Sunday, 9 June 2013

Queens 'Boat Race'

UCC VIII warming-up on Ormeau bend
Yesterday afternoon a UCC VIII raced Queens on the Lagan in Belfast over 2000m. The crew was:
Bow: John Griffin
2: Ian Kerins
3: Seán O'Sullivan
4: Mike Kennedy
5: Paul Ryan
6: Paraic O'Connell (Captain)
7: Kevin Synnott
Stroke: David O'Leary
Cox: Daniel O'Callaghan

Our first senior match race since I have been at the College. The race itself was just one of many objectives for the weekend which started on Friday morning with the 5 hour journey up from Cork.
Friday morning started with Kevin Synnott (the new Paul Ryan) managing to wait for 5 minutes in the wrong place ensuring himself the worst seat - the one next to me- for the entire journey. Bus, Boat, coach and rowers arrived in good time for a walk of the course followed by brief paddle- Queens very kindly made a launch available. The course on the Lagan can best be described as bendy. The first major bend favours the boat on the Down station and the second major bend the boat on the Antrim station. There are other bends too...
A morning paddle gave Daniel another opportunity to steer the course then it was back to the hostel to keep out of the Sun- not a sentence usually required when describing activity at an Irish regatta..
The race day consisted of J16 boys, J18 boys and girls, Fresher men and women and Senior men and women. Our's was the final race of the day at 5pm giving the lads a great opportunity to learn how to handle sitting about all day.
Padraic O'Connell was unanimously voted by the crew as Captain and called a winning toss. He was delighted not to be asked to say anything other than 'Antrim'.

Paraic insists on his carpet being cleaned by only the well dressed

And dominates the handshake
At 4:20pm, the crew boated and went through their warm-up, initially above King's Bridge followed by paddling to the start. The race was started on time at 5pm. Neither crew got a particularly strong start and as they headed into the 'Down' bend Queens had less than a canvas advantage. Around the first bend Queens drew out to clear water and threatened to kill off the race but as the course straightened out UCC first held Queen's move and then drew back to have slight overlap. Going around the Ormeau bend UCC really started to move taking seat after seat to be at half a length off the lead shooting the Ormeau Bridge. Queens responded well though to push out again and won a good race by a length. 
The result was not the desired outcome but the numerous lessons learned going into the last 5 weeks of the season are vitally important. This event has provided the squad with a fantastic challenge that the crew has risen to very well. A mixture of novices and intermediate rowers with very little experience of this kind of event managed themselves professionally at all times. I was extremely proud to see them going about their business. On a course of this nature the quality of the cox is critical and Daniel, in his eighth month in the sport demonstrated a control and calmness that makes it very easy to think he has been doing this for years.
Following racing the crew took the opportunity to unwind in style, knowing that on Tuesday the first of two camps begins in final preparation for the Irish Championships on July 19th, 20th and 21st.



David hugs the Capt before going for a dance with his favourite Queens man

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