A Strategy for Rowing at the University of Exeter
Introduction
Rowing is a very popular activity at the University of Exeter. While it is not one of
the biggest clubs, the commitment shown by its members towards their activity is
rarely seen in other sports. As a sport it engenders great commitment to ones fellow
crew members; at the same time, it engenders a great commitment to the University,
which is demonstrated by the long-standing commitment shown by members of the
alumni club. It is a sport enjoyed by both men and women, and the university club is
well – and evenly – represented by both sexes. For many of our students it is a 12
month sport; most of their participation is carried out at the University, with the last
event in early July; many athletes will continue their training over the summer at their
local clubs, and resume intensive training activity from September.
The competitive environment for rowing is getting tougher than ever. A number of
Universities have made a massive investment to the sport, some in conjunction with
the national governing body (the ARA). Proximity to the Thames (and the Trent to a
lesser extent) is central to rowing at the highest level.
Exeter finished 10th in the 2006/7 BUSA league tables, and scored very few points in
rowing, a sport which offers a considerable number of points. In seeking to become a
top five institution for rowing by having more and better crews, there is every
expectation that rowing points will help push us up the overall tables.
At Exeter, the level of investment required to put us in the premier league is not
achievable at this time. Even if this were not the case, our distance from the Thames
would make it very difficult for Exeter to attract sufficient volume of Great Britain
junior rowers to enable us to compete with Universities such as Oxford, Oxford
Brookes, and Imperial College.
In essence, the provision of rowing at Exeter should provide our students with a good
quality experience which enables them to enjoy the sport, which enables them to
improve, which engenders a warm feeling towards the University and which, in an
exceptional year, will enable a talented group of rowers to excel at a high level.
The good news is that we are not starting from the beginning. The structure for
rowing has improved in recent years, the facilities for training continue to improve
and, largely due to the support provided by Alumni, the students have a good range of
equipment for their activity.
The successful long-term future for rowing at Exeter is, in my view, likely to be based
on 3 factors: the facilities available for rowing; the equipment available to our
students; and the guidance offered to our students at each stage of the process.
Facilities for Rowing – the Current Position
The boathouse, based at Countess Weir, provides a reasonable base from which the
club can function. However, the facility is very tired and no longer water-tight, and is
vulnerable to theft. The racking space is a constraint on the number of boats available
for use and, in general the facility is not one about which the University can be proud.
It is possible that this could be a constraint on the recruitment of talented athletes,
though there is no evidence in this regard.
The stretch of water in Exeter, while not ideal, provides the club with sufficient
training opportunities for their sport. Little can be done to change this, of course.
In 2006, a dedicated rowing ergometer space was developed for rowing, at the Sports
Park on the Streatham campus. This space, exclusively for the use of the club,
incorporates 8 ergometers, and some specific lifting equipment. While not set in a
beautiful room (it is a basement space underneath a squash court) it is an excellent
training facility for the club. Facilities for weight training have improved very
significantly in recent years, with further improvements planned.
Facilities for Rowing – the Future
Following a gift from a rowing alumnus in October 2007 the University is committed
to providing a pot of money in the region of £500,000 to develop a new boathouse.
This is a great opportunity for renewal of the rowing programme from top to bottom.
It is hoped that the new facility will be built during the summer of 2009, prior to the
arrival of the October 2009 cohort. We are currently going through a consultation
process with the students to ascertain ideal requirements, before we then move to
detailed costings for the project. It is likely that the available budget will be sufficient
to replace what we have, but with little margin for enlargement, but detailed work on
this is not yet underway.
Other support facilities for training will remain as they are for the foreseeable future.
Equipment – the Current Position
Since the creation of the Alumni boat club, about £68k has been spent on rowing
equipment for the club. The target has been to create a sustainable replacement
programme, where each year ageing equipment is sold in part-exchange for new
equipment. The equipment base for the club is currently as follows:
Shells
Aylings AX2 Coxless IV (plus Ben Neves quad riggers)
Aylings Coxless IV
Aylings Double / Pair
Aylings Olympian Coxless IV
Janousek Eight
Janousek Scull
Janousek Scull
Raymond Simms Coxed Four (front loaded)
Raymond Simms Coxed Four (front loaded)
Raymond Simms Eight 1997
Raymond Simms Pair
Raymond Simms Pair 1996
Raymond Simms Pair 1996
Stelph Eight (2002)
Stelph coxless quad four (plus sweep riggers) (2004)
Stelph Eight (2006)
2x70kg Stelph carbon sculling boats (2004)
2x95kg Stelph carbon sculling boats (2004)
Blades
10 Dreissigacker Concept 2 Blades
8 Womens Rubber handled Dreissigacker Blades
8 Dreissigacker Leander blades
12 Novices grey heavy Dreissigacker Blades
8 womens Dreissigacker blades
4 Crocker blades
4 pairs of Super light silver smoothies sculling blades
4 pairs of Super light gold smoothies sculling blades
2 pairs of chopper sculling blades
Cox Equipment
Cox box with microphone charger and case
Cox box with microphone charger and case
Cox box with microphone charger
Cox box with microphone charger
Cox box and microphone
4 manual gas inflation lifejackets
There are challenges with regard to equipment however. The variable nature of
student rowing makes it difficult to know whether investment should be in lightweight
or open rowing, in sculling, singles, pairs, fours or eights. This can vary each year
subject to the movement of students in and out of the club.
Maintenance of the equipment is not always easy. The students are responsible for
maintaining the equipment and as a consequence there are good years and not so good
years. The target is clearly to make sure that all boats are available at all times for use
by the members, and that the residual value in the boats is maintained for as long as
possible, to facilitate future part-exchange.
The growing popularity of rowing has also meant that we have insufficient
equipment. Further work is therefore required on the boat fund, to make sure that we
have sufficient boats to service member requirements.
Equipment - the Future
The club have recently appointed a member of the committee who has responsibility
for maintenance of equipment. This is a starting position which should be built on.
There is a replacement plan, which is reviewed each year to ensure that investment is
well placed, although resources remain fairly inadequate. It is my view that the best
way to deal with the future management of the boats is to have an experienced
professional who oversees the purchase of boats and their maintenance.
Plans are being developed to encourage greater engagement from recent graduates in
the alumni programme. As part of the renewal culture around our rowing programme,
plans are being developed to target each year from 1970 to 2000 (a rolling 30 year
programme) to procure £1000 per year from each year group. There are a number of
“blank” years in the 80’s where we have little contact, but we hope over the next 12
months to make some significant progress in this area. I fully anticipate that when the
new boathouse is ready (September 2009) there will be at least 15 year groups who
will be contributing at this level.
Professional Guidance – the Current position
Each year the club attempt to secure the services of coaches to support their efforts.
Each year since 2000 there has been some level of support; the Athletic Union have a
fund to support some (but not all) effort in this area.
Strength and Conditioning advice is offered to the club by professional university
staff. Advice is available about training programmes and periodisation, and
physiotherapy and sport science support services are also available, subject to funds
being in place.
Professional Guidance – the Future
While commitment to rowing is essential, expert guidance can make a massive
difference to rowing progress. The quality of the experience for our students is a
strategic agenda item for the University, and the sports in which we have professional
coaching are the sports in which we have the most success and in which the quality of
the experience for our students is the best.
In the 2008/9 year, the Sports Office will complete its current loan repayment
schedule. It is therefore intended, in conjunction with the opening of the new
boathouse in September 2009, to have in place a full-time rowing professional to
support the club. He/she will clearly work hard during the student terms on the
programme, will take time back during vacations, and as well as overseeing the
coaching programme will take responsibility for purchase and maintenance of the
boat stock. This will enable a clear focus for the competitive programme during the
year, will ensure maximal use of the boat stock, and will ensure that all of our
students leave the University as better rowers than when they arrived. The postholder, in conjunction with the Director of Sport, will provide a focus for relations
with alumni, building on the two existing alumni events.
Conclusion
The building of a new boathouse provides an excellent opportunity for us to renew
our focus on student rowing at Exeter. In September 2009, we will have a new
boathouse, we will have a director of rowing, and a facility filled with good
equipment ready for use by our students. The greater challenge is in the building of
the boat stock and the engagement of new alumni so that the long term future for
rowing is sustainable. This will require a combined effort from the University, the
current students and alumni. Success in this area is pivotal to the success in the other
two areas of investment.
Phil Attwell, January 2008