W4 was still on a high after bumping Girton in what was the first Bumps race for a lot of us when we rolled Winston out again this morning at 11.47am.
The anticipation was building and we were all eager to relive the success of the day before as we numbered off from bow and took our first stroke.
Motivated, we had a solid row down the river. We were determined to manage a better, more synchronised start than we did the day before when the nerves got the better of us.
When the four minute cannon went off, we checked our gates and the anxiety started mounting as the final preparations were being made. When the one minute cannon went off and Watson started counting down the seconds, the adrenalin started coursing through my veins. When the cannon finally went off, our start was a lot stronger and more synchronised than it had been the day before. We pushed hard against the strong headwind, and quickly gained speed.
However, by the time we had our first whistle and we were less than half a boat length away from the Emmanuel boat we were chasing, we were already starting to lose stamina and the other crew’s endurance overcame ours, and they broke away at the Reach.
Despite the unfavourable conditions, we managed to maintain a strong rhythm and rowed over. We were all a little disappointed at first but quickly realised that a strategy change and a motivation boost would be enough to get us back on track for day 3 of Bumps. Our start, rhythm and balance were better than they were on our first Bumps experience and we are confident that we can keep improving!
Ana Diac, 2, W4