The 1992 Monkton 2nd. VIII will surely go down in the record books as the most successful ever. Its success will have dispelled several myths concerning the unlikelihood of winning if you're in this boat and show that there are factors other than weight advantage which produce a winning crew. In a season which provided a number of 'high spots' it is difficult to pin- point any individual victory but the spontaneous jubilation which followed the breaking of the school 500 metre record on the last Tuesday of term testified to the sweetness of doing what has previously only been achieved by Monkton 1st VIIIs. Also, one recalls two members of the crew (one of whom plays the violin) walking off into the distance along the shoreline of the Tideway at Putney to dance a private jig of delight, having just learnt of the crew's 8 second victory over Monkton A in the Schools' H.O.R. Race. This was a crew who never put to the water without wanting to achieve their best,who very often did just that and who were unashamedly exuberant when things went well.

To say that there was a fair amount of "needle" between the 1st and 2nd VIIIs would be something of an understatement but despite the competitive 'edge' between them throughout the season there were many genuine moments of warm support and appreciation of the other crew's efforts. The 2nd VIII would be first to recognise the extra pressure put upon any 1st boat to achieve results in what has become one of the most competitive arenas of inter-school sport. On reflection. the 2nd VIII were good enough to compete in the Princess Elizabeth Cup at Henley but had they done so other victories would have been missed and one can now look forward to a strong Monkton "P.E." crew for 1993.

After six exhausting months with the crew it is hard to think back to the beginning of the Lent term and to the days which followed the selection of the 1st VIII. The trial VIIIs had been exciting and some might have argued that things could have been left 'open' for longer. With at least enough senior oarsmen left to make up two promising crews it was not an easy task to select the right men for the 2nd VIII. At the end of the day I suppose that a coach relies more upon instinct than anything else to produce what he hopes will be the right combination. For a variety of reasons it wasn't until immediately before the Lent half-term that the crew emerged which was to remain the settled order from then until the very end of the Summer term. Making Julian Coy the Captain was certainly a good start: the only colour from the previous year's 2nd VIII, throughout the two terms he showed a superb ability to 'read' both the coach and crew and to ensure that whatever was agreed upon for training or racing had the unqualified support of everyone. With only one outing behind them, the crew accompanied the 1st VIII on a training outing to Bristol Ariel on the first Saturday afternoon of the second half of the Lent term. This was a long and useful session with the 2nd VIII staying ahead of their seniors in a downstream piece for much longer than expected. The 'needle' referred to earlier was much in evidence when the 1st VIII cox (acting on instructions from within his boat) called out 'watch and learn' as his crew paddled authoritatively past the Ariel landing stage as the 2nd VIII were getting out of their boat. These words, more than anything else, acted as a spur to the crew to show what they could do and I'm sure that subsequent Head results made many question who exactly was supposed to be doing the 'watching and learning'! Training in the Lent term was aimed at building strength and stamina whilst also trying to improve bladework and technique. The average weight at the beginning of the season was barely 11 stone so that the 'weights' programme looked very lightweight alongside what the lst.VIII were doing. However, most outings were intensive and followed by a 'Brassknocker' and multiple drung runs. Fitness and strength/weight ratios started to . look encouraging but there were clearly some major technical problems yet to be overcome on the water.

The Heads went well: at Henley Schools' we started in front of a very determined Shiplake 2nd VIII who had the best of the water all the way down the long Henley regatta reach in what developed as an epic tussle between the two crews. For much of the course we held the stronger, heavier Shiplake crew and it was a magnificent result to come 9th. overall ... ahead not only of our own 1st VIII who had suffered two unfortunate 'crabs' shortly after the start but also of all other 2nd VIIIs bar Shiplake and several major school 1st VIlls.

This Henley Schools' result sent shock waves around Monkton and quite understandably lifted the 2nd VIll's morale sky high. The next day at City of Bristol H.O.R. the 1st VIII re-established their credibility, beating the 2nd VIII by a substantial margin. Despite the tiredness following the Henley Schools' performance, the 2nd VIII still managed to impress with a cohesive and determined course and win the Senior 3 event from Bath University I by 5 seconds. It would certainly have helped at Reading H.O.R. if the Monkton coxes had realised where the finish line was but despite easying early, the crew put up a very respectable performance over a long (15min 33sec) course more suited to heavier crews. It was only in the latter stages that the bladework and sliding began to get erratic whilst in the first half of the race there was good 'cover' and a relaxed, long stroke. To have finished 56th in a field of 114 was no disgrace and the crew, knowing it was better over the shorter distance, relished the two 'Heads' remaining. At Avon County the crew 'did it again', beating the 1st VIII and an impressive Radley Colts 'A' crew to win both the 2nd VIlls and 'Head' pennants. The absence of much of the usual competition combined with external causes being responsible for the 1st VIII mishap meant this was something of a hollow victory but at the Schools' H.O.R. the following Tuesday there could be no excuses: the 2nd VIII started 36th behind Bedford 2nd VIII whom they overtook well before Chiswick Eyot and then went on to overhaul Monmouth 2nd VIII between Hammersmith and Harrods. The rating was a constant 34, the course was well steered by Rowley Douglas and the effort was relentless if not yet totally efficient. Finishing 28th overall and 8 seconds ahead of the 1st VIII was a great achievement and a wonderful climax to what had been a memorable Head season. The question now remained as to what would happen in the Summer term. The main wish within the boat was to try to get the most possible out of the short Easter training trip which had been arranged and to continue right through the Regatta season come what may. After a three week lay off, it was good to get together at Kingston G.S. boathouse opposite Hampton Court for what proved to be a very successful Easter Training camp between 13th and 16th April. We slept in the K.G.S. pavilion where crew chefs Duncan Gambrill and Richard Britton mounted regular assaults on our digestive systems and boated, once we had mastered the security systems, from a very well- equipped boathouse nearby. The highlight of the camp was a whole day spent with Nigel Weare, national coach, who not only got the crew thinking about 'leg drive' seriously but also introduced a pre-outing stretching routine which made an enormous difference by the end of the season. The video analysis session with Nigel was a real eye-opener for most of the crew and despite the foul weather conditions which worsened as the week progressed everyone thoroughly enjoyed the camp. We spent a lot of cash on drying clothes at the nearby launderette but otherwise this was excellent value for money and we were grateful to K.G.S.B.C. for putting us up and providing coaching launches, etc.

Despite the very useful Easter training camp there was a tremendous amount to be done before Wallingford. One hopes to reach the first regatta with a reasonable, if not perfect start and a semblance of racing pace in the crew. It was unfortunate that neither the draw nor the conditions favoured us: going down to University College, Oxford by some 21/2 lengths in the first round of Senior 3 VIIIs and by 'A length to Oundle 1st VIII in Sch/J VIIIs - results which would not have disgraced our 1st VIII in previous years. The least said about Avon County the better .... it is the first time I've seen a regatta virtually abandoned except for the very dubious 'free start' event in which, I think, we came third - just beating Eton 3rd.VIII, but given the conditions earlier in the afternoon it was nothing short of a miracle that anyone was rowing at all.

In previous years some 2nd VIIIs would have thrown in the towel after two rather disappointing regattas with which to start the Summer season but not so a crew which believed strongly in its potential and aimed to prove itself at all costs. The decision was made to enter the 2nd VIIIs event at National Schools - a very high standard of competition against leading school 2nd VIlls often only a little, if at all, slower than their first boats from schools such as Eton, Radley and St.Edwards entering Championship VIlls. In the first round the crew rowed exceptionally well to finish 1/2 length down on Pangboume College and well ahead of King's Canterbury and Canford. The time of 4.41.90 placed us third overall in the eliminators and seemingly well favoured for the semi-finals. Since our arrival at Nottingham the day before, the conditions had been steadily worsening with a strong tail-wind down the course causing waves to pound the boating rafts with increasing ferocity. Things seemed to reach their worst just as the 2nd VIIIs semi-final had to be rowed. In normal conditions the crew had just enough freeboard rowing in Richard Blake but these conditions were definitely hostile, especially in lane 4, where we were drawn, so that by half-way down the course the boat was waterlogged, the bow, 2 and 3 men were all totally drenched and the waves (as witnessed on BSM's video of the race) poured remorselessly over the saxboards. Despite brave attempts to overhaul King's Chester and qualify for the Final there was no hope and a frustrated rather than dejected crew limped in fourth ahead of Shrewsbury in lane 3. This was a sad conclusion to a brave attempt to reach the Final and another spur to the crew to show their true mettle before the end of the season.

With three sixth formers and one fifth former involved in public examinations, the fortnight after the Summer half-term was a quiet one. There was some considerable satisfaction to be gained from Grange 2 (containing 7,6,4 and 3 from the VIII) winning the House Fours in fine style from two potentially stronger crews and some invaluable work was done in the tub- pair when examinations made it difficult to get out in Richard Blake. A strength retention programme was continued in the weights room and the crew took over the 'A' set of blades which made an immediately noticeable improvement to the 'cover' and speed of the boat. At Bridgnorth Regatta on 13th June the crew rowed well, beating a Shrewsbury crew then Monmouth 2nd VIII before going down by a canvas in the Final to Shrewsbury Colts. Even the Shrewsbury coach (who just happened to be an 0.M.!) agreed about the unfairness of the umpire's start which had given his crew an immediate length's advantage and sent Monkton into the bank, but a re-row was not allowed and Monkton's resolve to get a Regatta win was made even stronger. In the meantime, the 'needle' raised its head again in the form of a challenge to the 1st VIII over the straight at Saltford. The 1st VIII very sportingly fitted the race into their Henley training schedule. From our point of view it was very disappointing: the crew were on an 'off'day and did not do justice to themselves, going down to the 1st VIII by over two lengths with an undistinguished performance. The opportunity to get back to real form came the following weekend at Thames Valley Park when in an easy Final against Shiplake in Sch/J B we came home about 11/2 lengths ahead. However, the memorable race was the Final of Senior 3 VIIIs against St.Edward's 2nd VIII who had only just lost to their 1st VIII the previous day at Marlow. Rating a now familiar 48/49 off the start, the crew held on to St.Edward's in a magnificent piece of sprinting, smashing the old course record and really using 'leg drive' in the way Nigel Weare had taught them at Easter for the first time. This race was a turning point and although by now less than ten days from the end of the season it was an ebullient and 'stomping' 2nd.VIII which went to Ironbridge for the final weekend of term and came away with two Senior 3 pots: winning against Northwich R.C., King's Worcester and then Brentwood College, Canada over 1100 metres on the Saturday and against City of Bristol and then a very formidable King's Worcester crew over 600 metres on the Sunday. That Northwich reached the Final of Senior I VIIIs on the Saturday shows the extent to which the crew had improved following the St. Edward's race at Thames Valley Park. The camping, barbecue etc. were all very successful and the Regatta was a great social as well as racing success. Two days later, in perfect conditions, the crew was timed by ex- Captain of Boats, Peter Askew over the 500 metre course: downstream first - 1.25.60 and then upstream with the slightest hint of a tail wind over the first 200m: 1.27.65 to produce an average of 1.26.63 which may well stay for some time to come as a reminder to successive 1st VIlls never to underestimate their 2nd boat.....

I am sure it will be a long time before I enjoy coaching a crew as much as I did this one. All the ingredients for a classic rowing season were there but what remains as a memory is the total commitment of all concerned to go faster and faster and the good humour which prevailed from beginning to end. It would be wrong to pick out individuals but everyone excelled in their various roles and I can only thank and congratulate the crew for doing even more than I ever asked of them. GWB