April 6th, 2009
Neptune Regatta was a huge disappointment from the UCD Ladies perspective. To be knocked out in the first round of the Intermediate Eights was not how we wanted to kickstart our regatta season and it was scant consolation that we were knocked out by the eventual winners, Trinity.
I was trying to explain to the Novices, after they were put out of the Novice Eights competition by Queens University on Saturday afternoon, that the Island Bridge regattas are tough relative to six lane races. Like Henley and Reading, you only have one chance – you can just as easily be knocked out in the first round as in the final. It was a harsh lesson for them to learn in their first introduction to side by side racing and one they will not quickly forget.
When the proposition to move Colours to a date after Neptune Regatta was suggested I was immediately opposed. Although the change of date makes sense from a spectator perspective, I had always considered Colours as our link between the Head Season and the Regatta Season. It was an effective link as the Colours course was longer than traditional regatta distance (2000 meters) but yet it was not a Head of the River Race either. Furthermore, going into Colours in previous years, you didn’t know how the other club would react to the higher rate, side by side racing – I felt it added to the excitement of the event. Those were the challenges of the race on the pre-Neptune Regatta dates. This year, we face new challenges – there are different unknowns.
Do we know more about Trinity now then we did two weeks ago? The honest answer is “not really”. There is still the same excitement surrounding the race as there was in previous years, contrary to what I originally thought. On that note, I must apologise to Race Organiser, Johnny Devitt, for doubting him.
Ten days until Colours. Ten more breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Ten more days of excitement.
Neptune Regatta took place over the course of Friday (April 3rd) evening and all day Saturday (April 4th) in Island Bridge, Dublin.
