The Easter holidays
gave ample opportunity for students to take a well-deserved break, spending time
studying and soaking up the rays in the unexpected good weather. However, for
the 44 boys from the Shiplake Boat Club, the arrival of the Easter break meant
a week-long trip in the South of France to perfect their rowing skills, just
ahead of the Regatta season. Accompanied by rowing coaches Mr Hugh
Mackworth-Pread, Mr Peter Muhley, Mr Adam Moffatt and Mr David Currie, the
Shiplake Boat Club set off to Temple Sur Lot, to enjoy rowing training in an
idyllic and practical location. A special mention must go to Headmaster Mr Gregg
Davies, who took it upon himself to fly out on the final day of the camp in
order to drive the fleet of boats back to the UK.
Despite the
picturesque setting, the week was far from a holiday. Long days meant hours of
hard training for the pupils, spending early mornings rowing amongst the mist on
the river, and not hanging up the oars until the sun had set. Evenings were
used to catch up on revision, ahead of the upcoming summer exams. Hard earned
downtime was spent relaxing as a club, building relationships and camaraderie
that can be used by the teams on the river.
Fantastic weather
graced the camp, with everyone picking up a tan to return home with as a
souvenir of the time spent in France. All boys rowed a combined distance of
more than 100km each over the course of the week, superbly representing the
College and the Club in behaviour and performance. The camp concluded with a
club race of over 2km, where all crews raced each other with staggered gaps, in
the hope that all boats would cross the finish line at the same time. This made
the race incredibly competitive for all crews, and was an invigorating way to
finish the week of tough training.
The camp was a brilliant
way to prepare for the forthcoming Regatta season, and all boys showed an
exemplary dedication to their training. Director of Rowing, Mr David Currie,
said of the event that he was ‘incredibly proud of the way the boys handled
themselves, committing to the early mornings and late evenings and giving it
their all. I’m really looking forward to seeing the results of the extra training
come Regatta season.’
To see more photos from the trip, please click here.