There were nearly 100 members of the Boat Club for the 2004 season (67 boys and 29 girls during the summer term), and five eights were in regular training - a stark contrast to just one which the club had two years ago. There were no second year sixth form boys rowing, so the 1st VIII was young; some of the girls in the senior group were rowing in the top crew for the third year running, and the Club had its first ever girl Captain - Ellie Coates.
The 1st VIIIs (boys and girls) trained very hard on and off the water; the girls were rewarded with several wins. Whilst the boys reached seven finals, they missed victory by very small margins. The girls did much of their training at Bradford-on-Avon, thanks to the good offices of Carl Purchase who arranged the use of a Bradford Boat in the absence of a suitable Monkton one. The boys trained at Monkton rather than Saltford, and while they may have missed the good water downstream of Bath, and the Monkton reach was sometimes crowded, their good rowing technique was often pointed out to junior crews by coaches and their regular presence on home water encouraged an improvement in club cohesion. The 1st VIII often went onto the water late in the afternoon, helping to avoid the build-up of traffic jams on the river, which would have made adequate training impossible for everybody.
The Colts had just enough oarsmen to form an eight, whilst the Junior Colts had a few to spare as well. In the limited rowing time available, and without the motivation to attempt much if any land-training, these crews made little progress to start with. Both were transformed by training camps.
The Junior Colts went to Wallingford with the 1st VIII during the half term break in February, where they did good work on the water and experienced rowing with seniors on board, giving them a taste of rhythm and control. After this kick start, they made some progress during the rest of the year, but they never made effective use of their huge size and strength (some of them much bigger than members of the 1st VIII). The Colts also lacked determination until they joined the seniors for the annual training camp at Nantes, which was blessed this year with good weather and water conditions. All came back after Easter motivated to row well for the rest of the season. The Colts, in particular, were transformed, and nearly all of them had begun to understand what rowing is all about after fitting in more training in a few days on the river Erdre than they can manage in several weeks at Monkton.
The beginners in the Third Form (22 boys and 5 girls) spent the year sculling, and getting the feel of the water. As usual, their time on the river (and in it, as their experience included the unusual achievement of turning the Octuple sculling boat over during an outing) was limited because it takes them so long to move equipment to and fro before and after training sessions. A theoretically two-hour rowing slot includes barely more than 30-40 minutes on the water, so progress during the year is inevitably very limited.
When supporters watch racing at big events, it is easy to compare Monkton crews with others, not just in the raw win/lose statistics (which this year did not make good reading for Monkton), but in the look in the eyes and in the demeanour of successful crews, whose members are clearly hungry for victory from an early age. In contrast, this attitude is not usually apparent in Monkton crews until 1st VIII level, where it comes as a new experience. There is no suggestion here that Monkton crews should be indoctrinated to win at all costs, but it would be good to see signs of greater determination at an earlier stage than at present.
The progress of the club depends as always on all the support given by the coaches, the boatmen, the parents who stand on river banks and come armed with food to events. Whilst coxes, crew captains and strokes also have their special and influential roles, crews will not succeed unless each and every member can be relied on to train thoughtfully and bravely through the whole season so they can become absolutely reliable when it comes to racing.
Let's see a winning glint in more eyes on the river next year.