Sam Vosper | Pocketmags.com

COPIED
2 mins

Sam Vosper

Club: CUBC

Height: 189cm

School: Thomas More College (South Africa)

International rowing record: n/a

Year you first started rowing: 2010

How have you coped this year?

I haven’t found the situation too adverse to be honest. Training from home made managing my recovery and work easy. Although, I did miss the boys.

Could you build a strong team culture while training virtually?

It has been harder than normal but having a communal training spreadsheet helped keep the excitement and internal competition alive. We still managed to foster a good vibe.

Were the isolated ergs better or worse than expected?

It was pretty much what I expected. It is quite similar to the offseason training for me, so I have not minded that too much.

What was your lockdown training set up?

It was a bit of a change to normal. I have been erging in a doorway with half the machine in the kitchen and half in the hallway to make the most of some cooler conditions.

How do you cope with race day nerves?

I normally try not to think about the race outcome. In reality all you can do is deliver a process. The process usually hurts a lot, and you can’t change that so it’s best not to think about it too much.

The biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge has been trying to make technical improvements in a very short period of time.

The toughest session?

I find the 30 minutes rate 20 max effort test pretty tough. I am not a big guy and find the rate capped pieces pretty challenging to fight the bigger boys on.

The best day, so far?

Winning the Trial VIIIs was a highlight.

Only the Blue Boat races on the 4th April 2021: What’s it like splitting the squad?

The decision to cut the training numbers was a bit of a blow to morale initially but I feel like the team as a whole has bounced back with a heightened focus on an even more singular goal.

Is it strange to train without the reserve eight?

We still have a 2nd coxed four training as the reserves so that group is able to bring a bit of Goldie energy to the set up by challenging the top boat and generally keeping up a good atmosphere.

How did it feel getting back on the water?

Getting back on the water was awesome. It has made the race feel a lot more real suddenly and that has definitely got the boys pumped up.

Why do you want to beat Oxford?

I feel like it is rooted in some deep-seated sporting tribalism. In sport it doesn’t really matter who your adversary is, it’s just important that you have one and that you want to beat them at all costs.

This article appears in The Boat Race - 2021 Programme

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This article appears in...
The Boat Race - 2021 Programme
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