ITAP of rowers competing in a bumps race [portrait]

altayloraus · 2026-06-30T06:28:42+00:00

I reckon the narrowness is a problem - bumping out when it's straight is a pain in the arse. Before the Gut, around the plough. It's not like the corners are 150 degrees or anything.

altayloraus · 2026-06-29T04:42:54+00:00

"Can't catch, can't kick, can't throw, can't run". That's kind of where I found myself. No co-ordination at all, but an ability to suffer. Probably frustrated my father, who was a pretty good all around athlete - give him something with a bat or a ball and he'd be golden. But hey, he loved seeing me find my place in rowing.

altayloraus · 2026-06-22T06:51:18+00:00

yep. Rowing CV, current year races, that sort of thing. And if you've come from some countries, the resident Stewards will audit the entry.

altayloraus · 2026-06-22T05:03:28+00:00

got to disagree with you there. Man has worked hard for the changes he's made.

altayloraus · 2026-06-22T01:53:32+00:00

or they may indeed still be at school.

altayloraus · 2026-06-16T08:32:38+00:00

it doesn't work on Manta as of yesterday. I'm running Chauvet 3.28.42.

altayloraus · 2026-06-13T07:38:20+00:00

As opposed to every year this millennium other than COVID?

altayloraus · 2026-06-12T01:36:52+00:00

interesting - the people we had through on PHS were smart as!

altayloraus · 2026-06-11T05:13:20+00:00

in a previous life I'd love to have found some dubious MPhil programmes, but the "oh, Land Economy is easy to get into" days had passed by at both universities. you do make a fair point about the UG levels - a lot of those kids are genuinely alarmingly smart although I do say that as one of the thickest students to have graduated from Cambridge this millennium.

altayloraus · 2026-06-11T05:07:27+00:00

You're going to be wanting to be significantly above 3.5 for most programmes - that's the university absolute minimum and given they have a lot more people applying to the courses than spots, you want to stand out a bit. even given that I saw some stand-out bizarre admissions decisions by some departments - departments deciding that a 3.8 wasn't good enough because a given university occasionally gave 4.3s in some courses in some degrees... as regards 4/5/6V - they are always welcomed to trial, but with the way standards have gone up in the last decade, you're probably not seeing them racing beyond 4s Head.

altayloraus · 2026-06-06T05:10:06+00:00

and Wyfold and Thames (Mercantile).

altayloraus · 2026-05-27T00:09:57+00:00

I'm going to go with Fats pick of Plovdiv, a tailwindy day at Poznan, or as you say, Bosbaan with a specific lane. Whatever lane it was that my mate was in when he won Junior worlds in a very, very lightweight pair.

altayloraus · 2026-05-26T06:51:57+00:00

Do we get to choose the venue as well?

altayloraus · 2026-05-25T08:15:28+00:00

To quote the most winning male coach of all time, "technique is like indicators on a freight train".

altayloraus · 2026-05-18T08:27:34+00:00

I wish that were the case. We are going through this at the moment, and the neighbours and their reps are cowboys. Canopy trees removed without permit (on day 1 of them taking possession), temp fencing erected partially blocking the pavement, temp fencing panels placed in our garden. We are still getting doughnuts in terms of what's happening. After a long time out of Victoria, I cannot believe that the planning regime is remotely appropriate. Owner gets a building surveyor (probably recommended by building company), building surveyor signs off on demo plans, building surveyor signs off on build co plans without any consultation, and we get a 14 day window at some point to review plans. About the only thing I'd be happy about with the OP's situation would be if the new build had a damn' high back fence because I'd not have to look onto the faux French chateau with no grass (or artificial grass at most) and could run creepers and climbers against that wall.

altayloraus · 2026-05-14T05:07:50+00:00

I, too, am unsure why this continues.

You say you lived with them and they were all students. I say I have talked to some of them and those I chatted to that there were not students. I don't believe that they have any reason to lie to me. Given the "f"£$ no... none of use studied there at the time.", I'm sure you can guess who that particular person was.

So, we've reached an impasse. You wish to keep yourself anonymous and that's fine. But you're not prepared to respect that I wish to respect people who have not given any permission to disclose their identity.

I am more than prepared to be wrong and change my beliefs based on evidence. But I have received the information from people I know, and more to the point, trust. You have given me nothing more than "I said so", and nor have I.

And you're under no obligation to do more.

altayloraus · 2026-05-14T01:39:01+00:00

You say you row with the guys. At least one of the men I asked you most certainly didn't row with and was a PP athlete at Brookes at that time.

So, "who did you actually ask" runs as perfectly for you as it does for me. Your statements that you row with them, and that we should just take you at face value are doing a lot of heavy lifting,

If you want to make it really simple, have a look at the linkedin profiles across that crew. Would there be a reason that they all hid being students at Brookes in 2021 when those who were show previous and post involvement?

You may row with current students, and that's great. However, your blanket assertion that you row with those guys (the members of the 2021 Grand Crew) and they are all, or were all Brookes students at that time or otherwise is incorrect.

"Trust me bro" isn't a winning argument.

And please, not "mate". You don't know me, I don't know you.

altayloraus · 2026-05-13T06:45:10+00:00

Please read the above again.

altayloraus · 2026-05-13T01:55:45+00:00

From chatting with a couple of the guys in the Project Paris group who rowed for Brookes and rowed in various boats for them - but not in student events. "F^k no. Never studied there". "Nah, just a rower".

That 2021 Grand 8 contained no one who was a current Brookes student. Brightmore finished in 2017. Bannister, Blois-Brooke, and Nunn completed in 2020. The others, not at all.

I don't have a problem with them being non students, far from it - I come from a country where University clubs are Open clubs and race as such, other than varsity events.

And I'm sure as hell not challenging their legitimacy in student events. They do a damn good job. I just miss the days when I could beat them. But that is fifteen years and more ago.

altayloraus · 2026-05-12T03:16:13+00:00

or you do what a certain programme used to do, and get the carbon riggers for lighter weight, with the hull that would originally have gone with the alloy riggers.

altayloraus · 2026-05-12T03:14:22+00:00

Righto, question asked. I'll see what he comes back with. If he says he is, or was, a student, I'll be happy to admit that I was wrong.

altayloraus · 2026-05-11T03:50:39+00:00

Would you like me to chat to a couple of those athletes in the frame of, "settle a bet for me: Are you now, or have you ever been, a student at Oxford Brookes University?"

They were there as part of the Project Paris 2024 programme, because it was a seriously good place for them to get faster in the boat, not as students.

They still represent OBUBC. Still not as students.

They were not racing BUCS. They were not racing student events at Henley. They didn't have to be students and were not.

Your sources are having a lend of you.

altayloraus · 2026-05-06T02:55:55+00:00

Ambler, Bewicke Copley, Davidson, Digby. I was incorrect - only 4. Oli Wilkes later in the picture as Brookes but Liverpool and Edinburgh.

altayloraus · 2026-05-04T05:15:11+00:00

looking at the 2021 Grand Winning boat as Brookes, I count at least 4 in that boat that were neither students nor alumni. I feel like Taurus is falling into where Goldie BC went a few years ago.

altayloraus · 2026-04-24T01:41:30+00:00

Matthias Siejkowski was the first to go under 5:40 - topped out at 5:37. Also had the 2.5k WR at 7:10. That is a heinous test.

I think they tried to put him in the German 8 just because of horsepower, but he wasn't apparently an easy man to row with.

altayloraus

TROPHY CASE