Head of the River Race (HORR) 2009: Stroke Adam Freeman-Pask was instrumental in leading the top IC crew to 12th position overall in the biggest head race of the season. The all-IC crew was comprised of four college freshers and finished second in the S2 category in 18:18.72 . Tideway Scullers’ School I were the overall winners finishing in a time of 17:25.21. Sculler’s crew included Alan Campbell (Olympian/Sculler’s Head of the River Champion), Iztop Cop (Olympic Gold), Mahe Drysdale (World Champion, Olympic bronze), Olaf Tufte (Olympic Gold) and Ondrej Synek (Olympic Silver). Despite the hired guns the win is attributed to ex-Imperial cox Ali Williams who in a limited time transformed the single scullers into a crew of sweep rowers. Rumour has it they made the switch to sweep rowing as a result of becoming bored out of their sculls. The standard of competition in the HORR following an Olympic year is always toughest making Imperial’s 12th place ranking even more poignant. The crew were satisfied with the result and Pask feels he’s a really happy man.

On Friday March 6^th Scott Rennie died suddenly. The only consolation is that when he died he truly was doing what he loved. When people die everything said about them seems to suddenly become positive, their strengths heightened and exaggerated and their flaws instantly forgotten. The incredible thing about Scott is that this is not the case. There genuinely was not a negative word to have been said about him and impressively people seemed to have realised that when he was alive. I was lucky enough to have known Scott for five years and everything about his behaviour and attitude was always exemplary. His presence down at the boat club was enormous and not only because of the sheer size of him! He never complained nor did he have a bad word to say and he always pushed himself incredibly hard. His training ethic and the way he continually conducted himself off the water could not help but endear him to people. Year upon year when a fresh batch of scrawny first years were introduced to the squad he was immediately looked up to and admired.

Heineken Roeivierkamp 2009 - ICBC AMSTERDAM: The email seemed improbable, unlikely at best: rowing in Amsterdam, in a race with Heineken in the title without the wavering finger of duty-bound Head Coach Steve Trapmore. Yet somehow it was true and at 6:30 am last Friday thirty-two excited rowers departed London with boats in tow. Crews from across the world arrived in Tinsel Town to compete in four races (2500m, 250m, 750m, 5000m) over two days. The winner of each category was determined by a points system which takes into account the average 250 metre split over all races. Three men's 8+s and one women’s 8+ showed great determination when racing against tough international competition.

Hammersmith Head 2009: Imperial College Boat Club were victorious at Hammersmith Head last weekend winning the Novice Pennant by 0.7 seconds ahead of Emanuel School BC. The Viking bow-three of Benjamin Fahs (Norway), Andreas Prøsch (Norway) and Alistair Larsson (Sweden) summoned the Heavens as they set off through the starting line. Thunder rumbled and a bolt of lightening crashed over Chiswick Bridge. Stern four reacted into an accelerated race pace as shouts of “Thor the Lightning God is angry! Row on! Raaghhh!!!” bellowed from the bows firing the crew down the 4.4 km course. The crew ranked an impressive 40th overall out of 90 entrants with Elite 8+ Henley RC A taking the overall Head win: only 67 seconds ahead of the Nordic Novices.

Women’s Head of the River 2009: Foreboding renditions of the Travis classic ‘Driftwood’ bellowed from the clubroom window in a questionable showing of “support” from the men’s squad. “And you really didn’t think it would happen/But it really is the end of the line.” And so it was for IC A whom after months of winter training to secure a top ten position only managed a 22nd placing. The crew were stung by a swarm of crews with higher standards than previous years, but more critically had to cope with a cox-box failure upon spinning at the start line. Although the race plan had been well studied beforehand this may have cost the crew precious seconds and the coveted honour of club blazers. The result was undeserved for the crew who have worked tirelessly in preparation for this race.

Reading University Head 2009: Imperial College Boat Club were represented by three senior crews in S2.8+ and two novice crews in S4.8+ last weekend at the Reading University Head. The 4.6 km downstream head race runs from between Mapledurham and Caversham Locks. All senior crews finished with a top twenty placing while the novices had hampered performances as they battled with technical difficulties mid-race.

Olympic and World Champions Defeated at GB Rowing Trials 2009: ICBC’s Adam Freeman-Pask was unbeatable in the third phase of GB Rowing Winter Assessment Trials at Boston Lincolnshire taking top ranking in the LM1x. 16:27.92 was the winning time; the fastest clocked time over all divisions on the day. This was almost 2 seconds ahead of Paul Mattick of Wallingford RC who in 2007 took gold in the LM4- at the World Rowing Championships. In third place, 12 seconds behind Freeman-Pask, was Olympic reserve Rob Williams (London RC). Williams was also the winner of the final cycling time trial at a squad training camp in Sydney this January, which Freeman-Pask did not attend.