Organisers' Report 2001

BUSA HALIFAX ROWING REGATTA 2001

"two into one can go…. just"

"British Student rowing really came of age on May 28/29 with the first two-day BUSA Regatta 516 being entered for the BUSA draw with a further 101 crews in the first Senior Inter Regional Championships. Now probably the biggest student rowing Regatta in the world, the event featured several World University and U23 Champions and medallists, as well as those fresh to the sport and at their first event, the true mix that reflects University rowing in the UK. With crews coming from as far afield as St Andrews to Exeter and East Anglia to Swansea, most "neutrals" could still find a "local" club to support!

With a revised points system introduced late in the day the overall, and much coveted, British University Championship was always likely to come down to a battle between the BUSA "Big Three", Oxford Brookes, Durham and defending champions Nottingham University. The presence of increased numbers from Oxford (The Osiris Girls and Mens College Boats) and Cambridge (Mens Lightweights and some good College crews too) and increasing activity at london, Newcastle and Reading also made for an exciting couple of days in prospect. With 59 Clubs entered picking the winners, particularly in the Novice events, was beyond even the most expert pundits, but Brookes were, as ever tipped, to dominate the eights events and Edinburgh looking good to defend an unbeaten BUSA run in Womens Champ Fours

New events added for this season were the Champ Quads, which although straight finals attracted enough quantity and quality to suggest their addition was of benefit. Womens Coxless Fours was also added, fielding seven entries and as with both Quad events proved to be a good quality, close fought event. Only Womens Junior Eights had a disappointing entry, but the narrow victory for Nottingham over Durham in an excellent race, a reversal of their Womens Tideway results, more than made up for lack of numbers.

Having opted for a two-day event "the gods" decided they really liked a one-day BUSA, and contrived to blow up Bay-of-Biscay style waves around lunchtime. Thanks are due to the Safety and support staff who rescued the many boats which had got into trouble, the situation underlining the lack of water practice many (particularly novice) crews had suffered this season, and the need to ensure safety leads what we do. Although several boats were damaged in quite horrendous squalls and by going broadside at the Start, wet bodies appeared the worst physical fate suffered. Although the Inter Regionals managed to get the majority of their races off in a late-afternoon lull, a second rescue mission at 6pm brought BUSA racing to an inconclusive end for the first time in its eight year history.

With the good will of the Race Officials and Club Captains it was decided to attempt to race Saturday Finals and a curtailed Sunday programme in one day using a variety of race formats, but all based over 1000m from "free-starts" on the Sunday. Whilst the 2000m start remained un-rowable all day, the bottom 1500m just about stayed calm enough to allow all the BUSA Events to go ahead, so medals were presented in all events instead of losing 50% of them! Some of the crews may have felt hard done by on the start, and one Reading boat "allegedly" lost a narrow verdict perhaps by less than they had actually started behind; but even they accepted with very good grace that officials were doing their best to allow racing to continue!

Each University would suggest their highlights or lows. Sussex got a boat to a BUSA Final for the first time ever, Bath won their first Championship medal in M4x, Birmingham won in eights and fours. The Hertfordshire girls battled over and completed despite losing their rudder and there were multiple dead-heats in Mens Novice Eights with Newcastle and East Anglia both (correctly) proclaimed Champions. World U23 Champion Debbie Flood gave a great demonstration in WC1x, and was part of a resurgent Reading unit whilst Sheffield came back AND got a medal in MN4+. Possibly the unluckiest group were the UEA WN4+, excluded when the redraw of races cancelled their semi-final, having paddled in to qualify only 0.3 seconds behind their heat winners in the events fastest race, they were rightly devastated when only winners progressed. The Northumbria MN8 may contest this, having been hit and badly damaged by a Bristol crew who were paddling the wrong way in Lane 7, a long way to come and a lot of training to be denied even a race by a preventable accident.

The Victor Ludorum was, as ever, a contest between extreme excellence and pure strength in depth. Oxford Brookes totally dominated the Mens events, nearly achieving a clean sweep in Junior Pairs with five of the six finalists. Durham caused an upset by taking the MC4+ whilst London captured two Womens titles, WC4- & WC2x in their first BUSA foray for many years. Nottingham and Brookes both picked up four Championship titles apiece, but it was the depth of Nottinghams female talent that again thwarted Brookes, and not just in the Tiger Bar.

The eventual Champions for 2001 were Nottingham over Brookes by a still decisive margin, with Durham just holding off the Reading challenge which had seen them trading rankings all afternoon. Nottingham have now won the title for seven of the eight year series, Brookes magnificently taking the title in 1999 in the final race of the day. With ever increasing interest and participation by all the rowing Universities the title and effective ranking the Regatta now offers has become a definitive guide to student rowing in the UK, both in its diversity and individual strengths. Hopefully all those attending, and who will attend in the years to come, will ensure that the BUSA Regatta also remains true to what it set out to be, a great opportunity for students to meet and race on equal terms in a fun-based atmosphere.

Winning is great, but just being a part of the BUSA experience is surely the best reward." Pages hosted and edited by the Rowing Service. Information from Nigel Mayglothling and copyright BUSA 2001.