Boat Club: Social Secretary

As now almost ancient members of UCLBC, Eliott and I will combine our rowing and committee experience into organising a year of unforgettable socials. 

Having joined UCLBC 2019, I was Nov Women’s captain last year and had to make the best of a situation complicated by covid. With zoom socials and workouts to keep the novices engaged, I managed to retain enough to get a full eight to row at Varsity and BUCS. Novice Captain Niamh said: “Elli made me feel so welcome when I joined UCLBC!” Although I had a year's break from rowing I know the boat club well and would love to organise socials to make sure the next year is going to be the most fun yet! 

Our four main manifesto points are:

1. We will publish a social calendar from the very beginning of the year.
2. The boat club should be a place welcoming everyone and this will be reflected in our range of socials. 
3. We will aim for a quick integration of Novices through welcoming socials, something we know to be crucial from our own experiences. 
4. As we are a team of a senior woman and a senior man, we will ensure that crews are well integrated.

We hope to apply this vision next year!

Since joining UCLBC, I have been a dedicated member; a regular at bow on the Novice Women’s 8. With a year of life at the club, and the experience of being in the novices, Dan and I will create an atmosphere that is welcome to all newcomers. Though my 2k time is not as quick as Dan’s (7mins 50secs), my pint time is relatively close to his – down in 10 seconds. Solidarity amongst all members of the club is key, especially in this sport. To achieve this, the socials will attempt to bridge the gap between the novices and the seniors, with a family system bringing together novice and seniors rowers and coxes. Dan and I promise to bring a range of non-alcoholic socials to spend quality time together whilst still enjoying ourselves – picnics, Go Ape, mini golf and even erg championships within families. Moving to the alcoholic side, we promise that pres together before Scala will be essential each week; including drinking games and rules to get everyone excited for the night ahead as well as collaborating the novices and seniors (we may even have collaborations with other sports teams!). There will be the opportunity for a dress code or theme each week at Scala, with a social tour also on the cards. A sense of togetherness is what we want to bring to the club through the social side, to ensure a great time is had by all both on the water and the land.

Though relatively new to the sport, I am very committed to rowing, winning athletes’ athlete, training occasionally with the seniors, and consistently stroke-seating the first NM boat. However, rowing is not just about low splits — I’m pretty proud of my 7:08 2k given my relative novelty, but beside it stands my 8 second pint chop, proudly achieved in the name of UCLBC. A necessary element of rowing, you see, is the social scene, for this not only provides a means by which we rowers can fulfil our dreams of university merriment, but also nurtures a key focal point in rowing — camaraderie. A boat with friends is a boat with speed. Accordingly, Katie and I promise to invigorate the social environment of UCLBC. A smaller family system than that in 2018 will tie the club together, seniors and novices, and sober socials will succeed with a host of new ideas such as go-karting, long distance bike rides, pamper day (we want to see nails the colour of UCLBC blades), and a club Minecraft server. ‘Non-sober’ socials, however, will be far from forgotten. Katie and I promise an appropriate degree of choppage, juvenile themes, and houseparty-type preing all to produce a sense of inebriated frivolity on our nights out. None of this, though, will be compulsory or seek to alienate any members who do not wish to partake. As it is for UCL as a whole, inclusivity will be of paramount importance. As social secretaries, Katie and I ultimately just want everyone to have a nice time :)

Having both been at UCLBC for multiple years, Elli and I want to put our combined experience as rowers and committee members into organising a year of unforgettable socials. 

I’m the current social secretary (with Lewis). I tried rowing for the first time last year and it has consumed most of my life at this point. I get emotionally invested in the amount of people who show up to socials; and have developed the editing skills necessary to make sure the president is always there. I am also a devoted member of the Seniors, with  Senior Captain Hugo saying: “If leg length represented commitment to the sesh, look no further.”

Our four main manifesto points are:

1. We will publish a social calendar from the very beginning of the year.
2. The boat club should be a place welcoming everyone and this will be reflected in our range of socials. 
3. We will aim for a quick integration of Novices through welcoming socials, something we know to be crucial from our own experiences. 
4. As we are a team of a senior woman and a senior man, we will ensure that crews are well integrated.

We hope to apply this vision next year!