User:Aloneinthewild/Christ Church Boat Club

Christ Church Boat Club is the college boat club of Christ Church, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It has existed for nearly two centuries to provide rowing and competition facilities for undergraduate and graduate men and women studying at Christ Church (often referred to as the 'House').

Founded c. 1817, Christ Church Boat Club has a proud history among the Oxford Colleges. Each year its crews compete at varying levels in the Oxford bumping races and in other competitions in Oxford and in the wider rowing world.

Novice rowing programmes begin within a short time of arrival in Oxford in Michaelmas term, culminating seven weeks later in the Christ Church Regatta, a large annual event involving race-offs between the novice crews of all the Oxford colleges. The following Hilary term brings Torpids - an annual bumping race in eights - and, finally, in the Trinity term a second set of bumping races in Eights Week. A few of the most proficient are selected to row for the university crews, either in OUBC or OUWBC, or in the men's and women's lightweight or development squads.

The Christ Church Boat Club Society exists as an association of old members of the House, who come together to provide support in the form of coaching, funding and attendance at races.

History
The exact date of the club's foundation is obscure: certainly it was in existence by 1817 when the House crew first took the title 'Head of the River', which bumping races had commenced in 1815.

In 1828 Christ Church men became the first Oxford crew to row against external opposition when they raced Leander Club on the Tideway in London. Formal incorporation of the club followed in 1832, just after the OUBC.

In the very first Varsity Boat Race of 1829 there were no fewer than five Christ Church men - and the colours of the then Head crew were chosen for the OUBC. The House has produced more men's 'Blues' than any other college, and the clubs use of the dark blue colours continues to this day.

Successes
During the first half of the nineteenth century Christ Church crews held the Headship for most of those years, producing a huge proportion of OUBC men and, in 1827, producing the first-ever second crew.

The 1860s to the end of the century saw a relative decline in the rowing fortunes of the House, but by the 1890s there were strong signs of revival, and in the early years of the last century, the club recovered its pre-eminence, winning the Headship.

Henley
In 1908 the club triumphed in the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, by beating the Belgian National Eight. Overall, to this day the House has won more rowing trophies at Henley than any other Oxford college.

Post-war
World War One took a terrible toll of House oarsmen: it was not until the mid 1920s that the Boat Club recovered, regaining the Headship in 1924 for four years, before another slight decline in the 1930s. After World War Two the House remained in its usual position in the top half of the First Division, but only again took the Headship in 1958.

The early 1970s again saw a period of dominance at 1st and 2nd VIII level, and the history of Eights for the next twenty years was a battle between Christ Church and Oriel College, with others taking part only intermittently. After another dip in the mid 1990s (when the Men's 1st VIII reached its lowest position of 12th, though remaining in the First Division) a revival took place that saw the boat rise ten places in four years, an achievement that also encompassed the second boat.

Modern day
Currently, the House holds the Headship of Torpids and is 2nd on the river in Summer Eights. The Men's 2nd and 3rd Eights are also the highest in their respective categories.

In 2008 a coxless four composite reached the Final of the Visitors’ Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta – a feat unmatched by any Oxford college in recent times.

Women's rowing


The first women's crew raced in 1981, soon after female undergraduates were admitted to the House. As most of the previously men-only colleges had become co-educational before Christ Church, there was a lot of ground to make up, but within a decade the women had entered the First Division in Summer Eights. 1993 saw First Division status conferred in Torpids for the first time. The 1990s saw less rapid advances, with the 1st VIII/Torpid maintaining a position around the top of the Second Division or bottom of the First Division.

Since 2002, the rapid progress of the early years has been replicated; but this time against the stiffer opposition of the First Division. In the five Summer Eights after 2002, the 1st VIII rose an entire division: Eights 2006 saw the Women's 1st VIII finish Second on the river, with only St. Edmund Hall standing between them and the first women's Headship.

Progress has also been made in Torpids, with the recent Second place finish in 2009 being a notable high point. These excellent results have been aided by the considerable number of representatives that the House has provided to the OUWBC and the OUWLRC. Since 2003 women from the House have raced in the Henley Boat Races against Cambridge nine times.

The success of the women's boat club came at a time when the House celebrated the 25th anniversary of co-education, and the new women's shell, funded by the Boat Club Society, was been named for the first women's captain: Ila Burdett.

Colours
The first boat clubs were few in number back in 1815, so it was possible to choose simple designs and still be readily recognizable. The pioneer oarsmen of Oxford were able to adopt plain colours: Green for Jesus, black for Brasenose, red for Exeter and dark blue for the House, a colour gifted to OUBC and once disputed with its Cambridge sister college boat club, Trinity First and Third.

The clothing worn would be considered picturesque by today's standards: few nowadays would relish rowing in tall stove-pipe hats. From the earliest times Christ Church men rowed in white jerseys with narrow blue horizontal stripes and a dark blue neckerchief - a uniform not dissimilar to that of Royal Naval tars of the time - even down to the long white trousers.

The 'duster', a checked pattern in white and dark blue, is one of the most distinctive and enduring features of the Christ Church Boat Club. This seems to have originated in the mid 1820s when the crew dispensed with tall hats and adopted the 'tam o' shanter' scotch bonnet worn by Caledonian farmers and soldiers. This was dark blue in colour, with a band around the rim diced in dark blue and white. The checked pattern was soon the model for the neckerchiefs and, by the 1930s for the shorts worn by the crews - these bright additions enduring until the late 1960s. The 'duster' tie is now associated with Christ Church Boat Club in particular, though the official Boat Club tie remains dark blue silk seeded with the Cardinal's hat motif in white.

Blazer
In 1897 the first VIII adopted the blazer (white, with dark blue Petersham trim and a red cardinal's hat pocket badge) which has been current ever since. The second VIII blazer is as above, only without the blue trim, the third VIII as the second, but with cloth-covered white buttons. The first Torpid blazer (blue with gilt buttons and a white cardinal's hat pocket badge) is not seen nowadays.

Flag
The Boat Club flag, dark blue, quartered by a plain white cross, is derived from the Wolsey/Ufford shield on the College arms. This flag was once flown at the top of a pole at the Head of the River Barge, signifying the finishing order of the crews in the bumping races. These days it adorns the Boat House during competition and various crew photographs.

Linked Boat Clubs

 * First and Third Trinity Boat Club, Cambridge

Trinity is the House's sister college, also re-founded by King Henry VIII, and also the largest and most prestigious of its peer group. The crews row with dark blue blades, once the source of some friction with the Christ Church Boat Club, though relations between the two clubs today are very cordial.


 * KSRV 'Njord', Leiden, The Netherlands

Formed in 1874 by the Leiden University student corps, Njord is named after a god of Scandic mythology: his swan and his sky-blue robe feature in the club's crest. The association of the club with Christ Church is of relatively recent origin. In 2003 a Christ Church men's crew rowed at Leiden and then in the Head of the Amstel race, while two lightweight fours from Njord came over to Oxford in November 2003 and rowed in the Fours Head and visited again in 2008 and 2010.

Headships
Of the 181 contests since the inception of organized bumping, Christ Church has held the Headship a total of 33 times. This is still more than any other college, in spite of strenuous efforts on the part of Oriel over the last 30 years, giving that college a tally of 26 Headships overall.

During the nearly two centuries of contests on the Isis there have been many changes - for example in course raced and in the number of nights rowed - and yet in each year that the contest has taken place there has been a Head Crew.

The Headship in Torpids was lost in 1992 and it was not until 2009 that it was regained - the Men's 1st Torpid bumping up twelve places in only three years to capture the Headship in some style and to retain it in 2010.

Olympians

 * Harold Barker (Coxless Four) – 1908 GB
 * Robin Bourne-Taylor (Eight 2004, Pair 2008) GB
 * Ken Brown (Eight) - 1974 USA
 * Lewis Clive (Coxless Pairs) Gold – 1932 GB
 * Hugh R A (Jumbo) Edwards (Coxless Pair & Coxless Four) Gold - 1932 (pairs); Gold - 1932 (fours) GB
 * Sir Albert C Gladstone (Eight) Gold – 1908 GB
 * Charles Grimes (Eight) Gold – 1956 USA
 * Ante Kusurin (Double Sculls) - 2008 Croatia
 * Jamie Schroeder (Quadruple Sculls) - 2008 USA
 * David Sawyier (Coxed Four) – 1972 USA
 * Jonny Searle (Coxed Pairs, Coxed Four) Gold - 1992; Bronze – 1996 GB
 * Cameron Winklevoss (Coxless Pair) - 2008 USA
 * Tyler Winklevoss (Coxless Pair) - 2008 USA
 * Charles Cole (Coxless Four) Bronze - 2012 USA