success on the river!

Photo: Gareth Ardon Photography

Rowing looked a little different this year.  Instead of Summer Eights in 5th Week, the crews participated in Summer Torpids in 7th Week and, instead of crowds of spectators lining the banks, the races were live-streamed. 

The M1 achieved blades (bumping on every day) for the first time in Torpids in around 20 years. In addition, they moved up eight places, a record in 146 years of entering the competition, dating back to 1845. The M1 now sit on the cusp of Division 1, where the major rowing colleges reside.

The M2 crew were almost entirely new to this strange form of racing but have trained hard over the last two years despite the lack of rowing, owing to Covid and flooding. They produced a strong +3 in the lower divisions, and many will look forward to taking up the challenge in M1 next year.

The W1 held their position on the river despite some fast crews starting behind them and made a few fast bumps in the process. Over 20 women took part in rowing at Queen’s this term and a strong platform has been built for next year’s campaigns.

You can read the full reports here and we urge you to do so for this is not just sport, it's poetry.