‘Job lot’ of Falcons enter Isis Sculls

On a bright Tuesday morning in November of last year, an untidy rabble of middle aged women assembled outside the Falcon Rowing and Canoeing Club in Oxford for their first Learn To Row session with coach Christy Job.  Little did they know that ten short months later they would be transformed into "Quadesses" and be taking part in the Isis Sculls. 

Falcon’s programme to encourage new "weekday, daytime" members has been enormously successful in increasing the accessibility of the club to the wider community.  Five new daytime rowers from Falcon competed in this year’s Isis Sculls as veteran novices in singles, doubles and a quad.  Most had never rowed before they joined the club.  "I was rowing along thinking, I’m in a race, I’m in a race!  I still can’t believe it," said one excited oarswoman. "I had a thoroughly enjoyable day," said another single sculler who smashed her own personal best by over a minute.  For all the daytime rowers, race day was the culmination of ten wonderful months learning a wonderful sport.  "How can anything so addictive be so good for you?" summed up one rower.

All the novice rowers performed well and had there been a pennant for ‘best supporters’ it would undoubtedly have gone to Falcon.  The children of the crews could be heard the length of the river bank and even Club President, Peter Travis, was moved to rise momentarily from his outdoor armchair and murmur, "very tidy" as the women’s quad sped past the Falcon boathouse.

Report from Zena Forster, Falcon RC