Becoming a Winner Most of the members of last years 1st VIII would have given anything to row at Henley Royal Regatta. We would have given up every pot, medal or prize that we have ever won in our rowing careers, just to take part. Many people cannot understand why on earth we would want to do this and wonder why we want to row at Henley so much. This is hard to explain. As Wally Herbert, the Arctic explorer wrote: It is fortunate for those that ask this question that there are those that feel the answer and never need to wonder why. There is something about Henley that makes it special and different. The atmosphere both at the river and in the town during Henley week is amazing. The rush of adrenaline you get from rowing in the qualifying races is incredible and the atmosphere at the actual regatta, with thousands of people watching the event, is just something else. I have rowed at the Henley qualifying races two years in a row and have not yet managed to qualify. After last year, when we missed qualification by just four seconds and had the disappointment of not qualifying after our best row of the season, our urge to row in the Regatta is even greater. To be able to row at the most well-known rowing event in the world, would be a dream come true. Everybody dreams of winning races and events, especially the big events and getting to the top. But there is a great deal to be done before you can row at Henley or for that matter become a winner in any race. One of the essential elements of becoming a winning crew of course is to learn to row well, with good technique, building up a sense of togetherness. This is an important part of rowing and a very good starting-point to make a boat and crew achieve their full potential. Technique will quite often win over muscle - but you have to train hard as well as learning to work together. Part of the recipe of success to make a boat go fast is eight oarsmen working as one powerful single unit, with good technique and control, using their heads rather than their brawn. But this is not the whole recipe for moving a boat fast. You have to want to win, to go out with the determination and positive vibes to win. Bad vibes mean a bad race and however good you are you will struggle. As JMB would say, it will all end in tears. Of course you will not always win but you will have the right mental attitude to be a winning crew. You need to believe in yourself and in each other, that you can do it and that you can win. Trust is another important ingredient. Trust each other and rely upon each other to do the job, each doing ones bit to make the boat go fast and giving one's best. No-one can ask for more than that. Your training is also important. When training get on with the job in hand. Dont mess about - there is plenty of time for having a laugh off the water and outside training. When you are on the water, get down to what needs to be done and maintain a professional attitude. Every crew will go through its bad patches, but learn from them, push through them and do your best to try and help put things right. Dont let the bad take over from the good. Keep up good crew spirit, both in your own crew and throughout the club with the other crews, whatever the circumstances. It will hurt and will be hard to become a winner, but at the end of the day remember; Pain is Temporary, Glory is Forever, And who knows, perhaps you could one day row past the Enclosure at Henley winning a round at the famous regatta. Graham Mills Captain of Boats