On March 2nd, 52 athletes from the Team Surrey Boat Club made the trip to Gloucester Rowing Club to take part in the annual BUCS Head competition.
Returning home with two gold medals, a series of personal bests and the Beginner Men’s Victor Ludorum, it’s safe to say it was well worth the journey.
The first gold medal was won on Saturday by the Men’s Beginner 8+ A boat, oared by the below:
James Humphreys, 2nd year, Business Management
Ryan Hill, 3rd year, Electronic Engineering
Sam Griffin, 1st year, Law with International Relations
Cameron Wheeler, 1st year, Biological Sciences
Bruno Grandjean, Masters, Air Transport Management
Tom Powders, Foundation, Physics with Nuclear Astrophysics
David Williams, 2nd year, Law
Tommaso Rognoni, 3rd year, Civil Engineering
Rognoni told us, “the feeling of getting a gold medal was indescribable.
“Not so much because on that day we were faster than the other boats, but because it was a symbol of recognition of the hours of hard work, sweat and even tears we had all gone through in these past months.”
Later that same day, the second gold medal of the weekend was claimed by the Men’s Beginner 4+ A boat. Oared by Griffin, Wheeler Grandjean and Hill, the quartet secured their second medal of the day.
“Winning two gold BUCS medals as a novice isn’t something that I will ever have the chance to do again,” Griffin said.
“We had our ups and downs, but they were all part of an unforgettable experience.”
The two medal winning performances helped the Club to be crowned as winners of the Men’s Begginner Victor Ludorum, an incredible pay-off for the hard work of their members.
“We have trained hard, we have secured our spot as the best development men’s programme in the country and we still have a whole lot more to give,” Griffin commented.
Head Coach, Sam Tuck, was full of praise for his dedicated rowers.
“This was a top weekend for the Club. There were good performances from all the squads. As a Club, we are now targeting Women’s Head of the River and Head of the River, and trying to hold this momentum leading up to the BUCS Regatta in May.”
Congratulations to the Club on their incredible achievements over the weekend, and we wish them the best of luck as they gear up for the busy season ahead.
Full results from BUCS Head:
MB8+: 1st place
MB8+: 21st place
WB4+: 13th place
WB4+: 12th place
WB4x: 5th place
MB4+: 1st place
MB4+: 4th place
MB4+: 21st place
WB8+: 4th place
WInt8+: 5th place
MC4-: 8th place
MCLwt4-: 5th place
MInt4+: 16th place
MInt4-: 21st place