Ely College welcomed Cambridge and Oxford boat race athletes on campus last week for a day of workshops, competitive training exercises, and inspiring conversation.
The athletes who attended the day on September 21 represent both Cambridge and Oxford University boat clubs and The Boat Race Company.
As part of the day, students at the college worked with the athletes, covering topics such as achieving a balance between academia and sport, and lessons to be learned from success and failure.
Allanah Burdess is a classics undergraduate at Oxford University and a cox for the university boat club.
She said: “It's fantastic that students at Ely College are being introduced to rowing at a relatively early age.
“Being active every day and working towards a common goal with the squad has undoubtedly had a positive impact on all aspects of my life, so it’s great to be able to share my rowing journey with these students and hopefully inspire them to find a passion for the sport.”
Other athletes who visited Ely College were:
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Cam Spires, CUBC (Goldie 2021, 2022)
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Elena von Mueller CUBC (Blondie 2021, 2022)
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Julia Lindsay OUWBC student athlete (Blue Boat 2021, 2022)
Ely College has been awarded The Boat Race Bursary, funded by Gemini, enabling assistant principal Jason Coe and his team to immerse students into the sport.
Furthermore, thanks to a partnering programme with the local rowing club, Isle of Ely, students have been able to access regular expert coaching and use rowing equipment from the club.
Mr Coe said: “I’m thrilled we’ve been able to offer this opportunity to our students and I’m also delighted that our ongoing partnership with Isle of Ely is proving so successful.
“Over 180 students so far have been able to try rowing thanks to the partnership.
“It’s a sport most students wouldn’t have considered before, so it’s a wonderful opportunity.”
Board member of The Boat Race Company, Siobhan Cassidy, said: “We founded the Boat Race Bursary to drive projects just like this one.
“Oxford and Cambridge athletes were able to swap their stories with the Ely College rowers about their shared experiences both in and out of the boat.”
She added: “We came away feeling inspired; it reminded us of how we started out on our own rowing journeys and how far that experience has brought us together.
“We look forward to sharing the water with this new generation of junior rowers.”
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