The Boat Race of 2025 is this years addition to the longstanding boat race between amateur student athletes of Cambridge and Oxford universities boat clubs.
Sometimes referred to simply as the university boat race or the boat race.
These teams have produced Olympic athletes over the years and there is an ongoing program to bring local children into the sport.
I won't tell you this years results in case you want to watch it yourself on BBC One or the app. All I will tell you is it was exciting.
The Oxford Crew (Women)
The Cambridge Crew(Women)
Held on the River Thames in London England. The men's race began in 1829, while the women's race started in 1927 almost 10 years after women got the right to vote in parliamentary elections in the Representation of the People Act 1918.(not all men had the right to vote either)
The boat race became an annual event in 1964.
The women's race is first to compete followed the men's race.
Cambridge's team colours are light blue and Oxford's colours are dark blue.
And They Are Off Racing
There is usually a bit of drama and the occasional near sinking and crashes which is wild when you think about it. Just two boats on the whole river and they still managed to crash.
Countdown to a Crash
The idea is to get in front of the opposing team so that they are rowing in your boats wake or turbulent water which effects their boats handling and speed.
A clash of oars.
It's always a great spectacle and the river banks on both sides of the river are usually filled with 1000's of spectators.
300,000 spectators are expected to view the race this year from the riverside but the best view and coverage of the race is on TV. Which is also the source of the photos in this post. A handy little hack when you can't get to the event in person.
Londoners rarely give the River Thames its full title and refer to it simply as 'the river'.
Rowing boats on the river has been going on for as long as humans inhabited the banks of the Thames and for many centuries controlling the ferry crossing points and haulage was a very lucrative occupation.
The river was also the main source of trade and transportation of goods and people up, down and across the river.
A Thames Sailing Barge (workhorse of the river in a bygone era)
This got me thinking about the way we use language. Calling something 'The Boat Race' is a bit like saying 'The Moon' as if there is only one of a kind?
Of course there are many boat races around the world and there are many moons around other planets but I assume it has something to do with the history of the race and our evolving understanding of the universe.
As time moves forward we often learn that there are many more things that are not unique to our own experience?
See this post on @worldmappin
This post is for #SublimeSunday inspired by @c0ff33a and #BeautifulSunday initiated by @ace108. #marketfriday curated by @dswigle
It is a sporting oddity, but we Brits like a tradition. I am sure a lot of money goes into the event with things like sponsorship. My dad has been a rower and I tried it for a while, so I have seen a few races. It is a tough sport and not just for 'toffs'.
Hi Steve, yes it is a sporting oddity in so many ways including where only two teams are ever allowed to play 😂😂👍
It is great fun to watch but it has become a bit of an excuse for binge drinking by Yahoo's of all ranks...not just the toffs anymore.
The rowing club does do a bit of outreach to the oikes of the realm which is nice and yes it is sponsered up to the hilt.
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