four really gained on Univ with every stroke. Having to shout at Univ to give way whilst at the same time keeping a good line through this crucial bit of the stretch, Wolfson confidently overtook the struggling Univ crew in the bend and pushed off of them along the Brooke’s straight. Once past the by-pass bridge onto the finish straight, the Wolfson four was again gaining on another crew, this time Corpus Christi College. With some excellent calls from Sophie and pushes on the legs, the four kept up the strong game and managed to overtake Corpus Christi on the last kilometre before winding it to the finish. Overall, the W.IM3.4+ Hermione crew came 3rd out of 10 crews in its category.

Line-up: Sophie Schauman (cox), Stefanie Zekoll (stroke), Georgie Bowyer (3), Laura Depner (2), Estelle Beguin (bow)

Both women’s fours: WOO-Hammond in front and WOO-Zekoll behind

Division 2 W.IM3.8+ “WOO – Hammond” crew

After two IM3 W4+ races in division 1, the crews merged to make one IM3 W8+ boat for one more race in division 2 and close off Wallingford Head of the River 2016. The W8+ crew had a strong performance over the 4.5 km course, overtaking Oriel College (Oxford) half-way and chasing down Exeter University through the finish line. Final results placed Wolfson’s IM3 W8+ crew in 6/16 crews.

Line-up: Sophie Schauman (cox), Philippa Hammond (stroke), Estelle Beguin (7), Stefanie Zekoll (6), Jessica Dunham (5), Ellie Kavanagh (4), Tabitha Serle (3), Laura Depner (2), Georgie Bowyer (bow). Photo: Estelle Beguin

Division 2 IM3 8+ “WOO – Vaas” crew

The Wolfson men got a bit of a lie in on the morning of Wallingford Head, racing in the second division we only needed to leave Oxford at 10am. Arriving in Wallingford around 11am, rigging started straight away in the very cold but wonderfully sunny weather. After a solid paddle to the marshalling area we were ready to take on the crews around us, chasing St Pauls School followed by St Johns College Oxford and a Brookes crew just a few boats behind us. We had a strong start and quickly settled onto rate 32 which was held comfortably throughout the race. Easily walking away from St Johns, we hit the S-bends at around 1000m holding a good rhythm. The rudder came on, everyone sat up and we cruised through coming onto the straight with 3km to go holding rate 32. St Pauls had moved away and St Johns were now too far behind to push off so everyone really dug deep here to keep the pressure on. After a few choppy sections along the Brookes straight we had a reset on the finishes and we came under the bridge with 1000m to go, ready to empty the tanks. We had a great sprint to the finish as we came past OUBC boathouse, crossing the line strong having put every drop of energy into the boat! We finished 9th in IM3 8+, 21st in Division 2 and 37th overall with a time of 15:36.9 over the course.

Line-up: Kevin Schegel (bow), Eric Hoff (2), Guiseppe Ughi (3), Philipp Schafer (4), Josh Combs (5), Christian Coster (6), Jasper Barth (7), Chris Vaas (stroke), Kirstin Anderson (cox)

The day of Fours’ Head did not start great. It was bucketing rain, cold and miserable. For those who have not raced any of the big Tideway head races, they involve an infamous long wait on the water as hundreds of boats marshal up towards the start line and with only one boat being set off at a time, it can take hours to race. We arrived in London wrapped up warm for the cold, only to find that the rain had all but stopped and it was actually rather warm.

Although only one crew from Wolfson was entered, there were nonetheless lots of proud wolves around on the day, rowing and coxing also with CORC and various Blues squads. Our athletes successfully racing in crews outside the college system is testament to the hard work that our hard working leaders have been putting in over the years to build the Club’s success. Wolfson entered a four in the Women’s IM2 category, since most colleges race at IM3 level we felt like we were stepping up to take a look at the big dogs. It is a long race with tough competitors, potentially harsh river conditions and a long long way to go from Chiswick to Putney. Fours’ Head is raced with the ebb tide, meaning that the boats will race on the water as it moves back towards the sea. Coupled with the stream of the river, this makes for fast and exciting racing as the coxes and steering rowers fight other crews for a spot on the fabled ‘magical escalator’ (the part of the river where the advantage from moving water is greatest).

Ëlo Luik (Stroke) Jessica Dunham (3) Laura Depner (2) Estelle Beguin (Bow) Harriet Noons (Cox)

Our guest cox, Harriet, did her best to keep us focused and moving with all the circus around us. We got up to speed early and kept a solid rhythm over the course. Despite rating low, we nonetheless managed to overtake several crews and keep the pace consistent. We were admittedly a bit worn out by the time we came to our last push (I am pretty sure someone from bow pair at one point yelled ‘how much longeeeeer?!!?) but it was all empty tanks across the line. As we came down to a paddle under Putney bridge I remember thinking a) thank god it’s over b) I can’t believe we pulled this off. We had never practiced together as a full crew and some of us were… ahem… a bit rusty. But we came together to turn it into a really fun race finishing in the middle of our IM2 category, beating entries from much bigger and better prepared clubs.

The row back is widely known as the hardest part of these head races. Crews are tired, hungry, thirsty and moving against the stream. This is also prime time for mulling over the race and finding faults in anyone other than oneself. At one point coming past the Eyot, the silence of our steady paddle was interrupted with Laura’s desperate call: ‘I cannot remember a time I wasn’t rowing!’ It was a long day of rowing. Once back on dry land, we could hardly wait to have the boat trailered and get our finest trackie bottoms on to head for the local pub. A few pints and a plate of Barnes Bridge’s local ‘Dirty Fries’ (exactly as awesome as they sound) felt well earned and much appreciated. How we managed to resist curling up for a crew nap right there in the pub I still don’t know. Guess we knew we had to make it back for WCBC’s annual screening of the Boat Race epic True Blue. As our Uber made its way towards the train station along the turns of the Tideway, it suddenly of course looked like perfect flat rowing weather. We left the Tideway tired, happy and full of confidence for the racing season ahead.

Whilst most university students were nursing their Halloween party hangovers from the night before, Wolfson ladies – clad in their signature floral leggings – were raring and ready to take on the journey to Henley-On-Thames for the Upper Thames Autumn Head. A rail replacement bus, an almost missed train and several line changes later, we finally made it to Henley with time to spare! We promptly got Fillipi on the water at 10am in time for our first race of the day: the Women’s IM3 8+. It was only when we arrived at the start line that we realised how exhausting rowing 3 kilometres at pace could be, however, adrenaline drove us through the finish line at a rate of 31 strokes per minute. This earned us a respectable time of 11:28 despite having to move into the stream to let two coxless 4’s come past! Refuelled with sugar and caffeine, we set off in the afternoon for our IM2 8+ race. A slight change in crew members did not stop us from aiming to beat our time from the first race. We got off to a good start and even overtook some crews that were ahead of us. Encouragement from the cox and our screaming fans on the bank gave us the final burst of energy which allowed us to beat our initial time by 8 seconds. Our final time was 11:20 and placed us within the top third out of 144 boats.

In the mean time, Laura, one of our stroke-siders from the first race of the day bravely took on the challenge of competing in a mixed double scull with Philipp Schafer. The pair were making excellent time until a collision with the bank resulted in a capsize at the finish line, though this was a disappointing end, by and large their race went swimmingly…

Overall UTAH was a fantastic day leaving us all feeling accomplished and hungry for more!

IM3 8+
Kirstin Anderson (Cox) Sofia Hauck (Stroke) Jessica Dunham (7) Laura Depner (6) Zoe Goodwin (5) Ellie Kavanagh (4) Philippa Hammond (3) Daina Sadurska (2) Estelle Beguin (Bow)

IM2 8+
Joe Hitchen (Cox) Sofia Hauck (Stroke) Jessica Dunham (7) Sophie Diarra (6) Zoe Goodwin (5) Ellie Kavanagh (4) Philippa Hammond (3) Daina Sadurska (2) Estelle Beguin (Bow)

2x
Laura Depner (stroke) Phil Schafer (bow)

A warm Saturday afternoon in late July saw a small contingent of Wolfson women and their cox travelling down to Henley for the annual Henley Town and Visitors’ Regatta. Familiar to our members as the site of our annual spring training camp, it was odd for us to visit Henley in the warmth of a fine summer’s day. Henley Town and Visitors Regatta is the last 800m section of the Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames just downstream of iconic Henley Bridge. Due to time commitments Wolfson just entered a novice IV+, with one rower also featuring in a Lincoln-Linacre-Wolfson composite IM2+ VIII earlier in the day.

In the late morning one of this year’s Wolfson novices, Laura Depner, competed in an experienced Lincoln-Linacre-Wolfson composite VIII; first in the semi-finals they were against a crew familiar from the Isis, City of Oxford RC. Winning by several lengths, despite some confusion over the location of the finish line, the Lincoln-Linacre-Wolfson composite progressed to face NoneSuch BC (Bristol University BC alumni); in a tense final the composite pulled away relentlessly and crossed the line 1.5 lengths ahead to win some fine pots and the first ever BR point for Laura.

At 16:30 a nervous Wolfson IV+, racing in Hermione, faced a junior crew from the Royal Air Force. Lighter per woman, the RAF had a fast start and pulled away by half a length within the first few strokes. However, exhorted by their cox Wolfson after hitting their stride started to quickly gain on the RAF crew and moved into the lead. Despite a fight back from the RAF crew and two minor crabs from Wolfson, the Wolfson crew managed the win by ½ length.

Photo: Jess Depner

Two hours later in the golden sunshine of the early evening Wolfson were up against another crew familiar from the Isis, Oxford Academicals, competing in an even more familiar shell, former Wolfson IV+ Bernard Henry. Wolfson started the race in a far more relaxed mood than in the semi-finals and consequently flew out of the blocks. With a roar from their cox Wolfson hit their racing cruise and pushed off the Academicals storming into a strong lead. In the final 200m of the course to the cheers from the bank Wolfson continued to push off the Academicals to win by a 5 length lead at the finish line.

So a successful day for our women – all now no-longer novices and the proud owners of some very fine tankards.

Photo: Jess Depner

W IM3 4+ Crew in Hermione: Stefanie Zekoll (Stroke), Theresa Zekoll (3), Laura Depner (2), Zoë Goodwin (Bow), Niclas Palmius (Cox)

W IM2 8+ Crew Lincoln-Linacre-Wolfson composite: Jessica Phillips (Stroke), Leah Rand (7), Gemma Clucas (6), Hannah Patel (5), Laura Depner (4), Annina Grädel (3), Gemma Adams (2), Beth Watts (Bow), Hannah Mosley (Cox)