Henley Womens 2010

What it feels like to come 6th in the Womens Head of the River

The women's senior group put in a strong performance across the board at the 70th Women's Head of the River, showing strength and depth in one of the most competitive women's squads in the country.

The First Eight had a storming race to take the club's highest ever position in the Head and in doing so, won the Club Pennant - a first for the Club in this event and needless to say, an achievement the entire crew and their coaches are very proud of. The squad drew on a combination of experience and upcoming talent within the squad to produce an eight that picked up speed all along the course, moving from 20th position at the Barnes Bridge marker to 6th position by the finish line.

With very little time together as a complete crew (the first session with all 8 rowers and cox was actually Saturday morning!) but a strong and experienced bunch of athletes (with Henley winners, GB and England representatives in the crew) we believed we could produce some good speed if we found a solid racing rhythm early on. Rachel and Anna in the stern set up a great rhythm to get us going and even though the start may have been a little tentative (20th at Barnes Bridge had not been part of the plan!) we grew in confidence as the race progressed and all the hard winter endurance training started to pay off. There had been some debate prior to the race as to whether there would be little puffs of smoke appearing from the 5 & 6 seats by Hammersmith, but it seems that Helen and George's "alternative" winter training programmes also kicked in and as we picked up speed, we pushed on again, crossing the line having thrown absolutely everything we had at the race.

Even so, finally seeing the result and realising that we'd come 6th overall was just so fantastically exciting for all of us - a truly memorable and proud achievement for each member of the crew. More than that though, it's worth saying that coming together with such a fantastic and dedicated bunch of girls to race the Head really encapsulates what the Mortlake ethos is all about and reminded me why I enjoy being a member of this club so much: it was fun, exciting, focussed, and ultimately - the thing everyone trains so hard for... FAST!

Rachel Hutchinston, Anna Townsend, Helen Austin, George Menheneott-Phillips, Amy Propsting, Chloe Aitken, Ruth Sander and Helen Ralston

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