UBBC Alumni take on their own (Not) Bristol Half Marathon

With the Bristol Half Marathon being cancelled earlier this year, some University of Bristol Boat Club Alumni members took it upon themselves to train for and complete the race anyway. The ‘(Not) Bristol Half Marathon’ took place on September 27th 2020 at Dorney Lake with 11 Nonesuch members making it to the start line.

There were several energy gels involved, a water station (that you had to run a small 50m loop around in order to return your bottle) and 4 waves of runners. There was even a support team, courtesy of Jonny Gorner's parents.

Four-and-a-half laps of the lake later (or until your watch told you could stop), we had 7 PBs and 11 hungry participants. Marcus Smith (UBBC 2016-19) took the top spot in a brisk 1:27:08, with James Foster (UBBC 2015-18) and Jonny Gorner (UBBC 2013-16) hot on his heels to round off the podium. It just goes to show, even in a global pandemic, that rowers will always find a way to hurt themselves on Dorney lake.

Enjoy a photo of the runners and rest assured they nursed themselves back to full health in the local pub afterwards.

UBBC supporters get together virtually for a 2020 Henley Royal Regatta drinks event

Every year for the past 36 years, UBBC Alumni and friends have assembled in Lion Meadow during the Saturday afternoon tea break at Henley Royal Regatta. Few miss the opportunity to reunite with old friends, and catch up over a glass of Pimm’s– and this year was no exception!

Despite the cancellation of the regatta due to COVID-19, the UBBC Alumni Committee found a new way to continue our annual tradition...

Over 55 members joined our virtual meet-up via Zoom, timed to coincide with what would have been the Saturday tea break at the regatta– a remarkable turnout given members had to supply their own Pimm’s this year.

As everyone’s computer screens lit up with a sea of University of Bristol Boat Club blazers, participants were greeted with an opening message from Chris Hartley (UBBC Alumni Chairman), beamed all the way from Sydney, Australia. 

Chris very generously gifted a prize of a Leander Bicentenary Grand Champagne Vintage Cognac as the prize for our prize draw. Entrants into the draw were encouraged to donate in support of our fundraising efforts for UBBC. The lucky winner was student Novice squad coach Francis Stanford (UBBC 2017-present). Congratulations Francis!

Given there was no racing this year, we were further treated to a montage of racing highlights from UBBC and Nonesuch BC crews from the last five years.

The main event was a quiz based (extremely loosely!) on the markers of the Henley Royal Regatta course. Participants “raced” to answer questions on legendary Nonesuch crews, UBBC history and knowledge, UBBC boat names, club trivia and plenty more. Competitors’ performances were judged on both the accuracy of their answers and the speed of completion. The winning competitor was Lily Donovan (UBBC 2016-2019), who won the grand prize of a Nonesuch diagonal striped vest. Well done Lily!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the afternoon.  We hope we’ll be able to see everyone in person at Henley Royal Regatta next year, and hopefully even sooner!




The 2019/20 Season - An Update from UBBC Head Coach, Ed Bloomfield

Competition is always light over the winter months, but no one could have predicted the events of this winter!
 

With January exams and assignments to manage, the period following the Christmas break can prove difficult for UBBC athletes- trying to squeeze in as much training as possible for the season ahead. Quintin Head provided some much-needed competition after the assessment period, and the club came through this tricky period relatively unscathed: no injuries, minimal sickness and some satisfactory work being done.

Unfortunately, Quintin Head proved to be our final race of the season. Stormy weather and flooding saw that Henley 4’s and 8’s Head, Reading University Head and Fixtures with OULRC and OULWRC were all cancelled.

Frustrated but optimistic for what was to come, the athletes quickly moved focus to the Women’s and Men’s Eights Head of the River. High rainfall soon put paid to the women’s event, and the organisers of the Men’s made the difficult decision to delay due to Covid-19. 

The rest is history- the 2020 season was over before it really began. 


With UBBC athletes now safely back home, it felt important to take some well-earned time off to reflect on the events of our (admittedly short) season, and assimilate the changes. Gladly, our athletes are now back training once again and getting ready for the next season. Training at home has its challenges but we’re certainly up to it- check out our social media to see what our squads are getting up to!


Looking Forward, My Vision for UBBC

UBBC Head Race is always one of the highlights of the season, particularly the opportunity to showcase all the work done in the winter months in front of Alumni. As a coach, it’s always great to catch up with past athletes to hear how they are getting on, and to discuss how the club is changing and the direction of its growth.

Thanks to the generous support of the UBBC Alumni, UBBC is a very different club to the one I joined back in October 2015. At Coombe Dingle, the addition of the ergo room has transformed the way we train, complete with 32 Concept2 rowing machines, 4 RP3s and 5 Watt Bikes. Obviously, we are lucky to have such a fantastic facility at the Saltford Rowing Centre, but when I arrived the fleet inside was starting to show its age. Now, we have a top racing boat in each class for both squads, a change which has boosted our performance and potential enormously.

Last season, we were able to make the Part-Time Assistant Coach role into a full-time position- which has dramatically improved the level of support we can offer our student athletes on a day-to-day basis. With a culture that trains hard together, pushes together, celebrates together and bounces back together, UBBC has achieved results greater than the sum of its parts in recent years.

I am very confident in our training programme to achieve great results at UBBC, and am excited to work even closer with UBBC Alumni to refine our plans to continue club development.


UBBC Vision and Goals

In terms of strategic development, the priorities are as follows:

  • To invest in the UBBC Novice Programme: developing beginners to succeed in our high-performance programme, creating athletes capable of national and international representation. 

  • Open Club: welcoming non-students into UBBC for increased community engagement, benefiting all athletes by fostering a strong performance environment on and off the water.

  • The Nonesuch Rowing Foundation: a registered charity to support and widen access to rowing in the South West. More information to follow from your UBBC Alumni Committee.

I have been a part of the UBBC Alumni community for some years now, and I am looking forward to continuing this work in the coming years. Collaborating with such hard working, knowledgeable and enthusiastic individuals on the alumni committee gives me the confidence that we will achieve our goals... it is simply a matter of time. 
 

There is no doubt that club’s recent improvements on the water are the product of the generosity of UBBC Alumni and friends. Your monthly contributions continue to transform our training facilities, coaching resources and equipment, and your time, energy and support makes an enormous impact on the life of every athlete rowing at the club. 
 

I’d like to extend a thank you from the whole of UBBC for everything that you do for us.
 

If you have any questions, wish to chat further about UBBC plans for the future, or would like to arrange a visit to the club (once lockdown is over), please drop me a line at edward.bloomfield@bristol.ac.uk. I’d love to hear from you!
 

Ed Bloomfield

UBBC Head Coach

Refurbishment of Liz Hatfield Hudson Eight

After many years of service (and some "minor" wear and tear) Liz Hatfield (Hudson Men's 8+) is back on the water having been restored to her former glory.

UBBC Alumni funds allowed a full refurbishment and repair of the boat, which has served UBBC well since it was first bought in 2006. This refurbishment was only made possible by our members’ monthly donations. Thank you to all those who donate!

UBBC Alumnae Take on Trans-Atlantic Challenge

This December, UBBC alumnae Hannah Walton (2012-2015) and Florence Ward (2011-2015) will be setting out to break two world records in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Their goal is to become the fastest, and youngest female trio to row across the Atlantic Ocean.

Together with friend Georgie, Hannah and Florence will row 3,000 miles from La Gomera to Antigua. They will be supporting two charities: RTHM (founded in memory of UBBC alumnus René Zamudio) and Women in Sport.

To support the trio in their mission, you can join their "250 club", through which you can fund their row and get your name on their boat.

To find out more, head to www.atlanticantics2020.com or get in touch with Hannah or Florence at atlanticantics2020@gmail.com.

We wish the girls the very best of luck as they gear up to face the challenge!

New UBBC Alumni Student Support Grant Scheme

We are pleased to announce the introduction of the UBBC Alumni Student Support Grant Scheme. Through this new initiative, we hope to promote the development of UBBC by offering support grants to students whose participation may be limited by their financial circumstances.

We as UBBC Alumni know how much we valued our time at UBBC, and hope to share these opportunities with the next generation of rowers. The UBBC Alumni Support Grant funds are intended for students who gain significant personal development value from rowing, and in return make a positive contribution to UBBC culture (but would otherwise be unable to participate due to financial constraints). 

The types of activities we will be providing grants for will include:

  • Training camp costs.

  • Transport and accommodation for major events such as EUSA, FISU, GB Trials, BR Sculling Festival.

  • Race fees for major events.

  • Essential UBBC racing kit.
     

All UBBC Alumni Grants rely exclusively on all of our members’ generous monthly donations, so thank you very much for your continued support!

10 brand new Concept2 Ergometers for UBBC

In October 2019 we donated the remaining funds required for UBBC to purchase ten brand new Concept2 ergometers to fill their new erg room at Coombe Dingle. The funds donated for this equipment purchase were raised entirely from our members’ regular monthly and annual donations collected via Direct Debit and standing order.

The addition of these ergs completes UBBC’s set of 32 Concept2 ergs, allowing 4 eights to train at once during UBBC’s morning erg sessions.

As always, the support given to us by the alumni is greatly appreciated. With the new ergs added to our collection our erg room is beginning to fill up, which is an exciting prospect. The fact that we can do whole squad ergs is a real benefit for our #oneclub spirit and will give a real boost to the already high standard of training. So, although we might not like to admit it when we’re halfway into a 2k test, the new ergs are a massive help to us and will provide another step in the road to becoming one of the best rowing universities in the country. Many thanks!

- Arthur Smith (4th Year Aerospace Engineering)

We want to say a massive thank you to Nonesuch for the new additions to our erg suite. This is a brilliant opportunity for all of the rowers at UBBC to improve the quality of their training. With the additional ergs, the women's squad can continue to look forward to more wins and medals in the future, all thanks to the ongoing support of UBBC Alumni. The new ergs also mean that we can all train together as one club and push each other on to achieve our goals. Once again, we are all very grateful for your generous contributions that allow UBBC to continue to progress as a high performance club.

- Ophelia Morley (3rd Year, History) and Hollie Saunders (3rd Year, Civil Engineering)


Thank you to all of our regular donors for your generous support.


New UBBC Alumni Committee Appointed

The University of Bristol has been represented on the water by its Boat Club since the University's own inception in 1909, and its former oarsmen & women organised as Alumni since the 1980's. The UBBC Alumni has long been regarded as the flagship alumni association of all sports clubs and societies at the University of Bristol, having embarked on some significant fundraising projects in support of the UBBC, most notably in fundraising for the new Saltford Boathouses which were opened in 2014. 

Since the opening of the new boathouses UBBC has undergone a shift in ambition, with the appointment of a full time Head Coach for the first time in the club's history and significant donations from generous individuals in order to purchase new boats and equipment. 

Moving into 2019 and beyond, the UBBC Alumni has proposed refreshing its mission statement, committee structure, governance and activities, part of which involves reappointing a UBBC Alumni Committee and setting up a registered charity to support our activities. More details of our refreshed mission statement, committee structure and role, governance and activities can be found on our about us page.

Following expressions of interest from across the UBBC Alumni community, we are delighted to introduce our refreshed UBBC Alumni Committee:

Nonesuch Captain: Tom Clark

Secretary: Peter Jones

Treasurers: Tom Davies & Jen Cocke

Communications Officer: Caroline Welsh

Events Officer: Poppy Mather

Membership Officer: Hugh Cooper

Fundraising Campaigns Officer: Alex Heslop

Nonesuch Women's Rowing: Charlotte Greenwood

Nonesuch Men's Rowing: Tom Judd

Online Engagement Officer: Jack Squizzoni

If you would like to contact any member of the UBBC Alumni Committee, please feel free to use the contact form on our contact us page.

Ed Bloomfield Appointed as UBBC Head Coach

We offer our congratulations to Ed Bloomfield, who has been appointed as Head Coach of UBBC. 

Ed joined UBBC in 2015 as a part-time Development Coach, having rowed previously at St Edwards School Oxford. Over the past four years, he has led the campaign to elevate the standard of women's rowing at UBBC. His efforts have proved very fruitful indeed, culminating in a record 4th place in the Championship 8+ at BUCS Regatta 2018. Earlier in 2019 Ed was appointed as a full-time Development Coach and has now been successful in being selected for the Head Coach role following Cam Kennedy’s departure.

Ed commented, "I'm excited to continue my involvement with UBBC as the new Head Coach. As you can imagine, the start of the season has been a very busy time but ultimately successful. UBBC will always rely heavily on the continued support of its alumni and it’s a pleasure to continue working in a program that already has a thriving relationship with its alumni.

Being part of UBBC is always enormously exciting, and with both the club and alumni group development plans beginning to take off, I’m looking forward to playing my part in the future of the two clubs".

Farewell to UBBC Head Coach Cam Kennedy

We wish a fond farewell to Cam Kennedy after a tremendously successful four years as Head Coach at UBBC. Cam is leaving UBBC to return to Australia with his family.

Cam joined UBBC back in 2015, and the club has soared from strength to strength under his leadership. Thanks to Cam's hard work and technical expertise, UBBC athletes have secured an impressive 106 seats at HWR and HRR since 2016. He coached several Bristol Novices to achieve impressive results at GB trials and beyond, notably supporting Alice Davies on her journey from total novice to national selection (in the GB Women's Development 8+ at World Cup III). Off the water, Cam set in motion an ambitious development plan for the future of UBBC, which is already proving transformational in terms of club performance, resources and training culture.

We wish Cam and his family all the best for the future as they return home to Australia to start the next chapter. Thank you and good luck!