MEN’S SQUAD
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants”
The messages that line the walls of our ergo gallery all share the common motif of the tied connections between our club’s exceptional past with the successes we experience today and the achievements that we earn as we work together as a Men’s Squad, and as a club. We are reminded daily of the strength of our clubs legacy, and the outstanding history that our triumphs are built upon.
At the heart of the Men’s Squad is the motivation to always push to the next level of achievement and performance, with athletes going on to compete at the highest levels of our sport. The DUBC Men’s Squad follows the GB High Performance Program, which has been tailored by our coaching team to suit the lifestyle required by student athletes at a top UK university.
We focus on several main events through the academic year, beginning with Rutherford Head and BUCS Head before going to training camp in January. Then, once returning to Durham, we race at HORR amongst other events, then look to regatta season with key races including Durham Regatta, BUCS Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta.
Members of our Men’s Squad go to GB U23 Trials every year, and regularly see success there. In November 2019, four current Men’s Squad members made it under the cutoff time (George Bourne, Magnus Burgess-Smith, Ed Gardiner, Callum Prosser) and Callum Prosser went on to come 2nd in the U23 lightweight 1x at the 5k water assessment the next day. Magnus Burgess-Smith and Ed Gardiner in their new pair combination came across the line only 24 seconds shy of last year’s U23 World Championship medalists, alumni Oscar Lindsay and partner Will Stewart.
Representatatives of the DUBC Men’s Squad have achieved remarkable things at international levels of rowing, including but not limited to: Steve Rowbotham (Bronze, 2008 Olympic Games), Angus Groom (Gold, 2015 World Cup), George Bourne (Gold, 2019 World U23 Championships), Oscar Lindsay (Silver, 2019 World U23 Championships) and Will Fletcher (Gold, 2015 World Cup)
women’s squad
“There is no education like adversity”
The Women’s Squad is embodied by the strong sense of enthusiasm and passion for the sport, combined with high-level performance. Our squad welcomes athletes with previous rowing experience and follows the same GB High Performance Programme as the Men’s Squad. We focus on some key races starting in winter with Rutherford Head, BUCS Head and WEHORR, and then build up to summer regatta season for Durham Regatta, BUCS Regatta and Henley Women’s Regatta, amongst others. We have a close community within our squad through which we encourage one another to become the best student athletes possible and every year we welcome new members to our squad.
Every year we send members of our Women’s Squad to GB U23 Trials, and November 2019 trials saw great results as first time triallists Tash Morrice & Georgia Dean were the 5th fastest U23 pair over the 5k course and Meg Halpin coming under the cut off time whilst setting a 2k PB. Durham University Boat Club’s top pair of the 2018/19 year, Lauren Irwin and Helena Barton, came 4th at trials the year before them with Lauren then going on to win gold at the World Championships, and since being invited to Caversham to challenge for a seat in the Olympic team.
The Durham University Boat Club Women’s Squad boasts a phenomenal set of alumni athletes, with many going on to train with clubs such as Leander and Tideway Scullers School after their time at DUBC comes to an end.
Representatives of our Women’s Squad have taken to the international rowing stage, boasting a haul of medals including, but not limited to: Sophie Hosking, Gold (2012 Olympic Games), Lily van den Broecke, Gold (2012 Paralympic Games), Louisa Reeve, Gold (2010 World Championships), Lauren Irwin, Gold (2019 World U23 Championships) and Emily Taylor, Gold (2010 World University Championships). To date, DUBC Women’s Squad members hold 17 Henley Women’s Regatta wins and have enabled 18 top ranked crews at WeHORR.