The Madibaz men’s and women’s rowing crews are ready to relive former glories when they take part in the University Boat Race on the Kowie River in Port Alfred from Thursday to Saturday.
Teams from around the country will take on each other in a series of time-trials and head-to-head races in the annual regatta, which is considered to be one of the most important on the calendar.
Mandela University’s rowing coach Alisdair McPhail said it would be another celebration of the sport in tough conditions.
“This boat race plays a massive role in varsity rowing because the athletes are required to be strong and cohesive over lengthy distances,” he said.
“Working together is absolutely essential to have any sort of success, so that is something every team will have been working on in the build-up to this week.”
McPhail added that the race was always an occasion of great camaraderie.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know competitors from other varsities and the spirit of the occasion often has rowers coming back for more.”
Madibaz, themselves, will continue to build their experience after the sport at the varsity was shut down during Covid.
McPhail said there had been a significant dip in numbers at the time but that they had worked hard to rebuild the club to its former glory.
Their main focus areas this year have been their novice programme and forging team cohesion.
“We are encouraging students who have never rowed to come to experience it during their varsity careers and this has had some effect,” he said.
“At the USSA sprints regatta in April we had some incredibly strong novices, especially on the women’s side.”
He pointed out that Sante Venter had won gold in the women’s D sculls, while she and Rika van Dyk won the women’s D doubles.
“However, the commitment and energy given by all of our novices were outstanding and very promising for the future.”
McPhail said this tied in with their goals of building a good base for the future of Madibaz rowing and he saw events such as the University Boat Race as very much part of this process.
Madibaz have entered crews in the women’s and men’s A sections, each consisting of eight rowers and a coxswain.
Their first test will be a time-trial, followed by a head-to-head clash according to their placement achieved. Each race is 6km long.
McPhail said the conditions on the river were highly variable, offering different challenges at various points on the course.
“We train for this by preparing for all weather conditions and polishing our technique,” the coach said.
If everyone performs at their best, a significant portion of the race distance can be shed.
“This will assist us in our overall objectives,” McPhail said.
Last year, the women’s crew finished eighth and the men ninth and the class of 2024 will be determined to go better.