timeThroughout the boat race’s 195-year history, it has been regarded by the rest of the world as one of those peculiarly British quirks that, like Marmite and pantomime, is best ignored. Not this year.
The New York Times, Fox News, ABC, CNN and many other international media outlets were reporting ahead of Saturday’s game – although it was something floating in the Thames rather than something above it that caused their concern interest.
As Thursday’s New York Times put it: “The warning is stern: Don’t go in the water. Not because of the tide. Not because of the sharks. Because of the sewage.”
“For nearly two centuries, rowers from Oxford have competed in a race with their counterparts from Cambridge, usually celebrated by the victorious crew jumping into the Thames with joy. This year they will be kept as dry as possible.”
high level discovery Second E. coli The 4.25-mile course not only fueled further public anger over the deteriorating state of Britain’s rivers but – as first revealed by The Guardian – also led organizers to issue strict new safety guidelines.
Carys Earl, a 21-year-old medical undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, said everyone was taking the rules very seriously. “As soon as we get out of the water, we wash our hands immediately before touching any other tools or food,” she said. “We also shower, cover any cuts or bruises, and then make sure we have new gear to wear. We are constantly cleaning the boat and equipment.”
Meanwhile, Oxford’s Annie Sharp, 24, who is studying for a master’s degree in water science, policy and management, has a professional and sporting interest in the silt of the Thames. “This problem goes back to the Victorian era,” she points out. “The sewage system was great back then, but it was built for a population of 2 million. Now we have over 9.5 million.
“But there’s a huge focus on innovation and making things better,” she said, pointing to new biofiltration technologies and different ideas for preventing nitrates from leaching into groundwater. “There is a super sewer on the Thames which will be completed this year. I have worked on this before and I think it will be fantastic and transformative.”
But Earle and Sharpe’s attention is mainly focused on Saturday afternoon, when more than 250,000 people are expected to flock to the Thames for the 78th Women’s Rowing Race and the 169th Men’s Rowing Race. It was a long journey for Earle, as she attended public school and did not board the ship until she arrived in Cambridge.
“My university held a barbecue during freshers’ week and said anyone interested could come down and get on the boat,” she said. “I thought it would be fun, so I signed up for the novice program. I loved it and it’s still going.”
Earle has improved so much that she is now trialling for the GB Under-23 squad. “Playing for the national team is everyone’s dream,” she said. “We’ve done the erg tests and my partner and I also competed in the British Water Trials and we came third in the under-23 group and were first, so we’ve now been invited back in April evening There were moments in the second round. But now all my focus is on Saturday.”
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Earl will sit in a six-seat cabin in the Cambridge’s engine room. But when she looks toward the starting line, she’ll see Sharpe, sitting in the same position as Oxford, confident of victory.
“We have a lot of great talent on the boat,” said Sharp, who was determined to win so she could tease her father. Her father rowed on the Isis (reserve) boat in 1990 but was disqualified on the bandstand. “We have six great returnees. So people don’t get caught up in anything that happens in the race. We’ve been building amazing boats and boat speeds from day one.”
Bookmakers agree with this assessment. Cambridge has won six straight games in the women’s competition and four of its last five men’s games. However, Oxford are favorites in both events this year. But one random factor is high water levels in the Thames this week, which has made conditions “absolutely bumpy”, according to Sharp.
Whatever happens, the fact that Oxford and Cambridge have combined their men’s and women’s teams into one club over the past two years is further evidence of the progress women have made, Earle said.
“There’s better inclusivity and equality here,” she said. “We’ve been competing on the Tideway on the same day as the men’s since 2015, which is a game changer.”
