By David Langran
dl@adm.au.dk
Whilst Aarhus University plays host to its own boat race at the end of the month, the event that inspired it continues to go from strength to strength. The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge is the oldest surviving inter-university sporting competition in the world, and continues to hold spectators fascinated as the two crews duel for their moment of glory.
The Boat Race began in 1829, and became an annual event in 1856. At first the race was a strictly amateur affair, with the race in 1877 being declared a draw, allegedly due to the fact that the judge had fallen asleep under a bush. Nowadays however, the race is taken extremely seriously, with crews training 6 days a week for 6 months for an event that lasts on average about 18 minutes. The crews comprise current Oxford and Cambridge students, but don’t let that fool you – both crews regularly boast current or future Olympic oarsmen, as well as the occasional future celebrity: Hugh Laurie of Dr. House fame rowed for the losing Cambridge boat in 1980.
On the sides of the river, the mood is festive despite often typically English weather as students, drinks in hand, mix with the public. People from all walks of life crowd the banks, from Japanese tourists to scruffy students to fine English ladies, in equally fine hats, all braving the weather to cheer on their chosen crew. For the winners, bragging rights for the next year. For the losers, only the humiliation of losing to your most bitter rivals.
