Student story: Rowing sabbatical officer

The journey so far

"I'm from a small town in northern Colorado, USA, and I came to Oxford to do the MPhil in Political Theory at Linacre College. Before Oxford, I did a double undergraduate degree in Philosophy and French at Amherst College in Massachusetts, where I also swam in the NCAA athletic system and founded the Queer Athlete Alliance. Being RowSab is the latest in a long line of odd-jobs I've held, from a barista at Dunkin Donuts to a field organiser in local Colorado politics. 

My MPhil dissertation was about equality as a political and social concept: what do we think equality is, what are its different forms (political, legal, mathematical, social), and how can we do better at achieving it? People are different, but equality still means something to us — I'm trying to figure out what exactly that is. I've read quite a few books on the topic, but I also think that equality is first and foremost something that we live — so I try to bring my research into my real life every day." 

Time at Oxford

"I've been so lucky to have a fantastic set of political theorists in my cohort and a world-class community of DPhil students and faculty who engage so frequently and meaningfully with each other's work and the wider world. I've also been surrounded by the warm community at Linacre College, particularly through the boat club and the college bar. Oxford has been as intellectually exhilarating as it has been socially fulfilling, and I'm happy to be sticking around for another year as RowSab." 

Outside of studying 

"Having retired from swimming at the end of undergrad I was very happy to find a new sport in rowing and plug right into the team at Linacre. In the 2024-25 season I was a co-captain of the women's side and had the privilege to row in the Women's First VIII where we won blades and achieved Linacre's highest finish on the river since 1983. I also worked at the college bar for two years and had the pleasure of helping throw a BOP in 2024. Having things to work towards outside of my degree made the long terms of research easier to handle, as I always had at least three things going on, each very different from the other. It also made it easier to stay in touch with the outside world, something very crucial in a research degree. Rowing and bartending opened up different communities within the university (and wider town) with whom I would never otherwise have been in touch — it's so fun to go down to the river and catch up with people from different colleges and communities, and every shift I would have someone come through the bar who I hadn't seen in ages. Almost every conversation in Oxford is an interesting one, and some of the best have been completely unrelated to my course!"

Being a sabbatical officer

"As RowSab I'm the primary administrator for Oxford University Rowing Clubs (OURCs), the central body for intercollegiate rowing. This means I'm responsible for most of the behind-the-scenes administrative work which makes intercollegiate rowing races happen. I work with student officers like the Race Secretary and individual college captains to make sure racing is safe, fun, and fair. Before you see the Saturday of Summer VIIIs, with Pimm's flowing and boats flying, there are countless captains' meetings, rules and regulation discussions, swim tests, event plans, risk assessments, and safety audits both within OURCs and individual colleges — I'm there to make sure they happen in a timely and non-stressful manner!

The last few years we've been building back from the pandemic, but we're finally at a stage where we can start pushing forward on some ongoing projects. First and foremost we want to make sure every college club feels supported in recruitment, racing, and administration — every year there's some fluctuation in membership, but we want all clubs to be stably able to field at least one Open and one Women's boat in every bumps race! We're also working on some long-term projects, notably with the Environment Agency to clean up the towpath and the decaying boats alongside it, and on an historical project to get the 'Headship' Books (which track which college was first on the river after each year of bumps) up to date." 

Looking to the future

"After a few years of having a real job, I'd like to return to academia and get a PhD in philosophy or political theory. In addition to being RowSab, I currently teach part time at Magdalen College School as the Waynflete Academic in Philosophy — I love teaching, especially philosophy, and hope to make a career out of it at the secondary or university level. However, I can't imagine my life without athletics and suspect that I will be coaching (or competing) in rowing or swimming alongside my studies/teaching for as long as possible. The dream is to be a professor and the faculty advisor/senior member to a university team — the reality is, hopefully, coming together."

Opportunities for other students

"I often hear that rowing is practically unavoidable at Oxford, but I would really encourage every student to at least try sitting in a boat during their time here. Captains are out in force during freshers' week, but don't hesitate to join in later years, or later in the academic year, too! Several people at Linacre only started rowing during their graduate degrees (or even as post-docs!), and their biggest regret is often not having started sooner. If aerobic exercise isn't your thing, but you like yelling (and/or driving), you can always consider becoming a cox! 

One nice thing about rowing at Oxford is that there are so many levels of engagement. Your college team will likely have opportunities for casual rowing as well as a competitive training squad which is aiming to do well in bumps. If you want more, you can trial for the Blues rowing squad which competes in The Boat Race against Cambridge! Every year, several people who learned to row at Oxford end up becoming valued members of OUBC right alongside Olympic and Team GB rowers. At every level, Oxford rowing is full of great people who love to get out on the water and have some fun! 

The biggest barrier to entry in rowing is probably all the strange words we use (e.g. bumps, blades). Luckily, we've just created a page on our website which has all the information you might need! As the year gets going you'll surely hear about rowing in hall and around town. My advice is to get stuck into those conversations and see where it takes you!"