Residents Journal

Residents Journal

L-R: Ruth Whyman, Yewande Adesida, Sara Parfett and Maddy

Ardissino wearing Crewroom kit
s eight, undated.
Frederick James Furnivall coxing a women (rrm.co.uk)
m
Courtesy of The River and Rowing Museu

A brief history

girls

These

can

In 2015, for the first time, the womens

Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race will be
held on the same day, over the same
course, as the mens race. To mark
the occasion, Jennifer Mason dives
into the world of womens rowing in
south-west London

he first womens Boat Race took place

on the Isis in Oxford in 1927 in front of
hostile crowds who believed that rowing
was an unseemly sport for young ladies
to compete in (in fact, its rumoured that one of its
Cambridge initiators had to row around the desk of
university staff wearing the proposed kit to ensure
it preserved her modesty). Those first races differ
hugely from the fierce competitions we know today;
the teams then had to take to the water separately in
a two-part contest; on one leg, they would be judged
on style and grace and the second was a time trial.
It wasnt until 1935 that Oxford and Cambridge
womens boats were permitted to race side-by-side.
Following an accident in the mid-1950s, the
womens race nearly faded into oblivion, but
was revived in 1962 by two engineering students.
However, its position in the rowing calendar wasnt
finally assured until after most colleges at Oxbridge
became co-ed in the 1970s.
In 1977, the race was moved from the Isis to a
2,000m course in Henley where it remained until

The 2015 Newton Womens Boat Race will take place

at 4.50pm (the BNY Mellon mens race at 5.50pm) on
11 April from the Putney Bridge start line.
For more information, visit theboatraces.org

Jess Eddie

Expert opinion
I caught up with local Olympic rower Jess Eddie to get her thoughts on
the sport, its future and how important this years race will be

ess began rowing in her home

town of Durham at the age of
eight, continued throughout
school and during her
time studying at Royal Holloway,
University of London. She has represented Great
Britain at junior, U23 and senior level, competing in
numerous World Championships and two Olympic
Games. Shes a firm advocate for the importance
of sporting equality and keen for an opportunity to
prove her mettle at the next Games in Rio 2016.

A group of female rowers from the Hammersmith Sculling Club,

undated. Courtesy of The River and Rowing Museum (rrm.co.uk)

2014, when the light and dark blues competed

separately from the men for the very last time.
Following strong campaigning and essential support
from Helena Morrissey, chief executive of race
sponsors Newton Investment Management, this years
womens Boat Race will finally take place on the same
day as the mens race, over the same 7,000m course, in
a rousing leap forward for sporting equality.

How essential has the Boat Race

been for promoting the sport and
how important is the synchronisation
of the mens and womens races?
The Boat Race is a huge flagship for rowing. The first
question people ask is: Have you been in the Boat
Race? and I reply: Well, no just the Olympics.
Millions watch it. I dont think people realise the
significance of finally bringing the womens race in
line with the mens competition; its about time. We
shouldnt be thankful that its happened; it should
have been in place already. It will do wonders for
womens sport propelling it to the forefront of
everyones minds. Its not just a case of oh thats nice
to have them on the same day its a huge step. I
cant think of any other major sporting event, apart
from the Olympics, that has the mens and womens
competitions on the same day, over the same course.
So were grateful to the Boat Race and the sponsors,
particularly Newton, for finally making it equal.

How much of a part do you think

rowing plays in the fight for equality
in sport?
Its brilliant that we compete over the same distances
as the guys at the Olympics; rightly so. But that

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Residents Journal

Residents Journal

The kit

didnt change until 1988. So for three Games after

women began rowing in 1976 (while the men had
been competing since 1896), they participated
over shorter distances because it was seen to be
unwomanly or something ridiculous. The strides we
take every Olympiad in womens sport is incredible.
In terms of equality were ahead of many other
sports, but womens rowing isnt quite equal yet
there are two more mens events than there are
womens the International Olympic Committee
must bring that into line.
Women are there; they are taking part in sport,
theyre not just doing it to look nice, theyre doing
it to a high level. Ive rowed in two Olympic Games;
its a demanding, full-time job. We need people to
get it into their heads that womens rowing is just as
interesting as mens to watch. Thats when it will start
getting exciting. I think weve got a way to go; the men
are about 100 years ahead of us in terms of Olympic
sport, but the women are now at the forefront. We
have to spearhead the idea of women in rowing and
women in sport. We have to show them that were
here and were doing a good job of it.

How hard is it, on a day-to-day level,

to compete for that equality?
The mind-set has to change from both sides; its not
just a question of the guys having to accept that we

This year the specialised kit for all

the teams from both races will be
provided by local Putney-based
business Crewroom. Founder
Kate Giles explains why the
partnership is an important one

womens rowing; but more men won gold for Britain

that year than women. It pushed into the psyche of
the nation that women were there, were competing
and were winning. It changed things a lot 2012
became the womens games, which is so empowering.

Speaking of empowerment,
what do you think of the
#ThisGirlCan campaign?
train just as hard as them. Its unfortunate that on
the private sponsorship side, the men are still streets
ahead. Some big sponsors still find the guys more
lucrative. As women, we have to be pushing for that
kind of sponsorship, for people to associate ourselves
with. Thats why Im so excited to be an ambassador for
fitnesswear brand Crewroom and all that it represents
for women in sport and its close relationship with our
local community of athletes and adventurers.

Rowing, particularly womens rowing,

achieved huge amounts of publicity
from the 2012 London Olympic
Games. What changes have you seen
since then?
I think there was a turn of the tide for womens rowing
in 2012 when the sport won its first ever Olympic
gold medal. I thought it was interesting that the day
after those first golds, it was all about womens sport,

Fighting for
sporting equality
This year the Boat Race takes
place on the same day as the
Grand National, but the horse races
traditional presenter Clare Balding,
amid much controversy, has decided that
presenting this years Boat Race and
promoting its significance in boosting
the recognition for womens
sport is more important. We
couldnt agree more.

How did Crewroom become a part

of the Boat Race?

I think its fantastic. It shows women that to look

normal is ok. Its very different from looking at
pictures of a group of Olympic athletes or celebrities,
the kind of images that people are bombarded
with all the time. Thats not real life; my friends
dont look like that, my mum doesnt look like
that theyre normal women. I love the campaign
and so do the other girls on the team. We think
its incredible that theres been investment in the
attitude that says you can do this. Its a really strong
message. Its not always about reaching for the
stars its about being good at what you can do and
enjoying doing it. Were all behind #ThisGirlCan.

How are preparations for the

2016 Olympic Games in Rio
de Janeiro going?
This is a big year for international rowing. Our World
Championships take place in September, which is the
qualification round for the Olympics. My boat class, if
I make the team for the womens eight, has to place
in the top five to qualify. So its a big ask, considering
there are probably about seven or eight crews that
could come in the top five. We have to push.

Do you think the competition will be

as fierce as it was in 2012?
Yes, at every Olympics the standard keeps getting
higher. People go and learn how to train harder and
smarter, or they learn new techniques, or build a
bigger squad crews are always getting faster. World
records keep getting broken. Nobodys slowing down.

L-R: Sara Parfett, Ruth Whyman, Maddy Ardissino, Baz Moffat and
Yewande Adesida wearing Crewroom kit

Id like to see young girls entering the sport and not

feeling like theyre held back by anything. Rowing is
empowering; I keep coming back to that word but
its perfect to describe our sport. I know so many
women who have been involved in rowing whove
gone on to be incredibly successful because it made
them feel like they can achieve anything.

What are your personal goals?

It wont be easy, but my goal is to be on the podium
[in Rio] next year. Thats what were all chasing.
Thats why were training three times a day, in all kinds
of weather. Once you start rowing, its hard to leave it.
Its the kind of sport that gets into your bones. n

The Exchange Shopping Centre,

Putney, SW15 1TW
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What were your main objectives?

Although the race is in April, theres a long process
involved in selecting the final crews, so we supplied
the first batch of kit way back in September last year
and worked on producing the kit boards for the
final sign off started even earlier in summer 2014.
A major requirement of the kit offering was custom
design and fitting to suit all body shapes and sizes
for both the male and female crews, so we wanted to
design a range that conformed to the requirements
of the Boat Race, the crews and the sponsors
and to ensure the garments would offer athletes
technical benefits, including wicking, breathability
and antimicrobial properties. We offered made-tomeasure garments which would ensure excellent fit
and function for all athletes and endure the rigours
of daily training and racing and ultimately, created
garments that athletes would be proud to wear.

How exciting is the Crewroom

involvement in the Boat Race for
you personally?

What would you like to see for

womens rowing in the future?

Interested in finding
out more about the history
of womens rowing? Head to the
Putney Exchange Shopping Centre to
take a look around a special exhibition
of photographs and memorabilia on loan
from the River and Rowing Museum at
Henley. The exhibition runs until 17 April
and will be open to the public on Boat
Race weekend, too.

With our location right on the river, Crewroom has

always had close links to the rowing community,
so when the previous kit deal with Nike (which I
always thought was a rather mismatched situation)
ended last year and the Boat Race put the supply of
technical kit out to tender, the team here jumped
at the chance. After all, the brand was designed
specifically with rowing and other outdoor sports in
mind. We were delighted when we won the contract.

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Incredibly exciting. Crewroom was born after

poorly-designed kit left me battling serious
pneumonia during my rowing days, so its fantastic
to see the idea come to life in one of the most
exciting events in the rowing calendar. But being
involved in the race is about more than just
Crewroom; its a huge boost for the local area
to know that a local brand is closely involved in
such an iconic sporting event. Our business is
all about building sporting connections in the
local community, so being a part of the Boat
Race and having local Olympian Jess Eddie as an
ambassador are really important developments.

Crewroom, The Embankment Studios, Embankment,

Putney, SW15 1LB, 020 8877 3888 (crewroom.co.uk)