the Bumps!!

ok so last week was... interesting
i got my Extended Project handed in last week (was it really only last week? wow!)
and yeah... last just be hush about the pe coursework

The big thing of the week? Has to be the Cambridge Town Bumps of course!!!
i've been coxing for about 4 months now and not very long ago we had my first race (the getting on race for the bumps) where the crew got a faster time by 29seconds than last year (thats a huge improvement considering there are at least 4 new members of the team!)

so then my second race was on tuesday, where we rowed as the second boat in Div4, where we made a bump
http://www.jetphotographic.com/showphoto.php?id=204734
http://www.jetphotographic.com/showphoto.php?id=204735
http://www.jetphotographic.com/showphoto.php?id=204736
(this is us making the bump)
it took 308 meters! :)

then because we became top of the division we had to row again that night, only as the last boat in Div3, where we bumped again! (sadly no pictures this time, we didnt time it so that we were in front of the photographer)
so 2 bumps on the first night, this was double what they get in the bumps last year! so we headed to the beer tree, and smiles all round!!

the wednesday night we started off 2nd boat in Div3, we werent too worried about the competition behind us as they were the boat that we had bumped the night before, we were now focusing on getting the boat in front of us, before they caught the boat in front of them.
we managed it, of course! again not in a very long amount of time :)

However the true test was tonight, we knew that the boat in front had it in them to bump the people ahead, it was just a matter of can we get their first?
depressingly they got there first, so we were looking at an over bump which would have been possible, if our next target hadnt also bumped, and the next 2 crews bump as well!! we were rowing up, race pace, and just saw all of the boats move out of the way as they all bumped, we knew then that it would be a row over so we focused on getting a nice technique!

By the time we got outside the plough pub i could see number 41, who had started 7 places ahead of us, we had gained A LOT on them! however they knew they were on for a row over and so didnt try as hard, we were followed all the way by the people we had bumped on the first night, however they were nowhere near us to be a threat.
Our hopes of getting blades with a brand new, novice crew were gone - months of practice gone in less than a minute
However,
chins up
tomorrow is another day
and it would be fantastic to get 4 bumps, even if they aren't on each day so don't count for blades!
Also, tomorrow i am going to try to surprise the crew with some music on the row back after the race, we have been talking about it for a while - getting something with the right beat to keep them in time... so i am think bon jovi - living on a prayer, its good and not too much of a cliché, and we are the champions - it has to be done!! and then our bow man has suggest we will rock you on the way up possibly!! :)
so will be fun tomorrow and relaxing!!

Wish me luck!