I well remember my first attempts at rowing at school, coached by senior boys in their spare time. In those days, we were kept on fixed seats for at least a term before being allowed to use a sliding seat in the tub pair. Eventually, we graduated to a clinker IV or VIII and, finally, to a shell boat if the powers that be were sufficiently convinced of our potential as oarsmen. These days, even beginners get to use top equipment and it has been quite a sight this term to see so many boys and girls enjoying the fleet of plastic sculling boats which has been established, largely through the good offices of BSM, over the past year or so. In addition, we have purchased a state of the art 2 which has enabled our most competent seniors to compete on even terms with pairs from other leading rowing schools. We expect Tom Mildinhall and Graham Mills to proceed to National Under 18 Trials in this boat next term, having come out winners at both Wycliffe and Bluefriars Small Boat Heads.
Under the Captains watchful eye, more progress has been made than usual in the Michaelmas Term by senior boys both on the water and in land training. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said yet for the senior girls but I am hopeful that with AJGs return from illness and a high level of pupil demand, the momentum of girls rowing will get going again. It will be good to take both boys and girls 1st VIIIs to National Schools in 96, when we also hope that we shall see Monkton through at least the first round of P.E. at Henley with a potentially strong crew. There has been a strong smell of apathy in the middle part of the school (apart from a few worthy exceptions in both sexes) which does not augur well for a year or two hence. Perhaps the wheel will turn full circle and it will be cool to be a committed oarsman before long. There are hopeful signs in the third form where Peter Bossom has returned from a long stay in cyberspace to pick up the megaphone once more.
In addition to PGBs welcome return to coaching, we have gained two keen new female coaches in Sarah Pitt and Gillian Toft. ExOlympic sculler, Arnold Cooke has also joined our coaching team as an occasional technical adviser. Thanks to the untiring support of JMB, who has seen it all, and the expert coaching of BSM we continue to field a relatively strong team on the towpath. All we need are the right sort of pupils to coach. To restore the enthusiasm and commitment at all levels in the Club must be the main challenge of the new season. This can only be achieved if the School climate is sympathetic. I hope that when a new Director of Rowing arrives at Monkton, he or she will find a healthy Club in what remains indisputably a Rowing School.