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FINAL THOUGHTS
Rob Baker
Men’s Chief Coach, Cambridge
The Boat Race means so much to so many, it’s an event with a historic rivalry and enduring appeal. So at the start of the season it came as no surprise to welcome many new faces and returning athletes through the doors of Goldie Boathouse in Cambridge. This year’s squad are a relatively quiet group, yet competitive in nature. Dedicated and professional, they have fully thrown themselves at the training load with good effect.
The season started with a US trip. For the second consecutive year Cambridge were the fastest men’s eight at The Head Of The Charles Regatta, in Boston, MA. That, and a solid performance from our second boat, provided early encouragement. Back home at Ely, the positive momentum continued in smaller boats which fast-tracked the squad’s technical development. Trials Eights capped off the first half of the campaign. I’ve prepared Boat Race crews for over twenty seasons, but this was one of the most competitive Trial Eights I’ve ever seen. It went the distance and the crews showed considerable courage and commitment all the way down The Championship Course. In short, they had a proper Boat Race experience which could prove invaluable against Oxford.
Not long back from Cambridge’s January training camp in Portugal, it is far too soon to name the respective Blue Boat and Goldie line-ups. What I can say is that the selection battles for this year’s crews have been tight and fiercely fought.
Underdogs or overdogs; it doesn’t change anything. As cliché as this might sound, I don’t think about Oxford. The job is to produce the best Cambridge crews possible. To do that means chasing every second of boat speed and ensuring the athletes have the tools to improve. There will be challenges yet, but I am confident Cambridge will be ready come Boat Race day.