This year, I had the chance to row for King’s College Boat Club – a classic Cambridge experience that mixes physical challenge, teamwork, and tradition. As part of the crew, we travelled to 2 races beyond Cambridge: one in Norwich, and another on the Thames in London, where we rowed the same stretch of river that will be used in the upcoming Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race (though we went the other way, which luckily meant rowing with the current!).
Our main event of the term was definitely Lent Bumps, a race unique to Cambridge and as chaotic as it is exciting – boats crashing daily, coxes shouting, and tension building with every stroke. It was a whirlwind few days and a real test of focus and teamwork. We’re already looking ahead to the next big challenge: May Bumps, where we’ll be back on the river, hoping to climb the rankings and maybe cause a little chaos of our own.
Outside of the rowing itself, one of the best parts of the experience has to be getting to know students from various programmes. Our boat included one other postgraduate, studying film – and a whole host of lively and dedicated undergraduates studying everything from medicine to linguistics. Training together several times a week (often very early in the morning!) meant we bonded quickly, and it’s been refreshing and energising to connect with people from totally different parts of the University of Cambridge.
