Bangor University Rowing Club
Encyclopedia
Bangor University Rowing Club is the rowing club of Bangor University
. The students row on the Menai Strait
.
dates back to 1901, taking advantage of a stretch of open water that is located there. Situated on the Menai Strait in-between the Menai Suspension Bridge
and Garth Pier, it gives the club a 3.5mile stretch of tidal water to train on. The club currently consists of 70 members of all abilities ranging from novices to seasoned oarsmen.
To the S.W of the Strait is the Menai Suspension Bridge
, a marvel of the engineering world, and held as the worlds first true suspension bridge. As you row N.E towards the pier, you pass the village of Menai Bridge
, and the moorings of the School of Ocean Sciences. Continuing on up the Strait, the banks are lined with yachts, and to the south a large sand bank occurs at low tides, however at high tides gives fast, flat water. As you near the pier Snowdonia comes into view, on good days, all the high peaks are visibile in profile from the Strait. Bangor pier is the 'finish line' for our section of the Strait, which must be the most beautiful row in Britain.
The Strait is also home to an array of wildlife, Grey Seals are a common sight in flat conditions when the follow boats up and down while training. The extensive bird life in the area is also notable, Great Cormorants, Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag, Kittiwake, Common Eide, Black Guillemo; and Puffins which are becoming increasingly common on the Strait. The water quality is a lot higher than that of inland rivers and canals where other clubs are based, the Strait is designated a proposed Marine Nature Reserve and European Special Area of Conservation. Furthermore Snowdonia National Park and numerous SSSi and NNR's flank the Strait making it arguably the most beautiful rowing course in the UK.
However the open nature of the Strait requires the club to face the ocean and poor weather that the Irish Sea brings. Sometimes it is as flat as a mill pond with little tidal stream whilst other times it can be inaccessible due to high winds, high tides and strong tidal flows.
The club then went to Chester Regatta, where they won the Victor Ludorum Trophy, for being the most successful club of the day, winning more events than any other club or university.
They continued their success, at Northwich regatta with the women winning yet another event.
They then began the university year by going to the North West Universities Indoor Championships in November. The Club took 4 freshers who only started rowing in September and 7 senior rowers. Bangor University won the men’s beginner, men’s lightweight, women’s heavyweight, along with the beginner and senior team events. Coming 2nd in women's heavyweight, 2nd in mens lightweight and third in women’s beginner. With Tom Purnell a Bangor University freshman, getting the fastest overall time of the day making him the fastest indoor university rower in the North West of the UK.
The first event after Christmas saw Bangor University Men come 24th at the BUCS head in February 2010, out of 40. A very solid performance.
In March the Club took a women's crew to the Head of the River, made up of 4 rowers who only started this year and 4 experienced rowers, they finished a respectable 10seconds behind the previous years Bangor crew.
The men went to Head of the River, where there was a record entry of over 400 8’s, that’s 3200 athletes, consisting of a lot of past and present Olympic Champions. The Club improved on last years performance by coming 70 places higher, with 2 of the crew only starting rowing this that academic year Our new training plan coupled with experienced coaching made this possible.
In Easter the Club went to their first ever international regatta in Toulouse, where they borrowed boats and equipment for racing. With poor equipment, Bangor University Rowing Club held their own. The women's 8+, came 2nd in two events, receiving medals for Saturdays performance and a trophy for Sundays event. The mens 8+, were narrowly beaten by the home favourites to just miss out on a final. The mens and women's quads both beat off a lot of competition and made it to the C finals on both days. The Club managed to beat at least 6 other teams, when the men or women had never been in a quad before! (apart from 2 of them).
Bangor University
Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
. The students row on the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
.
Background
Rowing in BangorBangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
dates back to 1901, taking advantage of a stretch of open water that is located there. Situated on the Menai Strait in-between the Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
and Garth Pier, it gives the club a 3.5mile stretch of tidal water to train on. The club currently consists of 70 members of all abilities ranging from novices to seasoned oarsmen.
Location
The Strait offers both a challenging and beautiful environment to row on throughout the year. The Strait is a remnant of the last age which split Anglesey from the Welsh main land. This gives the club an open ended Fjord to train on.To the S.W of the Strait is the Menai Suspension Bridge
Menai Suspension Bridge
The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, it was the first modern suspension bridge in the world.-Construction:...
, a marvel of the engineering world, and held as the worlds first true suspension bridge. As you row N.E towards the pier, you pass the village of Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge is a small town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford...
, and the moorings of the School of Ocean Sciences. Continuing on up the Strait, the banks are lined with yachts, and to the south a large sand bank occurs at low tides, however at high tides gives fast, flat water. As you near the pier Snowdonia comes into view, on good days, all the high peaks are visibile in profile from the Strait. Bangor pier is the 'finish line' for our section of the Strait, which must be the most beautiful row in Britain.
The Strait is also home to an array of wildlife, Grey Seals are a common sight in flat conditions when the follow boats up and down while training. The extensive bird life in the area is also notable, Great Cormorants, Guillemot, Razorbill, Shag, Kittiwake, Common Eide, Black Guillemo; and Puffins which are becoming increasingly common on the Strait. The water quality is a lot higher than that of inland rivers and canals where other clubs are based, the Strait is designated a proposed Marine Nature Reserve and European Special Area of Conservation. Furthermore Snowdonia National Park and numerous SSSi and NNR's flank the Strait making it arguably the most beautiful rowing course in the UK.
However the open nature of the Strait requires the club to face the ocean and poor weather that the Irish Sea brings. Sometimes it is as flat as a mill pond with little tidal stream whilst other times it can be inaccessible due to high winds, high tides and strong tidal flows.
Boat Inventory
The club currently comprises the following boats:- Empacher heavy weight 8+ (Used for Men's squad) ex Olympic
- Simms Light Weight 8+
- Bow Loaded 4+ (The Oyster)
- Janousek 4+
- Burgashell 1x (Paul Johnson Memorial Boat)
2009/2010 Competitive Review
Bangor University Rowing Club took 5 crews to BUCS regatta 09, the men’s 8+ got into the semi finals, unfortunately the race never went ahead due to bad weather, so the 6 fastest times from the heats did a final later in the evening. The other crews bar one made it through the time trials to the heats, but did not progress further.The club then went to Chester Regatta, where they won the Victor Ludorum Trophy, for being the most successful club of the day, winning more events than any other club or university.
They continued their success, at Northwich regatta with the women winning yet another event.
They then began the university year by going to the North West Universities Indoor Championships in November. The Club took 4 freshers who only started rowing in September and 7 senior rowers. Bangor University won the men’s beginner, men’s lightweight, women’s heavyweight, along with the beginner and senior team events. Coming 2nd in women's heavyweight, 2nd in mens lightweight and third in women’s beginner. With Tom Purnell a Bangor University freshman, getting the fastest overall time of the day making him the fastest indoor university rower in the North West of the UK.
The first event after Christmas saw Bangor University Men come 24th at the BUCS head in February 2010, out of 40. A very solid performance.
In March the Club took a women's crew to the Head of the River, made up of 4 rowers who only started this year and 4 experienced rowers, they finished a respectable 10seconds behind the previous years Bangor crew.
The men went to Head of the River, where there was a record entry of over 400 8’s, that’s 3200 athletes, consisting of a lot of past and present Olympic Champions. The Club improved on last years performance by coming 70 places higher, with 2 of the crew only starting rowing this that academic year Our new training plan coupled with experienced coaching made this possible.
In Easter the Club went to their first ever international regatta in Toulouse, where they borrowed boats and equipment for racing. With poor equipment, Bangor University Rowing Club held their own. The women's 8+, came 2nd in two events, receiving medals for Saturdays performance and a trophy for Sundays event. The mens 8+, were narrowly beaten by the home favourites to just miss out on a final. The mens and women's quads both beat off a lot of competition and made it to the C finals on both days. The Club managed to beat at least 6 other teams, when the men or women had never been in a quad before! (apart from 2 of them).
Club Captains & Committee Members
| Year | Club Captain | Men's Captain | Women's Captain | Boat Man | Treasurer | Secretary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | Colin | Will Greswell | ||||
| 2001–2002 | Ben Newton/ Lorna Mcdermit | Ed Grange | Nicole Evans | Will Greswell | Clare Woods | Jenny Sharp |
| 2002–2003 | Ellie Hickman | Ben Newton/Tom Harrison | Laura Arti/Jenny Sharp | Nicky Turner | Anna Jackson | |
| 2003–2004 | Carl Mitchell | Tom Dingwall | Jenny Ratcliffe | |||
| 2004–2005 | Ali Colquhoun | Ali Kato | ||||
| 2005–2006 | Victoria Wain | |||||
| 2006–2007 | Hannah Trippier & Edward Blum | Tim Newing | Vivienne Sim | Tim Newing | Lucy (Unknown Surname) | Tanya Penwill |
| 2007–2008 | Paul Johnson | Matthew Jackson | Sarah Couling | Luke Sweeting | ||
| 2008–2009 | Danielle Giles | Mark Havelock | Helen Aldred | Luke Sweeting | Ian Robinson | Harriet Wills |
| 2009–2010 | Ian Robinson | Dan Harris | Steph Jaques | Christian Russell-Pollock | Douglas Philips | Catherine Tooher |
| 2010–2011 | Jon Kay | TBA | Franki Perry | Christian Russell-Pollock | Vanessa Eddie | Hannah Harries |
Club Awards
As of the 2008/2009 season Bangor University Rowing Club began distributing awards to its members in recognition of their achievements during the rowing season and their time with BURC. Below is a record of those awards:| Year | Men's Rower of the Year | Woman's Rower of the Year | Services to Rowing | Rowers Rower | Fresher of the Year | Most Improved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2009 | Dan Harris | Luke Sweeting | N/A | Christian Russell-Pollock | Scott Jackson | |
| 2009–2010 | Christian Russell-Pollock | Helen Aldred | Dan Harris | Dan Harris | Franki Perry | Jon Kay |
| 2010–2011 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |