I haven't watched the boat race for years - it was a regular fixture when I was a child and I would watch it with my mother; we supported Oxford because my grandfather had been there for a year as part of his theological training.
I no longer support anyone in particular, Mark's family has strong Cambridge connections. However, I thought it would be nice to watch it for a change and was rewarded by a particularly exciting race. Well, it seemed quite exciting, everyone said Cambridge was a shoo-in, because they were much heavier... they had 2 British people in their team, as opposed to Oxford's one (both the coxes were British). However, Oxford started extremely well - they seem to have the edge there and were leading most of the way, although Cambridge were very close. I was shocked by how close together they were rowing at various points and they had to be steered away from each other. The race was quite interesting. Then everything stopped because a swimmer appeared near the Oxford oars, risking decapitation! - After a lengthy period of faffing about, the boats went back to the beginning of the Chiswick Eyot and the race re-started. Again Oxford started briskly, the two boats got in each other's way - and clashed, an Oxford rower lost the blade of his oar - about 30 seconds after the re-start. I thought they'd re-start, but that didn't happen, so Cambridge just waltzed away with the race, and watching Oxford heaving away, one oar short, was a depressing sight. I felt sorry for the cox: the commentators first described her as "experienced" and then as "aggressive" - it may have been her fault - she may have been adjusting her path and Cambridge were scuppering her... I doubt it though, it would be such a risky strategy, they could just as easily have lost one of their blades.
Rowing is perhaps the only bit of the Olympics I will watch, but charging about the Dorney tank won't be as exciting as going down the Thames - no swimmers either. I wonder what he was protesting about.
I no longer support anyone in particular, Mark's family has strong Cambridge connections. However, I thought it would be nice to watch it for a change and was rewarded by a particularly exciting race. Well, it seemed quite exciting, everyone said Cambridge was a shoo-in, because they were much heavier... they had 2 British people in their team, as opposed to Oxford's one (both the coxes were British). However, Oxford started extremely well - they seem to have the edge there and were leading most of the way, although Cambridge were very close. I was shocked by how close together they were rowing at various points and they had to be steered away from each other. The race was quite interesting. Then everything stopped because a swimmer appeared near the Oxford oars, risking decapitation! - After a lengthy period of faffing about, the boats went back to the beginning of the Chiswick Eyot and the race re-started. Again Oxford started briskly, the two boats got in each other's way - and clashed, an Oxford rower lost the blade of his oar - about 30 seconds after the re-start. I thought they'd re-start, but that didn't happen, so Cambridge just waltzed away with the race, and watching Oxford heaving away, one oar short, was a depressing sight. I felt sorry for the cox: the commentators first described her as "experienced" and then as "aggressive" - it may have been her fault - she may have been adjusting her path and Cambridge were scuppering her... I doubt it though, it would be such a risky strategy, they could just as easily have lost one of their blades.
Rowing is perhaps the only bit of the Olympics I will watch, but charging about the Dorney tank won't be as exciting as going down the Thames - no swimmers either. I wonder what he was protesting about.
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