On Saturday 19th March, the Tiffin Boat Club's Year 9s rowed all the way to Hampton Court for the Kingston Head race. They were all a bit nervous - it was one of the first times they had raced as a crew. The nerves were real; the uneasiness rested within themselves and they all wondered - could they win? Could they prove themselves to be a potent crew, one that is capable of winning a race? Many doubted them. Maybe there was doubt within themselves. After the rolling start, they set out to prove their mettle. And that's what they did - even through the adverse conditions, even through the 5K length of the race, they put their 100% behind each stroke. And, they won.

 

And this victory was, by all means, deserved. A lot of them do 5 sessions per week, where they always put their all into every exercise. I had the pleasure of training with them, and they regularly extend themselves to be the best they can be. They were all supportive of each other, and in all their eyes I could see their drive. And this was not limited to just Boat 1 - Boat 2 also had that drive, the push that paid off in the end (who also came 2nd in the Kingston Head). 

 

The results both boats got were incredible, to say the least. They were as follows:

Boat 1 - 19:40.40 mins

Boat 2 - 20:15.79 mins

This, obviously, earned them 1st and 2nd place respectively. They are a prime example of how the drive and the attitude towards achieving a certain goal will pay dividends. To end the article, I just wanted to include a quote from of Boat 1:

We trained very hard for months toachieve what we did. Our philosophy is: "Dedication and commitment is what transfers aspirations into winning races".