Chronicle April 2016

25 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Coach Daniel Topolski (who died last year) was always on the lookout for publicity and used his contacts in the BBC to persuade them to use our crew for a documentary on the Boat Race so, in the latter stages of trials and selection, cameras were around most days. As things got closer to the race, the rowing press were out in force - these days there are very few dedicated rowing journalists - and articles in what Mr Rowley calls the ‘serious press’, were regular and extensive. The other side was our 1979 appearance in the Daily Star’s first week of publication, clad only in waist- wrapped towels. While the attention from the press and former Blues was ever-present in the weeks leading up to the race, nothing could prepare us for the thousands lining the banks, the prospects of live TV around the world and, most memorable of all, the sound of the helicopter overhead watching our every move. How have things changed in the 40 years since your first race? Sponsorship has provided the greatest impetus to change, though technology has certainly altered the look of the crews and their boats: from wooden boats and Rugby Sevens By Jeremy Mather, Master i/c Sevens Rugby Sevens is all about enjoyment and player development – both of which have been achieved in 2016. The Rugby Sevens season commenced with the 1st VII squad hosting a tournament for five local schools on Upper 1, resulting in an impressive win against Radley and a thrilling draw against Marlborough. In the last week of term, the Yearlings, Colts, and 1st VII squads travelled to the National Schools Sevens – the world’s largest school rugby tournament. There were valiant performances from the Yearlings and Colts as they competed against such impressive teams as Dulwich College and Millfield. However, there was real success from the 1st VII squad which saw them progress to the second

Boat Race sinking which highlights another and more significant design change - that of increased boat buoyancy. As was seen so dramatically in the 2016 Women’s Boat Race, despite completely filling with water, the Cambridge women were able to continue to progress, albeit slowly, until reaching flatter water when their on-board pumps reduced the levels of water in the boat. I suspect that pumps are used only in the Boat Race but any crew, racing or training, can now go out secure in the knowledge that in a modern boat, they are unsinkable! How did your first race go? It was a special time to be joining the OUBC: a combination of a record heaviest crew with a good tide and tolerant wind (unlike the 2016 race) all helped the crew of 1976 to beat numerous records including the first crew over the four-and-a-quarter-mile course to go under 17 minutes with a winning margin of six lengths. The course record went in 1984 to a crew from which came, that year, a number of Olympians including my old schoolmate from Wallingford, Bill Lang. The only record still standing, though, is my own as the youngest Boat Race winner at the tender age of 18 years and 8 months. ( British International School, Lago s), and Dan Brady ( The Warriner ) – this was a squad that always had the potential to do well. The team were unbeaten in the group stages and progressed to the Bowl competition on day two. Victorious in their first three fixtures the team lost in the quarter-final to a powerful King’s School Macclesfield side who went on to win the tournament.

At the OUBC’s London base in Putney a week before the 1976 race

‘old-school’ symmetrically shaped oars to layers of Kevlar and carbon fibre in a polymer matrix – and Lycra is now de rigeur. As for the crew composition, the presence of overseas graduates was relatively small. In 1976 there was only one overseas (US) graduate amongst the rest of us British undergraduates. The 1978 race saw the last day of the competition for the first time in a number of years. With the Rugby intelligence of Angus Atkinson ( Dragon ) and Luke Valentine ( Cherwell ); the power of Jake Anderson ( The Warriner ), Freddie Boyce ( Ryde Academy ), Hugh Macer ( Dragon ), and Tanaka Chitsenga ( Dragon ); and the 11-second 100m speed of Dekoye Coker ( Summer Fields ), Brume Otubu

Celia Hodgson

Tom Mitchell, Captain of England Rugby Sevens, and teammate, Sam Egerton, led training sessions for a number of year groups in February