ICBC Winter Training Camp: On January 2, 2009 Imperial College Boat Club established an elite school for the top one percent of its rowers. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of erging combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best rowers in the world. They succeeded. Today, ICBC calls it Fighter Weapons School. The rowers call it: TOP GUN.
The Long Defeat took place at ICBC basecamp with over 210 kilometres covered and thousands of weight repetitions endured over 8 gruelling days. The erg plinking began before light each morning and continued past darkness. As the splits decreased the injured list increased. Gareth ‘Gung-ho’ Brown had a permanent change of station to the bikes suffering from a torn ligament in his finger. Bom Meyrick-Cole was struck with tendonitis in both wrists, Alex Gillies had to forgo the ergo due to back pain while Winny took his slashed hands to the bike in shame: mentally and physically defeated. The million dollar wound went to Will Todd and his great balls of fire who had to keep a low heart rate after a brief flirtation with a hospital drip earlier in the year. The women’s squad were not impervious to injury either with Chewy complaining of severe bum pain throughout the week.
Anyone not holding formation or overrating in the erg zone was immediately fragged by fellow comrades. Tower Trapmore assumed control of the observation post and cries of “Hooyah” echoed throughout the gym. Posture calls in the final leg of the 18 km pieces were efficient morale boosters. The promise of bacon butties for the biggest improvement of splits in the 20 minute pieces became the force multiplier with Louise Hart and AFP smelling the pan the strongest.
Between sessions in the mess hall pasta was shovelled into battle-weary troops who displayed early signs of the thousand yard stare, oblivious to the World’s Strongest Man being shown on the TV screen behind. Crews had been pre-selected for water outings and consequently Trapmore had no patience for anyone wishing to leave ground-zero early: “Tower, this is Ghost rider requesting a flyby.” “That's a negative Ghost rider, the pattern is full.”
Meanwhile, Whitelaw the Outlaw was overseeing core stability operations and was responsible for calling station changes. Roll-outs proved to be the catastrophic kill for exhausted bodies. In the weights room it was too close for missiles and all squads switched to guns for the 4 x 25 sets.
The B-hut in the flat upstairs became a safe haven from the constant grinding of spirit below. Rowers, now a mere shadow of their former selves could be found sprawled in rooms and hallways with offerings of tea providing brief glimpses of hope to crushed souls. At the End of Day, crews yomped home trying to blank out thoughts of the impending torture of yet another day at camp. Memos of nights out from non-rowing friends were placed securely in file 13.
The Awkward squad who couldn’t make daytime sessions could be heard erging late into the night desperately recording splits to offer up to and please the Tower. Sweat, blood and tears: he shows no emotion.
A week of pain and what have we learned? Trapmore means business. ICBC for the win.
Christina Duffy