It was the second time the Vice-Chancellor has visited CUBC’s Ely Boathouse to observe morning training and meet the squads and coaches. Last year she met the women’s squads, so this year it was the turn of the men.
The Vice-Chancellor was welcomed by CUBC Chief Men’s Coach Rob Baker and then went out on a launch with him following the crews along the Great Ouse.
The Vice-Chancellor said: “It was fantastic seeing the dedication that these students show – they’re excelling in two things at once, right? Because they are amazing academics but also sportspeople.
“They come out here at five in the morning – it’s great to be able to appreciate that and cheer them on. And of course it’s great for Cambridge to have this institution of the Boat Club, it’s a very important part of the University.”
The Vice-Chancellor also met the new Club Chair, Stephen Peel, elected to succeed Annamarie Phelps following the completion of her term. He said it was a pleasure for the Boat Club to host the visit.
“The University and the Boat Club brands and identities are inextricably linked, and we all recognise that,” he said.
“Having the Vice-Chancellor down here to visit training exemplifies that and so it is hugely important.”
The next key milestone for the student athletes is Trial VIIIs, a dress rehearsal for The Boat Race where two evenly matched CUBC crews row the full Championship Course for the first and only time before the race itself on Easter Saturday 04 April 2026.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice has praised the dedication of student rowers on a dawn visit to observe training at Cambridge University Boat Club.
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