SJC Boat Club prepares for Novice Cup
As the term draws to a close, St John’s College Boat Club gears up for the event of the term: Novice Cup. During this two day event, crews from all of the colleges compete to win the prestigious Novice Cup. The weekend begins with time trials: a fast paced sprint down the racecourse; accompanied with cheers from the crowds and heckles from the infamous commentators.
To ensure crowds have the best view of the crews, there is a compulsory emergency stop half way down the course, followed by a 360 spin of the boat, before picking up the pace again in a final frantic push to the finish!
Following the time trials, crews are ranked, and so ends Day 1. Day 2 involves head to head racing. Crews race against another according to times from Day 1. This is when the competition really kicks up a notch. If crews beat their competition, they proceed up the rankings until it comes down to the two final crews, and the stakes are high. The winning crew in this final frenzied race get to take home the winners cup, along with a sizable ego to match.
This year, John’s will be entering two women’s crews and two men’s crews, which the SJCBC have the utmost confidence and pride in. We’re hoping to claw back our winning streak following the untimely end of Coalite at the hands of a certain college we won’t name in 2019, but at the end of the day, Novice Cup is all in all good fun. Any and all support would be greatly appreciated, and not to mention the enjoyment you get from standing on a river bank for hours in December! -The SJCBC hopes to see a superb John’s turnout on the 4-5th December at The Racecourse for the rowing event of Michaelmas Term!
