Coxswain Captain Rosie Allen has been able to enjoy time rowing across the country thanks to a grant from the St John’s College Student Opportunities Fund.
A start of a new year always brings new challenges to face and I definitely felt this! Juggling my academic commitments alongside many extracurricular activities was sometimes very difficult but nevertheless enjoyable.
Rowing has always played a large part in my life and this year proved no different. I was responsible for creating a training and development scheme for seven novice coxes as Coxswain Captain. It has been a joy to see the coxes integrate into the boat club and develop into race confident coxes
The boat club had an extraordinary year with competitive men’s and women’s squads who were successful in all of their races. As a result of frequently training and racing with the men’s First Eight, I built up a strong connection with the rowers and with help from our coach, I soon learnt how to tailor training sessions to the crew’s specific needs and advanced in my coaching skills.
From our first success at Rutherford Head to winning the Small Academic Pennant at the prestigious Head of the River Race on the Thames, it has been a fantastic winter season for my own personal development and for St John’s College Boat Club.
The Regatta season is always my favourite. Who wouldn’t want to race at Durham Regatta on a warm summer’s day in comparison with a cold January morning on the Tyne?
I have significantly improved in my administrative skills and communication through liaising with the squad captains; organising several crews with their respective boats and coxes was sometimes our biggest challenge as Captains.
The opportunity to travel to so many races and gain invaluable experience has been wonderful and I can’t wait to see what the new academic year brings!
John's Chronicle 