It’s rarely a fulfilling season when, as a rower, having undergone six months of brutal training, you’re denied the opportunity to race. It’s even worse when you haven’t been able to get in a boat for six months.
This was the situation facing the Dublin University Ladies Boat Club (DULBC) following the closure of College in March and right through the summer, a period generally viewed as the acme of the rowing calendar.
“It was quite frustrating yeah”, recalls DULBC secretary Eimear Fahy, in what I deemed to be a somewhat subdued reaction under the circumstances. “National Championships were meant to be in July, then they were postponed [to September] to match the strict [lockdown] regulations”.
The same restrictions meant that hopes of a rare trip to the Henley Royal Regatta last summer were dashed, an event considered to be the pinnacle of the season for boat clubs around the world.
“Our long-term focus had been getting to Henley. We’d been fundraising for it over the past two years and had a training camp in Enniskillen in January to help prepare as well, but that all went out the window in March”, says Fahy.
It’s rarely a fulfilling season when, as a rower, having undergone six months of brutal training, you’re denied the opportunity to race
“Having the championships postponed meant that at least we always had that bit of motivation in the back of our minds”, reflects the club’s captain Lily O’Keefe.
“We weren’t really surprised that it was moved given the [lockdown] situation, but it was a shame as we were really building momentum after the winter. Henley was a real disappointment.”
This situation was made bleaker still by the fact that the winter races had been cancelled in the weeks prior to lockdown due to stormy weather.
Things didn’t get much better – not only was lockdown introduced just days before the much-anticipated Colours race, but then the national championships, postponed until September, were cancelled.
“There was so much hype for Colours”, says Fahy in a wistful tone. “In the back of our minds we sort of knew that nationals might not happen, but Colours was a blow – especially to get so close.”
“Going into Colours we thought we were very competitive, I was pretty confident about our chances”, rues O’Keefe. “We had Laura Brown stroking the VIII’s as a first year – a big statement from her – and all the girls were rowing really well too”.
There was so much hype for Colours. In the back of our minds we sort of knew that nationals might not happen, but Colours was a blow – especially to get so close
Despite these demoralising setbacks, Fahy and O’Keefe both remain stoic and optimistic – an outlook which is useful in such an arduous sport.
“As a group, I think we coped quite well under the circumstances”, says Fahy, suggesting that the aforementioned qualities may well be in abundance in the club.
She tells me just how the club adapted to the circumstances: “Everyone had a tailored training regime. [Strength and Conditioning Coach] John [Harnem] devised these for us using things accessible to us, like bodyweight and bags of books. Everyone was accommodated for”.
Such pliancy (“pretty much everyone did the training”, assures Fahy) is yet another impressive string to these athletes’ bow – though both captain and secretary are as unhesitant as they are unreserved in their praise for their coaches for guiding them through this turbulent period.
“I really can’t speak highly enough of them”, declares Fahy, who remains steadfast in her praise when I teasingly asked whether her enthusiasm was an attempt to score a few brownie points with the selectors. “They were very good on our WhatsApp group chat, sending weekly training schedules for the group as well as obviously the individual ones, and quite regular group zoom calls with them.”
Even with such resolute positivity, there’s no denying that the lockdown has been a blow for last year’s novices
“They were very good at keeping us in the loop”, echoes O’Keefe. “We were well sorted, very lucky.”
Perhaps the most impressive adaptation made by the club was the delivery of a rowing machine to each rower in the club’s respective home. “That was our head coach Andrew [Coleman]. He co-ordinated with [the Dublin University Central Athletic Club] to get those Ergos [rowing machines] posted which was unbelievable”, says Fahy, whose only admission of the gruelling nature of these machines is a chuckle in response to my incredulity at her zeal for their arrival.
However, even with such resolute positivity, there’s no denying that the lockdown has been a blow for last year’s novices.
Seeing as they would normally be looking to catch up and eventually compete with the senior girls respectively over the course of the past six months and the coming six, it is an inescapable fact that last season’s interruption stymied their development as rowers.
“It was actually a pity because we had a really strong novice VIII last year, a really good crew”, concedes O’Keefe in a rare lapse in buoyancy.
A lot of the sign-ups we usually get have never rowed before, maybe 90 per cent of them actually, so not having a proper [freshers’] fair this year is a bit of a blow
“In saying that, a number of them have come on leaps and bounds since we’ve started training again, and Andrew’s got them training with the senior squad which’ll help them a lot. Also, the fact they’ve never properly raced before means that Rowing Ireland has allowed them to race in the novice event this year.”
If the current situation on the pandemic front is any indicator, this year’s freshers may well encounter a similarly disjointed season. The first challenge though will be recruiting these freshers, in what is a rather challenging climate for recruitment.
“A lot of the sign-ups we usually get have never rowed before, maybe 90 per cent of them actually, so not having a proper [freshers’] fair this year is a bit of a blow”, admits Fahy. Nonetheless both she and O’Keefe have words of reassurance for any ambivalent or nervous Fresher.
“Give it a chance – I’ve made so many friends by being part of the Boat Club. it’s a great social sport that really forms bonds between the girls. Training takes place everyday too, so you’re guaranteed to meet lots of new people at a time when that sort of thing isn’t very easy”, says Fahy.
“It’s an opportunity to come out and get a bit of fresh air, which is a big plus especially with everything being online this year”, adds O’Keefe.
Training takes place everyday too, so you’re guaranteed to meet lots of new people at a time when that sort of thing isn’t very easy
With the country now under level-five restrictions for six weeks, the fate of the scheduled Erne Head of the River in late November is up in the air. With some luck however, lockdown will just be over in time for what would be their first event in nine months. But so long as the pandemic remains at large, uncertainty hangs around the DULBC boathouse.
Inside the boathouse, however, far more certain is the resilience of a group who together managed to navigate six months of rowing without boats, remaining resolutely upbeat throughout the process. Rest assured, they will find a way to make something of this season too.
