Success for Reuben College at Summer Eights

6 June 2022

Reuben rowers showed a strong performance with Linacre Boat Club in Summer Eights Racing.

reuben linacre rowers celebrating1

Summer Eights is a beloved Oxford tradition for rowers and non-rowers alike. The annual four-day regatta of “bumps” racing was held May 25th-28th, 2022 on the Isis River in Oxford, with qualifying races on May 21st. Each race sets off in divisions of twelve college crews equally spaced out in a single file line. The object of the race is to “bump” (catch and overlap  or make contact with) the crew in front, thus moving ahead one place in the next day’s racing start order. Similarly, crews can be bumped, which moves them lower in the start orders each subsequent day. Day 1 starting orders are inherited from the previous year’s Summer Eights results, so Summer Eights has lots of college history, passion, and inter-collegiate rivalries mixed in with the pure rowing fun!

Reuben had 11 rowers participate in Summer Eights races this year with several highlights throughout the week:

  • A Reuben rower in all of the 6 Linacre Boat Club Crews on every day of racing!
  • A phenomenal showing of Reuben supporters and picnic attendees to watch the final day of racing on Saturday.
  • Two crews (Aleks, Elliot, Max, and Peer) in the Men’s First and Second Crews (M1 & M2) earning blades - the highly coveted and hard earned honor of bumping an opposing crew every day of racing.
  • Two crews (Nijia, Sara, Sharon, and Thea) in the Women’s Second and Third Crews (W2 & W3) missing blades by just one race (ie bumping up three times and never getting bumped)
  • The women’s first (W1) crew (Ambre) racing in the highest division Linacre has ever reached

Reuben rowers and spectators alike had a fantastic four-day racing week with much athleticism, Reuben pride, and brilliant weather. We look forward to continuing a tradition of Summer Eights victories with Linacre Boat Club next year!

- Nijia Zhou, MSc Student