Sunday, 10 June 2012

June 10th: The Day The Oxbridge Boat-Race Began

University of Oxford
University of Cambridge




VERSUS




On June 10th 1829, the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs battled it out at Henley on Thames, to settle a challenge raised by two individual rivals. Charles Wordsworth (Oxford) and Charles Merivale (Cambridge) initiated the traditional race, commencing in 1829, when Oxford won easily. How the tables have turned since then, with 2012 witnessing Cambridge achieve victory by 4.25 lengths, totaling 76 wins from Oxford, and a triumphant 81 wins from Cambridge. Although primarily the race was an infrequent event due to the War years, it is now held annually, and more recently a scene of controversy for some.


 After the race was firmly established as a customary practice of two of England's finest institutions, the Championship Course was altered to a 4 mile 374 yard distance, and Cambridge soon set the record of 16 mins 19 secs in 1998. Such a highly-anticipated event with such a highly-sought prize requires the utmost dedication to training. Both Boat Race crews train over a period of 7 months, committing to 3 hours every day, 6 days every week...I feel slightly out of breath just looking at those numbers!
Oxford Boat Race crew, http://theboatrace.org/   
 As you can see from the above photograph, Oxford traditionally wear dark blue and Cambridge light blue, but for June 10th 1829 Cambridge appeared in some rather fetching pink uniforms. Another interesting fact about the history of the boat-race is that despite the crew being prominently male, in 1981, Sue Brown became the first ever woman cox to participate in the tradition. From 1989 onwards, both universities have female coxes, modernizing a very old-fashioned convention to minimise exclusion. 
2012 disruptions: photo by Richard Heathcote  
This year's race hit the press for scandal, rather than success. The 158th boat-race to date had to stop mid-way due to a swimmer causing an obstruction and a danger to the proceedings. Trenton Oldfield swam dangerously close to the blades, claiming to be an anti-elitist protester. Subsequently, he has been banned from going within 1oo metres of any Olympic venues or Diamond Jubilee events. This sparks debate over the nature of the boat-race. Is it just an obsolete ritual kept going for a bit of fun? Or, is it an arrogant, snobbish event exclusive to the country's golden gentry? Personally, I think it's something truly British and part of what makes our country so unique. It's not about class-war. Oxbridge is recognised worldwide as the cream of the crop, but I don't think the boat-race is necessarily a way for the universities to show off. I'd be interested to see what other people think about this...

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