The demise of Public School rowing on The Thames

[Harry Hogwash]

Abingdon and other school eg Radley are little seen nowadays on the River.
Like elitism of The Bullingdon Club (Down to 2 members unlikely to meet again once yearly)
Abingdon is no longer a bastion of Colonialism.
I remember the story of how Ian Anderson (NF Parliamentary candidate for Oxford)in The 1970s
roared up the drive way of the school in that battered old limousine he used to roar along the Whitechapel Road in unopposed by doddery old masters who were oblivious to much that went on including savage bullying beatings and brutality btw)
and dumped a load of newly printed NF electioneering literature in The School Library.!
It had quite an effect.
Think the local branch got something like 24 new enquiries as a result!
Ian later went on to become NF Chairman but is now sadly deceased.
Ironic really as his Agricultural studies at Pembroke College is a college linked to Abingdon`.
Only a tiny number of public schoolboys in each place actually row The Thames.
The vast majority don't.
Its a snobbish elite insiders sport.

I always find the TRUTH is more SHOCKING than Fantasy.

 

[Poignard]

http://www.horntip.com/mp3/unknown_recordings/eton_boating_song.htm

 

[oldgit]

The Kings school in Rochester had sufficient funds at one time to build a very nice clubhouse and boat store just up stream from Allington lock, presumably with a skiff or two stored within..Appeared to be in regular use.
Have not seen a soul there for many many years and entire thing now has an air of decay and neglect.
On the other other hand it is very rare not to see a half dozen boats out from the Maidstone Invicta rowing club on the water , ranging from some very professional looking 8 s down to the odd old wheezer in skiff.
The local canoe clubs are always out in force as well.
Democratisation of the waterway perhaps ?

 

[No Regrets]

I can assure you public school rowing is alive and well.

I row with the little bar stewards most weekends as they exceed the speed limit in their coaching boats whilst unaccompanied.

Rowing is guaranteed :ambivalence:

 

[Actionmat]

I can assure you public school rowing is alive and well.

I row with the little bar stewards most weekends as they exceed the speed limit in their coaching boats whilst unaccompanied.

Rowing is guaranteed :ambivalence:

A friend I hadn't seen for years joined me for the weekend and we went up to Wargrave. Very early on a misty Cookam morning, a coach boat came flying past so close it chucked us about, which was made worse as we were tied against a friendly Freeman who let us moor alongside. There was no need for excessive speed and they had the river to themselves, leading me to believe that some of them behave like that on purpose.
Half an hour later while gently cruising upstream, I saw the coach boat and the rowers and slowed down for them. The arrogant little (expletive) had the audacity to gesture to me to slow down!
I don't know why I bother. i always show consideration to rowers and it's never reciprocal.
As one row boat stropped in front of us and another decide to cut across our bow, my friend looked at me in astonishment and said "They really are the lycra clad cyclists of the river aren't they?".
I couldn't disagree.

 

[Harry Hogwash]

A friend I hadn't seen for years joined me for the weekend and we went up to Wargrave. Very early on a misty Cookam morning, a coach boat came flying past so close it chucked us about, which was made worse as we were tied against a friendly Freeman who let us moor alongside. There was no need for excessive speed and they had the river to themselves, leading me to believe that some of them behave like that on purpose.
Half an hour later while gently cruising upstream, I saw the coach boat and the rowers and slowed down for them. The arrogant little (expletive) had the audacity to gesture to me to slow down!
I don't know why I bother. i always show consideration to rowers and it's never reciprocal.
As one row boat stropped in front of us and another decide to cut across our bow, my friend looked at me in astonishment and said "They really are the lycra clad cyclists of the river aren't they?".
I couldn't disagree.

Funny you should mention Lycra.
Abingdon Marathon was the most boring event Ive ever seen on Sunday.
I watched bumptious self important amateur £30 a day traffic officials blocking traffic by standing in front of it in a most dangerous fashion.
The way they drive round there this seemed to me to be inviting personal injury.
Meanwhile a bunch of horrible horrible clad mugs risked all to complete the course.
I didn't see one fit or attractive participant the livelong day.
Finally they all packed up took their little hi viz cardboard paper signs and went home.
Yay!
One lone middle aged man stood clapping like a seal all by himself as every runner went past.
It was desperate.
The Abingdon lycra cyclists are almost exclusively male.
They dress in purple lycra and like to keep ahead and abreast of each other
uphills.
Hmmmm.
They are not on tandems.
Some have cameras on their heads to film the bum upfront.
Hmm.
Not my cup of tea.
What do they get up to on Boars Hill Bagley wood?

 

[Parabordi]

And this is a problem why?

 

[Actionmat]

Some have cameras on their heads to film the bum upfront.

Thank you for that, that did make me laugh

 

[Harry Hogwash]

http://www.horntip.com/mp3/unknown_recordings/eton_boating_song.htm

Ah yes the olde Eton Boating song.
Not one Englishman in a million though knows the full words.
Abingdon School is reputed to be older than Eton yah booh.
1265 or something stupid.
The Headmaster of Abingdon Sir Eric Anderson went on to become Headmaster of Eton so there
is a link.
Apart from that other than The Thames connection theres not a lot.

 

[Harry Hogwash]

I read the song and it sums up the English Class dilemma really.
Hard steak and no ducks anymore at Waitrose.
Common bitter beer versus more sophisticated sweeter rich wine.
Lobsters being munched as at Le Touquet rich resort,
Its a song really about rich and poor,
and about Englands inability to fufill the satisfactions of the poorer lower classes.
And is anti establishment -Westminster men.
And how the old are looked upon as fools,
but reliable to the end if they've been to Eton.
I confess it did bring a little tear to my eye.
All this stuff is written deep in the English cultural Jungian collective sub conscious and is more important than it seems.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Ian later went on to become NF Chairman but is now sadly deceased.

You'll looooove The Lounge.

Only a tiny number of public schoolboys in each place actually row The Thames.
The vast majority don't.

That's probably because most rowing training now takes place on dry land (with ergs), in tanks or on specialist rowing lakes, like the Eton one.

 

[oldgit]

Although the number of lads forced to take up rowing, to avoid the upspoken horrors of the rugby field and the worrying showers afterwards, may be in decline ,public participation does seem to be on the up.
The rowing club just upsteam of RCC certainly appears to be growing apace.