The Boat Race ...Again!

[10ClarionSt]

Just to make it clear to the "Fred Doberman" type characters on here:

I am not a low life, as was implied in the previous OP re the Boat Race.

I never mentioned the word "posh" in any of my replies.

I am not anti-Biritsh, or a 5th columnist just because I have views that differ from someone else's.

Those comments are inaccurate and unnecessary.

Having read the replies on the previous thread about the boat race, I saw nothing to warrant changing my opinion. In fact, they frurther increased.

[New Judge]

//I suspect most of the crews in the Boat Race wouldn't even make it into a decent club team and would probably get battered in a race by a team from somewhere like Lesotho.//

Once again, a bit more research required.

Perhaps a good place to start would be the “Head of the River” race which is held annually a week or two before The Boat Race, over the same course but in reverse, from Mortlake to Putney. It is open to allcomers and not restricted to Universities (though limited to 420 entrants) and many international crews take part. In this year’s race four of the top ten boats were from Oxford Brookes University, who also had two boats in the next eight places. The highest placed non-university boats were Leander (2nd and 5th) ) and the Thames Rowing Club (6th and 9th). Molesey Boat Club and the University of London completed the top ten. Leander and the Thames RC produce some of the top rowers in the UK.

Comparing times over Tideway races is always a bit hit and miss, especially with “processional” races such as the Head and the Schools’ Head because of the varying conditions. But this year’s winning Oxford Brookes crew posted a new course record of 16m:28.4secs. The Boat Race record is 16m:19secs set in 1997. So it would seem that performance of crews in The Boat Race compare favourably with those in other races not restricted to the two Oxbridge teams. I don't know whether your earlier posts were unresearched, tongue-in-cheek or simply devoid of the facts, but I’m afraid to say that “most of the crews in the Boat Race wouldn't even make it into a decent club team” is unresearched nonsense.

[piggynose]

It's all water under the bridge!

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks NJ. But what's the staging of the Boat Race got to do with any of that?

And so it is, piggynose!

[New Judge]

//Thanks NJ. But what's the staging of the Boat Race got to do with any of that?//

Not a lot. It was an attempt to repudiate your claim that "...most of the crews in the Boat Race wouldn't even make it into a decent club team." You can see from the results of this year's HotR that university crews and good club crews are fairly close together performance wise. I can't comment on crews from Lesotho as I don't know too much about them.

[Redhelen72]

Aren't some of the boat race team Gold medal winners or do they go on to win Gold medals?
Anyway - I love watching the boat race - absolutely fantastic event.

[10ClarionSt]

Thanks for the info, NJ. I really appreciate it. I've read it (honest!) and understand it, the comparisons, the places, the course etc. but I still fail to see why the Varsity Boat Race gets the prominence that it does. I suspect it's because it's been promoted over the years by ex-blues from both unis, via the media, who've rammed it down the throats of us, the great unwashed, into making it out to be some sort of worthy national tradition.

I refer all respondents to my OP.