Boat race

Boat race, horse racing, darts, snooker. All boring to me, but loved by millions. However, I do have to admire folks who are at the top of their game, whatever it may be.

 

Tbf to get to the top of rowing takes enormous dedication and some of the fittest peolpe out there. And the olympics sports show they can be a bit more exciting (single kayaking?! Blokes built like pwer lifetrs!) but the boat race is just a quaff at the lower classes by toffs in boaters and awful jackets



lol

 

BS. I rowed for many years ,was at the boat club early mornings after a run etc,it had nothing to do with money,just dedication,and used to train with Oxford ,you just need the right mental attitude,quite rare these days.

 

The non-Britishness of the boats has been a growing trend it seems to me and takes all the tradition out of it. After all, if you're just going to import American post-grad students because they are handy rowers, it makes a mockery of the whole thing. I think the boats should be crewed by undergrads, then you'd pretty much remove that problem.

As for the British obsession with class - an obsession which runs both ways - it is one of the main reasons I left the country. I see nothing has changed in the last 25 years.

 

I'd like to see the same coverage offered to the annual Twickenam rugby game Army v Navy. The game is crap but the needle and fights are awesome!

 

There's a game? I can never normally focus by the time the game is supposed to kick off. :biggrin:

 

There is a major regatta called the Head of the River race,not racing side by side ,but a time trial,there are hundreds of crews that complete.The course is exactly the same as The Boat Race,but rowed in the reverse direction.I am going to be very big headed,just for once,and starting to sound like Uncle Albert,but in 1976 my crew got the course record .If you knew me I don't think you would think I'm a toff.

And yes Mr R,you are correct ,now certain students are defo accepted into said university's because of their sporting prowess,but they do still have to be very academic,something I never achieved.

 

Funnily enough one of my neighbours is very closely related to plebgate,mistakes on both sides made,so probably the politician will come out innocent,but he certainly knows his swear words!

 

... except in the case of Ruskin College, Oxford of course where nearly all of the students are working class, and always have been.

 

I'll bet you've done a little punting in your time though :wink:

 

I was a demon punter in my day. Not as easy as you might think.

 

I know, I only ever tried it when I'd had a few drinks. BTW, I wasn't at Cambridge, a mate of mine was. :biggrin:

 

Not forgetting the Class Warriors on the other side of the divide.

 

Yes, I liked punting. Didn't do enough of it because I think our college only had about one boat. We weren't on the river. It wasn't a very public school sort of college. I was pretty good at it and never fell in.

 

My son is going to Uni ONLY for all the punting he can get...

 

Warn him that he'll need a long pole to do it properly, plus he may get a bit wet.

 

not true. I've rowed that course when I was at school. The race was fine. It was the row back to the start against the tide that killed me!

 

Hoping his pole is long enough already...