The usual weight training took place during the Michaelmas Term. It is an important part of the build- up towards success in the summer, and it was undertaken with a greater sense of purpose than in the previous few years. (All recent crews have done this training, but it is a relatively new regime at Monkton; pre-Christmas weights have been lifted only since 1989.) The two sessions a week are nowadays considered a bare minimum. The Christmas Run showed up lack of fitness, even amongst old colours and those who had been playing serious Rugby, so there was no doubt that much work had to be done once the rowing season proper started in January. Two new members of the senior squad were members of the sculling club in the Michaelmas term, and they aimed to go to National selection trials, but a combination of illness and the expense of the operation in a year when funds were tight, together with a less than fully enthusiastic approach to training, resulted in the attempt being abandoned after one ergometer test in which both candidates performed well. A lesson which some successful recent OM oarsmen have transmitted back to Monkton is that 'mileage makes champions'. The 1992 crew took up the challenge, and from the word go, accepted that they needed to row more miles if they were to get anywhere. This was not an easy target in the first two or three weeks of term, because day after day Trial Eights, and the 1st VIII after it had been selected, were disrupted by absences caused through illness, interviews and expeditions. Indeed, even the day on which the crew was announced had to be carefully linked in with the only day in a period of ten days when all those concerned were available for an outing. Could it be that the time-table is becoming a bit too crowded?
This first outing was on 24th January, when two ideas were put into practice. Firstly, minimising the disruption caused to outings by constant turning round at each end of our reach. Of course the turning still had to be done, there was no stopping for coaching or resting at top and bottom. Second, in order to get more miles rowed, a 'trip' which has in the past meant a mile down followed by a mile up, was replaced by a trip of three miles (down-up-down). Two trips thus made six miles instead of four, with obvious benefits. Both of these changes had been pre-planned by the coach and captain. Something else important happened during that outing as well - it was initiated by a launch which was following another crew, which put up rather too much wash for comfort, causing more than a gallon or two of water to cascade into our boat. This was a relatively trivial incident - one which happens every now and again. It came towards the end of a hard and successful outing. The captain took the crew into the raft as if to end training there and then; the outing had been good and long. The crew disembarked, removed the oars and lifted the boat out of the water. Instead of going back to the boathouse, they simply tipped out the offending water and immediately put the boat back on the water to continue the outing. This one simple action not only told the crew that we meant business, but also told the coach the same, and its influence was more long-lasting than any of those involved in it may have at first realised. After this first successful outing, the crew could not go out for a further week, so those who were available trained in small boats in the intervening period. There then followed the first of several trips to Saltford, visited more frequently than usual this year in order to cover more mileage than is customary. Here again, the crew showed itself to be willing to paddle long distances, and the coach therefore asked them to do more than any of their recent predecessors.
Everyone realised that the extra miles covered would be beneficial. Bath University joined us on one of these trips to Saltford, and we did some paddling with them; it was not quite as useful as it should have been because the crews had not learnt to use each others' company to the best advantage. After warming up and doing some exercises for about six miles, the coach reckoned that Monkton would be some four to five lengths faster than the university over the full course, so for an informal race, we started that distance behind. By the time we reached the railway bridge, we had made up all but two lengths of the deficit, and the race down the 1100 metre long reach was going to be a good one. Just at the crucial stage, when we should have gone through, the Monkton technique and confidence crumbled, allowing the university to stay ahead. The few decisive strokes were filmed, and the crew was able to see their own problems demonstrated very clearly; this made it easier to rectify the problem. Two days later, we went to the long stretch of water available at Wycliffe, where more paddling and racing with the university gave us further much needed company as well as the satisfaction of beating them once again in a race.
A change of coach for a few days gave the crew an opportunity to concentrate on individual technique in the week leading up to the half term break and a most worthwhile two days' training on the Thames. On the first day, we met at Putney, and paddled about ten miles in beautiful conditions; the outing finished with a steady paddle (at 27) over the Championship course; apart from a weak patch near Barnes, the exercise was done with a common sense of purpose which was in stark contrast to the faltering efforts of many a crew. After a splendid supper, an early night and a long lie-in the next morning, we went to Wallingford for an even longer training session. The full seven mile stretch was used, giving 14 miles of work, and here again the crew demonstrated that they were willing to work themselves hard. The downstream paddle was steady and powerful; the work and the rhythm were more sure than ever, and nobody needed to be told that the quality of effort was just what was needed. The coach, most unusually, let slip a 'quite good' during the turn at Goring lock, and this was extended in later conversation to include the word 'excellent' (almost unheard of!). Most slept in the Land Rover on the way home; those who were awake did some shopping, and all lent a hand with cooking a huge meal which rounded off one of the best training weekends ever done by a Monkton VIII.
Long-distance training continued during the following week at Saltford and Bristol, where the crew benefited from a training session with the 2nd VIII - beating them in a race, but not by enough to allow any complacency. There was a feel of uneasiness after this encounter, and lack of confidence which was to be oneof the fundamental causes of trouble throughout the rest of the term began to come to the surface.
Henley head race was the first race of the term. The morning warm-up session went well; the paddling had rhythm and attack, so there were good hopes for the afternoon. The race itself started well, with gains being made on crews in front, but below the regatta start the crew suffered a boat-stopping crab during which a seat came adrift. About 40 seconds were lost and although much of this was made up, all hope of a good result had gone. To add to the crew's troubles, they were beaten by the 2nd VIII by 14 seconds. Whatever the excuses, the psychological damage caused to the 1st VIII and the boost given to the 2nd VIII were to affect the progress of both crews for weeks and months to follow. The next day, at Bristol City, the crew came second in Senior II Villa and incidentally (or it should have been incidentally!) beat the 2nd VIII by 14 seconds. There were still nagging doubts that the 2nd VIII were rather fast. The 1st VIII and the club as a whole should in fact have been grateful for the high standards of this crew which made a change from the more usual weakness of the training company available to the top crew. As it was, the crew remained on edge, with some harsh words coming to the surface. By the following Saturday, at Reading Head, everyone felt happier, but the rowing was still inaccurate and not as effective as it should have been. Despite all the troubles, both coach and crew were convinced that speed and spirits should and would improve.
The crew had been using new plastic Hi-Lock oars with Neomorph, and they found that this combination did not give them enough help with balance. After Reading, we went back to wooden oars, which with their extra weight gave a sense of stability. The plastic oars were to stay on the racks until confidence had been restored, but two of the old wooden ones were broken in the following weeks, because they were past their best. Feeling encouraged, the crew increased the amount of fitness training done between outings, and remained determined to improve in time for Avon Head
...The First Eight in the Temple Prize Qualifying Race at Henley
..on training for Henley, and not going to any other regattas before then - all the eggs in one basket for a while, but there was every hope of some success in the Temple Prize. This training was spread over a month, so there was a danger that while improving fitness and technique, the crew would forget about racing. With this in mind, a training session with a crew from Evesham, which was roughly on a par with us, was arranged for a week-end at Henley. The tension caused by arrival at the course and the close proximity of another crew was soon eased when we beat them convincingly over several short pieces, including a row to Fawley in a strong headwind, achieved in 3.27. In order to give both crews a good race early the next morning (on the water before 7.30 a.m., and we were by no means the first!), the full course was rowed with two lengths start being given to Evesham. Monkton very quickly caught up one length, but then Evesham increased their rate of work, while at the same time, inexplicably, Monkton appeared to lose interest in the race, maintaining their station for the rest of the course. On reflection, the coach realised that it was indeed a tall order to ask the crew to start from so far behind, and the incident did not help the crew, at a time when it needed a good result.
During the following two weeks, the rowing stretches attempted were increased in length, and with good conditions on the river, the mile was rowed several times with the record in mind. Much was learned, and in particular the crew worked on the first quarter mile, which had been in general rather slow. In the middle of June, conditions were ideal, with a good following wind, and the record was broken by over three seconds. The crew had a race against the 2nd VIII at Saltford, because a final showdown, or straightening of the record had to be made. (It turned out to be the latter, by three lengths.) On OM day, the traditional mile course was replaced with a Henley course; once again conditions were favourable, but less than for the mile record success. The crew beat the old mile record as they went through the mile, and went on to do the whole Henley course in 6.51 - some 25 seconds faster than the existing record on the new course which was set up three years ago.
Then to Henley, and three days training under BSM. There was a huge entry for the Temple Prize, so the qualifying race had 30 entries, of which 9 were to get through. We couldn't help noticing that we had already beaten some crews in previous regattas who were not required to qualify. The race itself went as well as we could have hoped. In still conditions (with perhaps just a puff or two of following breeze) the crew took a time of 6.52, the fastest time ever recorded by a Monkton crew at Henley - and yet we just missed qualifying, coming 12th in the race. This result was bitterly disappointing, because so much had been set aside in order to succeed at Henley. The truth was that the quality of the entry was high, and we had done as well as we could have expected.
The following day, the crew raced at Reading Town; there were twice as many foreign entries as home in the events we entered, and it turned out that we raced only 18 crews from Canada and the States. In Senior 2 VIll we rowed away from Hanlan (Canada) over the first half of the course, but were overhauled over the last 200m. The first round of School VIIIs went rather better, when we beat two schools from Canada, but the final (against Phillips Academy, USA) turned out to be one of the several races we lost by a short distance during the season - this time the verdict was just six inches, judged by eye. We would have accepted a victory by this distance with no qualms, but wondered after losing whether the boats were aligned that accurately at the start, or whether tired Judge's eyes at the end of a long day could judge such a short distance, when the boats move by three or four feet relative to each other during the cycle of the stroke.
Whilst enjoying the social side of Henley the following week, with all members of the crew welcoming family and friends, training continued (with a quiet outing at Reading), so that we could tackle holiday regattas well prepared. The customary trip to Bedford had to be dropped because the regatta has changed its date, so we went instead to Kingston for a few days. Despite finding the conditions difficult, and rowing hardly at their best, the crew won its first round against a crew from Reading University and Brentwood College, Canada - this crew, incidentally, a Selected crew in the Temple Prize at Henley, and beaten by our own 2nd VIII at Ironbridge the previous week-end. One wonders if the Stewards had done their homework this year - did they realise that this Brentwood crew was the College's 2nd VIII?! We met Reading again in the final (thanks to the repechage system); they did a false start, not noticed by the umpire (can a start be false if the umpire does not see it?) and this put the Monkton crew off balance; the row was bad, and we lost by a quarter of a length. We was robbed! The next day, we returned to Burton-on- Trent, not visited for some years. We beat Shawnigan Lake School to win Senior 2 VIlls, and also rowed in Open Villa. Over the very short (450m) course, our starts had to be better, and sprinting had to improve dramatically. The crew switched happily to this sort of racing for the first time in the season, but still did not manage to beat anyone off the start. They squeezed through the first round by 'A length against Derby after a dead-heat, then went down to Nottingham in the final by two feet, coming up from behind. The 1992 crew worked very hard throughout the season with clear aims in mind. Neither the crew nor the coaches were really satisfied at the end that these goals had been achieved, because there were many disappointments, and technique seldom reached the levels that were wanted. However, the crew set a fine example by training persistently, and picking themselves up from low points to enjoy some fine moments, some victories and some records.