mcshane's rowing

I took up rowing when I was a first year undergraduate at Kings College, Cambridge UK. I spent too much time rowing, really, over the next 3 years, both for the college boat club during term time and for local town clubs during the holidays. Highlights had to include my final year when, as captain, I had the privilege to coach and row with some exceptional people - coming feet away from qualifying at Henley, a feat not achieved by a Kings VIII since the 1960's.

When I graduated I wanted a break from crew rowing, so bought my own single scull, and spent the next year in that rowing for Rob Roy. Some highlights had to be rowing in the 1998 Scullers Head (in which I had a complete nightmare) and racing at Bedford, Nottingham, Peterborough, St Neots and Cambridge.

I then started a PhD back at Kings, which marked a return to college rowing, with occasional outings in my single. After one term back I was voted in as Captain again, a post I held for the Lent and May term. That summer, 1999, saw the return visit to Henley, this time around half a second away from qualifying.

In my second year of my PhD I rowed all year around for both College and Rob Roy. This lead to quite a bit of time spent training, which I just about coped with. For Rob Roy I had some good rows in the fours, eights and scullers head, came first and second fastest at Bedford April Head, won at Metropolian Regatta, competed on the Saturday of Henley in the Queen Mother Quad Sculls and raced in a lightweight quad at the National Championships. College rowing had an unlucky year with the results not bearing out the commitment put in.

Third year of PhD, and after rowing for college in Lent Term, most of my efforts went into our lightweight quad. One personal change from last year, and crew order changes. We have some photos of us training at Ely.

After that I decided I had to finish my PhD, and then also had a back injury which made rowing impossible. I've been coaching a lot since, for some Rob Roy crews, but mainly for Newnham, coaching their 1st eight to the Mays Headship in 2003.

For now, this is all I'll put on about rowing, as by following some of the links above you can find out more. I'll just leave it by including a few of my favourite picturess of me rowing.

Here is a list of all the different blades I've rowed with, and look here for all the bumps races I've ever rowed in.

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This was my first ever bumps race in the Lents 1995.

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This is our lightweight quad racing at the National Championships 2000 at Nottingham, the crew was myself at stroke, Richard Mee, Bruno Laurent and Stephen Maratos at bow.