St Edward's Rhubarb Issue 5

48 ST EDWARD’S r h u b a r b

Rowing:The Other Side of the Pond

Albert Mitchell (A, 2010-2015) - Interview with John Wiggins, Hon. Sec. to the Society, and former Master of Boats

When did you decide and what influenced your decision to attend university in the US? The first time I really thought of the US as an option for university was when Toby Smith (F, 1995-2000) of the victorious 1999 crew came and visited. (Toby was already ill when he visited the VIII and died from cancer in July 2015. His obituary can be found on page 38). I remember sitting round Mrs Innes’s garden table under the canopy in the sun and seeing for the first time that ‘little red box’ (the medal that Toby won as part of the VIII in 1999) which just means everything. He said to us, “this little red box got me my scholarship to Berkeley”. The concept of being recruited by a university to row had not even occurred to me and instantly I was hooked on the idea. At the time I was 16, and had just completed my GCSEs, yet people were already asking me what university I was aiming for. It seemed far easier to apply to an institution and build my degree as I went along. What were your expectations? Is it very different from boarding school? In truth I didn’t really come in with any preconceptions but I was quite surprised how similar it is to boarding school. As a “Freshman” you are put into a dorm building which comprises solely of other Freshmen (and “Fresh-women”) and one Upperclassman

I made so many memories. I think of Jonny, a man who I am truly privileged to have met. In the winter of 2013, we had just finished training in the old pavilion and he said: “Well, I have decided that this is the VIII which I want to race for this season, so you can relax and stop looking over your shoulder.” Then he turned to Sam Gillingham and me and said: “Congratulations, you made the VIII, the hard work has just begun”. The last thing he said to me as my coach was “It’s been a journey, now go to America and win some races!” I cried. The three years between these two statements contain many moments which built and defined me. How does the Boat Club at Dartmouth compare? The combined roster of the Women’s, Men’s lightweight, and Men’s heavyweight is in the region of around 120 people. There is no predictable schedule and the river at Dartmouth is around 30km long. On several occasions, we have gone to the top and back. However we could just as easily be doing sprint pieces on the 2km race course; the rowers are at the mercy of the coach’s whim. The purpose of this secretive way of doing things is very simple. As coach Allen puts it: “When you come down here on a Tuesday afternoon you should be ready to put yourself in pain, don’t expect it not to hurt.”

supervisor on every floor. My roommate and I share a broom-closet in comparison to some of the rooms my teammates have. However, whilst I complain I have a significant advantage over many of the American students who have never been to boarding school and have never experienced the pleasures of sharing a room the size of my old room, Don Bradman, in Cowell’s. Is there a typical day or week? There are two timings for classes; the first is Monday, Wednesday and Friday for an hour, the second is Tuesdays and Thursdays for two hours. There are various constraints on your time, because you want to be able to train with your whole team, and the concept of a social life is close to non-existent in the spring term. Fortunately, it is the winter term right now, so I’m making up for it! You had a high quality rowing experience while atTeddies – what were your proudest and most memorable moments? I am very fond of the National Schools Bronze of 2012 and the Silver of 2013. However, above all I think of my blazer, in my closet at home. Occasionally, I will unzip its bag, reach inside and touch the furry blue carpet with the golden embroidery and think of the young men, the brothers with whom

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