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4 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Doing lots of ' in depth ' analysis of the race , the sport , the crews 

Trying to do otherwise , but it's coming across exactly as we all know , Posh boys nonsense 

Always check how many of the rowers are studying "Land Management". Shorthand for "not particularly bright, but good enough at rowing that we gave him a scholarship".

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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18 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Who was in the Final this year ?

Let's just say that, if you are the kind of RL fan who posts the same thing every year about wanting to see a new name on the Challenge Cup trophy for the good of the game*, you won't want to find out the answer.

*shorthand for "my team hasn't won it in ages", of course.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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As a race, it is an interesting challenge. Olympic rowers compete in straight lanes and still water, while the BR is against the tide and you can steer tactical lines. Plus it is more than twice the distance of Olympic events. 

If they threw it open to qualification, instead of being a hidebound Varsity fixture, I'd probably watch it. Sadly, it has become too bound up in people's minds with the Oxbridge exclusivity thing and the more objectionable type of what used to be called Sloane Rangers in their "rugger" shirts.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Quite funny some of the stuff , they had blue wellies to stop their feet getting wet , light blue and dark blue 

On the blue minibuses dropping them off , the Oxford one had " We are Oxford , who are you ? " Painted on the side , one guy was 29 years old and still at ' school ' , one spoke about it being his last year at uni before " entering the ' real ' world " 😉 , doubt he'll be starting a maccy's on a zero hours contract 

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Hugh Laurie* rowed in the 1980 boat race (his father rowed in 3 and won a gold medal in the coxless pairs in the '48 Olympics) and would likely have gone on to 'greater' rowing success had it not been for illness cutting short his career - he moved into drama as a result. 

*He studied Archaeology and Anthropology, another favourite subject for sporting types at the University

56 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

As a race, it is an interesting challenge. Olympic rowers compete in straight lanes and still water, while the BR is against the tide and you can steer tactical lines. Plus it is more than twice the distance of Olympic events. 

If they threw it open to qualification, instead of being a hidebound Varsity fixture, I'd probably watch it. Sadly, it has become too bound up in people's minds with the Oxbridge exclusivity thing and the more objectionable type of what used to be called Sloane Rangers in their "rugger" shirts.

Interestingly Richard Budgett was at the same college at the same time as Laurie but didn't get to row in the Boat Race - he went on the win a gold medal alongside Steve Redgrave in the coxed 4 at the '84 Olympics. He studied medicine, has acted in a number of medical roles for GB at various Olympics since '92 and is currently working with WADA.

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3 minutes ago, Les Tonks Sidestep said:

Hugh Laurie* rowed in the 1980 boat race

 

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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When I was an RL fan early on the Boat Race just got in the way, since then it moved from boring to being on a par with synchronised dustbin lid sliding and sliced bread squeezing.

2 warning points:kolobok_dirol:  Non-Political

 

 

 

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26 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

My plazzy bagging was brought to an end by illness and fatigue.  My mates were sick n tired of me!

Mine was brought to an end by my mum , when she saw the ripped school pants 😂

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How about a World Club challenge where the winning Oxford crew travel to Australia to take on the winners of the Henley-on-Todd regatta?

The Oxford crew would be stunned when after the siren goes the Henley-on-Todd crew lift up their boat and run Flintstone style to the finish line!

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I am probably in the minority here but I am ok with the boat race.  I like the history of it and the fact that about 250,000 line the banks of the Thames shows that there is interest in it.  But this is with two caveats.

1. Despite living within walking distance of the river, I have never been inclined to go and watch it.

2. I don't think it warrants prime time BBC coverage (although without this, I am sure that the interest will start to wane).

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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On 03/04/2022 at 18:39, The Future is League said:

Its an outdated event that has very little appeal nowadays

Bigger tv audience than wimbledon men's singles finals most years. Certainly bigger than the challenge cup most years. Not sure they got 250 000 people lining the Thames this year, but still over 100 000.  

It is like Formula 1 - incredibly dull unless there's a crash or the boat sinks or something.

Olympic medallists in 3 of the 4 boats, the 4th boat (Oxford women) had a world champion gold medallist. I would be pretty confident that the mens boats had a way lower percentage who went to a British private school than the England rugby union team, and probably cricket team too, just because about half of the rowers are foreign.

It is one of those threads that we get every year though.

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14 hours ago, Dunbar said:

I am probably in the minority here but I am ok with the boat race.  I like the history of it and the fact that about 250,000 line the banks of the Thames shows that there is interest in it.  But this is with two caveats.

1. Despite living within walking distance of the river, I have never been inclined to go and watch it.

2. I don't think it warrants prime time BBC coverage (although without this, I am sure that the interest will start to wane).

I lived in Mortlake, very close to the finish line, and went along once. It was fine. You don't see much and have to put up with a lot of honkers but it's like a road being taken over for a marathon or a bike race once a year or something.

The downside was that every pub and restaurant for miles around was then filled with increasingly tiddly Oxbridgers of the worst kind for the rest of the day.

But, again, good for business and back to normal the next day.

(This was a fair while back now so it could all be different).

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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