The Boat Race is rapidly approaching and if you’re a fan, you’re likely to hear a whole raft of terminology as you watch the action unfold. For those of you who don’t speak the language, read on.
Eights, Fours, and Pairs: indicates the number of rowers in a boat. Where you see 8+ or 8- for example, the + indicates a cox in the boat, whereas a – indicates a coxless boat. There is always a cox in each boat in The Boat Race. The cox can be male or female, regardless of the gender of the crew.
Blade: is the name for the oar which is made up of the handle, the longest section of the blade called the loom, and the spoon, which is the part that enters the water and propels the boat.
Blondie: the name for the Cambridge women’s reserve crew who race over the same course the same day as the main event. Blondie is named after the 1970s band and is a nod to their Goldie counterparts. The Oxford women’s reserve crew is called Osiris, with the men called Isis, in reference to the River Isis and the couple in Egyptian mythology.
Blue: the University colours awarded to those who take part in The Boat Race. Oxford’s are dark blue, Cambridge’s are light blue.
Blue Boat: Cambridge men’s and women’s first boat
Bow: either the front end of the boat or the oarsman who sits nearest that end.
Catch: the perceived start of the stroke, when the oars enter the water and the rowers start to push with their legs. ‘Sharp’ catches are when the oars disappear fast and simultaneously below the water.
Championship Course: is the course where The Boat Race takes place, 6.8 km long and stretching between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in south west London.
Coxswain (cox): The coxswain is responsible for steering the boat. They are also the coach within the boat, they motivate the athletes, and call for pushes. Coxswains may be men or women, regardless of the boat they are in.
Chiswick Steps: the line of steps opposite Chiswick Wharf which mark one of the mid-race timing points, just upstream of Chiswick Eyot, the midstream island.
Crab: when an oar gets stuck in the water and the rower loses control of the handle.
Crew: the nine rowers that make up the boat
Clashing: the contact between oars and/or blades which slows both boats, and can lead to a disqualification if one crew is deemed to have caused the clash.
CUBC: Cambridge University Boat Club, which puts forward the crews for The Boat Race and Lightweight Boat Races against Oxford on The Championship Course. On 1 August 2020, the three separate rowing clubs of the university – Cambridge University Boat Club, Cambridge University Women’s Boat Club, and Cambridge University Lightweight Rowing Club – became one new club for all men and women, openweight and lightweight, who represent Cambridge and race against Oxford.
CUCBC: Cambridge University Combined Boat Clubs – a collaborative entity for all Cambridge college boat clubs. As well as organising the Lent and May Bumps, CUCBC also regulates student clubs’ use of the River Cam. CUCBC is not affiliated with or governed by CUBC.
Drive: the stroke phase when the rowers’ legs are pushing and the oars are being propelled through the water.
Engine room: the oarsmen in the middle of the crew, traditionally the strongest rowers.
Erg: short for ergometer, which is a stationary rowing machine.
Extraction: part of the stroke when the blade is lifted out of the water.
Finish: in terms of the stroke, the point where the oars pull back, clear of the water. A crew’s strokes must finish together (a ‘clean’ finish) for maximum speed.
Foul: in The Boat Race, a clash or interference of one crew by the other, which materially affects the outcome of the race.
Fulham Wall: the wall along the northern embankment at the start of The Boat Race course.
Goldie: the Cambridge men’s reserve crew, named after legendary four-times Cambridge stroke John Haviland Dashwood Goldie (Blue 1869-72), a former CUBC President, and also the name of CUBC’s boathouse in Cambridge.
Isis: the Oxford men’s reserve crew, named after the river Thames as it passes through Oxford.
Lightweight (Lwt): a rower under approximately 70kg (men) or 59kg (women) who is entitled to compete in competitions for lightweight rowers – either Lightweight Men (LwtM) or Lightweight Women (LwtW).
Middlesex: the northern side or ‘station’ on The Championship Course – favoured during the start and finish of The Boat Race.
Milepost: the large obelisk marking one mile from the start of The Boat Race, beside the Barn Elms water works and reservoir, commemorating legendary Cambridge oarsman Steve Fairbairn.
Openweight (OW): a rower of any weight who is entitled to compete in openweight races but not lightweight races.
Osiris: the Oxford women’s reserve crew, named after the brother of the goddess Isis.
Push: the short-term lift in rate and effort which may allow one crew to move past the other. In a 4.25 mile race, crews only have enough energy to push a few times.
Rate/Stroke rate: number of strokes taken per minute. The starting rates are usually slightly higher in a race before they settle to a race pace.
Ratio: the ratio of recovery to drive. A good ratio has more time on the recovery.
Recovery: part of the stroke when the oars are out of the water and the oarsmen compress their legs.
Rudder: a small piece of metal or carbon under the stern of the boat, attached to strings so the cox can steer.
Spare: a reserve member of the crew
Spoon: the painted end of the oar which dips in the water.
Stakeboat: the moored boats from which the crews start on The Championship Course.
Stern: the back end of the boat, where the cox sits.
Stream: the incoming River Thames tide is fastest at the point of deepest water, called the stream. The stream is around 20 metres wide and is not always in the middle of the river. The cox’s job is to find the fastest racing line through the stream.
Stroke: either the action of rowing or the sternmost rower, who sets the rhythm for the whole crew.
Surrey: the southern side or ‘station’ on The Championship Course. The “Surrey bend” favours its crew for most of the middle of the race.
University Post: the large post marking the finish line.
University Stone: a 2.5-foot high stone on the Putney Embankment behind an orange-painted fence post, marking the start line.