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FINAL THOUGHTS
Gemma King
CUBC Women’s President
This is my eighth and final year at CUBC so doing everything for the last time has felt very strange. We started the season with the biggest squad in years, from international athletes with over a decade’s worth of experience to college rowers who only just learnt to row.
Trial Eights really showed how far the squad had progressed. There were more crew changes leading into that race than I’d ever experienced before, including several on race day itself. Everyone handled this well and took the opportunity to row in different combinations.
Another highlight of the season was the 2km erg test in November, where most of the squad achieved personal bests, including a new CUBC record and several entries on our leaderboard. There have been challenges but the squad has dealt with everything that’s been thrown at them whether that be illness, injury or even flying fish on training camp.
Being president has highlighted how much work goes on to allow us to train at a high level. It has been a big learning curve, from running culture sessions and attending meetings to helping everyone get the most out of their time with CUBC, but I have enjoyed leading the squad and stepping into a new role. I am hugely grateful to the athletes, coaches, support staff and everyone else for their support and making CUBC what it is.