19/04/2024

Over the Easter vacation the Balliol College Boat Club attended training camp in Chester with the St John’s College (Oxford) Boat Club. Markus Baumgartner (BCBC President) reports:

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After a very rainy year that limited the amount of training we were able to do in Oxford, it was wonderful to be able to put in some serious time on the water again. We managed to catch a window of sunshine that allowed for some truly picturesque afternoons and summer-style T‑shirt weather.

The trip was immensely productive for our training, with most rowers averaging between 15 and 30km of training a day. This also included some healthy competition against St John’s, who pushed our crews to put in just that little bit more. Two of our rowers also pushed their personal limits, completing a challenge in which they rowed 45km and ran an ultramarathon (72km) in the span of 48 hours.

Most importantly, the trip was great fun and ripe with crew bonding. Whether it was sitting in a park, completing jigsaw puzzles or going to dinner together or even the pub, the trip was great at showing the newest members of BCBC why the rest of us fell in love with it.
Rest assured: I am confident that come the big races in May (Summer Eights) we will be in the best position up and down all six crews to give the other colleges a serious run for their money. We would appreciate anyone who will be able to come down to the Boat House on 22–25 May to help cheer on our men’s and women’s first crews as they chase the top of division 1! There will be music, a barbeque, and drinks courtesy of the Lindsay Bar.

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