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Contents Cover Editorial Front 4Working Together Julian Bewick The 40th Bluefriars Head 5 Boys Captain 2015 Tom Spackman 5 Girls Captain 2015 Siân Cogan Inside front John Chaplin Boathouse Boathouse Completion Day 6 Behind the Scenes Antony Constantinidi Visitors 8 The Completion Ceremony Richard Backhouse 10 John Chaplin Boathouse Opening Ray Lockhart Six Captains, a Vice Captain, 11 12 Months Back on the Water Jamie Cox a Coach and a Boatman Articles 14 Henley 2014 Valerie Letheren Inside back 15 A Mug's Game Girls VIII 21 A Lonely Road Julian Bewick Marlow Town Winners 22 Ups and Downs Julian Bewick 23 Musings from the Landing Stage Mike Lawrence The House Regatta 26 The Fours Head Mike Lawrence Articles by Members of MCSBC Back 26 Captain's Summary Joshua Black John Chaplin Boathouse 27 Nantes 2014 Sonya Milanova 28 Women's Henley 2104 Ania Chichlowska 28 Contrasts Annika Hieronimi 29 Steering - How Hard can it be? Max Leflaive-Manley Editor Julian Bewick 30 Five Years Rowing Jamie Wiley 31 The Boat Club Matthew Wells Assistant Editor Godfrey Bishop Reports - a Selection Matthew Wells 32 Ergos in the Floods Cover Design Joe Short 32 Slimbridge (1st VIII 1990) 33 Junior Inter-Regional Regatta 34 The House Regatta Printer Ralph Allen Press Coffee Mugs As noted elsewhere in this newsletter, commemorative 2014 coffee mugs have been given to all who attended the celebration of the completion of the new boathouse at Saltford on 13 September and also to helpers and competitors at the Bluefriars Head Race, held in October. Mugs have also been set aside for all who contribute to Bluefriars funds. Postage and packing is about £3 per mug, so they are available only by collection from Monkton, unless recipients care to pay for the carriage. If you want to buy extra mugs (good for Christmas presents!) they are available at £6 each. 3 Working Together that Saltford offers not only better water than that available at Dundas, but also the chance to work Rowing is described elsewhere in this happily alongside other clubs to the benefit of all newsletter as the ultimate team sport. It is concerned. certainly true that membership of a crew which Julian Bewick trains and races together gives an experience which is not only unforgettable but has an influence which goes well beyond the results of I am honoured to be taking over as Captain races. Friendships formed on the river in Arctic this year, faced with all the challenges that are conditions during January or the wind and rain of associated with this position. I hope to take March can be long-lasting over many years. MCSBC to even better places, with the guidance However, the team is bigger than the crew, which of Mr Wells and the other coaches. Joshua is itself a unit within the club. A long-standing and Black will be a tough act to follow, but I believe important aspect of MCSBC over the years has that in the coming year it will be possible to been the custom that everyone supports other strengthen the Boat Club even more so that it crews as well as concentrating on their own becomes a bigger part of school life than it has progress; on days when the river at Dundas was been of late. crowded with crews from all age groups, co- I am hoping over the next year to encourage operation was a vital ingredient. Sometimes it the younger members and to get them excited meant that the 1st Vlll cheered on the J14 crew about rowing, wanting to take their chosen sport as it did a practice course; the tiresome job of further, helping them to achieve their goals. I boat loading was undertaken as a club exercise, believe that it is very important to strengthen the with everyone lending a hand; even the building club from the bottom up. I shall also encourage of a new boathouse in 1968 involved the whole those who have not yet given rowing a try to club, manhandling building materials to the river. have a go! This important emphasis on co-operation I am looking forward to being able to use the has suffered with the introduction of timetabled new Saltford boathouse and take full advantage games, with each age group going onto the river of it, honing our rowing skills. The new rowing at different times and on different days. No doubt centre will also allow Monkton to host more local the change has been necessary because of the events and to experience much more side-by- ever more complex requirements of the wider side training and racing; it will also be a great curriculum. In the case of construction of place to promote Monkton rowing to the wider boathouses, health and safety concerns would community. Inter-House competitions help to have kept us away from the Saltford boathouse create the fighting spirit essential for winning building site even if we had wanted to help. races. A few days before the official opening of the Rowing isn't just about training hard, it is John Chaplin boathouse, it had to be prepared about doing so as a team, but at the same time for the opening ceremony; contractors arrived enjoying it and making new friends. with tables and chairs; a handful of volunteers Tom Spackman - Captain 2015 swept the floor, put up bunting and balloons and got the place ready for visitors. Members of the It's a big challenge taking on the role of Boat Club, who in former years might have had Captain. I have some great acts to follow with time to lend a hand, were no doubt otherwise the prospect of working alongside Tom to lead well occupied. the club. A very important aspect for me will be During this preparation work, some boats to encourage teamwork. One of my favourite had to be moved and members of University of things about MCSBC is how much the rowers Bristol Boat Club and Avon County Rowing Club and coaches really support each other. My who were on site willingly helped. This incident closest friends have been people I have rowed was insignificant in many ways, but it showed with, because of the mutual encouragement and 4 Five Captains at HRR: Mike Lawrence, Josh Stupples, Tom Spackman, Josh Black, Steve Williams Five Captains at HRR: Mike Lawrence, Josh Stupples, Tom Spackman, Josh Black, Steve Williams time that we spend together as a unit. This is a encourage more girls to join the Boat Club to valuetime that I hope we spendto keep together up in theas anext unit. year, This along is a discoverencourage that more it is notgirls all to about join winningthe Boat - it's Club about to withvalue the I hope perseverance to keep up and in thework next ethic year, that along the havingdiscover fun that and it isbeing not allthe about best wewinning can be. - it's about girlswith havethe perseverance demonstrated andrecently. work ethic that the having Last fun year and taughtbeing theme best a lot: we how can to be. work well girls 2014,have demonstratedwith all its bad recently. weather resulting in a with coaches,Last year thetaught importance me a lot: of how communication, to work well lack 2014,of racing with opportunities, all its bad weather didn't resultingstop the girlsin a howwith coaches,to encourage the importance and push theof communication, other girls on, pushinglack of racing themselves opportunities, as hard asdidn't possible stop theto keepgirls andhow toultimately encourage how and to pushgrow thefrom other success girls on,or fitpushing and achieve themselves the best. as hard The as girls possible really steppedto keep failure.and ultimately I am excited how aboutto grow the fromnew year:success a new or upfit and last achieve year, mostly the best. because The girlsthe coachesreally stepped were rowingfailure. I centream excited allowing about us the better new year:and amore new wellup last and year, truly mostly behind because us. I hope the thiscoaches attitude were is facilitiesrowing centrewith more allowing events organised.us better and more maintained,well and truly and behind though us. the I hope demanding this attitude training is Siânfacilities Cogan with - moreCaptain events 2015 organised. sometimesmaintained, makesand though rowing the uninviting, demanding I hopetraining to Siân Cogan - Captain 2015 sometimes makes rowing uninviting, I hope to Three Captains and a Coach at HRR: Siân Cogan, Matt Wells, Roisin Cogan, Victoria Warner Three Captains and a Coach at HRR: Siân Cogan, Matt Wells, Roisin Cogan, Victoria Warner 5 On the planning side we were trying to sort Behind the Scenes out the old poplar trees on the bank which turned The ACRC/UBBC boatsheds which sat on out to be protected - 2 of them were in the way of the banks of the Avon at Saltford could at best the facilities block so we applied to remove them have been described as quaintly dilapidated. OK and were advised to withdraw the application as for keeping a boat in (but even that was it would be turned down - better apparently to questionable for UBBC) and with dreadful submit with the building details. Meanwhile we changing facilities and one functioning loo (just) started on the consultations for 1) the trees 2) in each building. flooding 3) bats 4) asbestos 5) newts etc 6) That we needed to overhaul them was highways 7) fire access. without question, but how? UBBC were The council officers rejected the consultants' rumoured to be doing this on their own which views on trees and bats; we had to have further came as a surprise as they were ACRC's tenants reports on both; the trees, as they did not believe and needed our permission.