An interview with our University Newspaper, The Boar

We were thrilled with this article and interview by Rami Abusamra, from The Boar, so we thought we’d share it with you. Thank you Rami!

One of the unavoidable facets of life is that sex sells. Whether it’s a picture of a naked woman straddling a coca cola can or some ridiculously muscular guy flexing his muscles in time to the musical beat of a perfume ad, barely decent images of sexy people tend to sell like a panacea for life’s ills. Considering this, it’s not very surprising that our very own Warwick Rowers naked calender has been selling like mad, but not all of the money raised is going to keeping the corporate machine turning.
Last week I had the chance to interview some of the sexually attractive and proactive people who managed to make the calender a reality about the Sport Allies project, a charity they want to start that combats homophic and transphobic bullying. Lauren, a fourth year engineering student who runs the Sport Allies project, Laurie, a second year politics student who modelled and took charge of the calender, and Phil, a third year history student who also modelled and “helped out with the posting,” were kind and patient enough to answer some of my questions in the middle of a crowded Curiositea.

Can you tell me a little about the project, about Sport Allies and the Calendar

Laurie: I’ll start with the calender because that came first. In June we all went down to the boat house for a couple of days and shot all the calender shots, all naked as mates together
Phil: it was a really weird experience, I’ve definitely never had that before. It was quite good fun actually, everyone was sort of getting into the mood
The mood of getting naked with all your friends
Laurie: [laughing] Yeah, if you don’t sort of get into it and laugh then you feel awkward and it just doesn’t work. You have to feel comfortable. Because we’re all friends it was quite easy to get that atmosphere.

Can you tell me a bit about Sport Allies?

Lauren: Okay, so last year we supported a charity called the Ben Cohen foundation, which is a charity to help combat homophobia. This year we’re going one step further and setting up our own. It’s not yet a charity, but we hope it’ll ultimately become one. We’re currently working with Ernest and Young to create a business model to outline financial details, and we’re with a charity called EACH: educational action combating homophobia.
Laurie: One of the top four accountancy companies in the world asking to come and help us make Sport Allies is just wonderful.
Lauren: There’s two aspects of the Sport Allies project. Part of it is going into schools and sports clubs and creating awareness. We’re going to be doing that by getting workshops with the charity EACH. Another part of it is tackling internal homophobia and transphobia. We figured if we’re going to be a club that represents inclusiveness then we need to be a model for that, so we’re bringing out a code of conduct that we want everyone to sign, we’re going to have a diversity and inclusivity rep on the exec, things like that to make sure we’re a model club. After that we want to expand it to other clubs and other Universities. We’re going to have a website that tells the story about how the calender was created, how the market came about and how the guys are now with homophobia.

Do you think that idea of inclusivity might be easier in a University environment with all these people from all over the world? Do you think you can expand that into the real sporting world?

Laurie: We’re looking to create with EACH viral content. We can’t go to America and do the physical work, so we want to make viral content so that people who believe they’re in trouble can go and find local helplines or centres to call. As much as we’d love to, we can’t be everywhere, so we’re looking to drive people who are vulnerable or bullied to find local charities where they can seek advice and support.

What was the deciding factor in selling the calender outside the uni?

Lauren: [laughing] the market was there.
Laurie: it started off in the first three years with just selling it on campus to family and friends. And then in the fourth year it took off online, we sold it through the club website and sold out within days. It’s taken on a life of it’s own. I mean the guys who started all this probably didn’t ever think we’d be on Good Morning America or The Daily Mail or Buzzfeed. It’s just grown every year.

Yeah, I’ve seen articles everywhere about it, you guys were even on tv with E! Entertainment. How does it feel to be part of what is quickly becoming an international phenomenon?

Laurie: It was quite… bizarre. My sister recorded the E! clip. They were talking about Prince George, then they went to us, then to like Kanye West’s baby. Kanye West’s baby? We really shouldn’t be in between those two stories. It was obviously quite flattering and I think it speaks volumes about what we’re trying to do with Sport Allies. Every University makes naked calenders, but I think the real attraction we get is because people think what a great idea Sport Allies is, and I’m very proud to be associated with it.

Being part of a gender or sexual minority group, especially in a sports environment, can be really hard, and a lot of LGBTUA+ people, myself included, are grateful for what you’re doing (in more ways than one). But what do you think of people who might say you’re trivialising the matter by just stripping off, or who think that because the majority of you are straight girls and guys, it makes what you’re trying to say less meaningful?

Lauren: I think a big aim of the charity is about tackling homophobia, but it’s more than that, it’s about being proactive rather than reactive. It’s about providing resources and help to people who are questioning their sexuality. But also it’s about creating awareness and an environment where it’s okay for people to not be heterosexual before it becomes an issue, and that’s why we’re targeting a young adult age group.

Do you think in sport homophobia and transphobia might be an issue that needs to be looked at more?

Laurie: I think that sport’s a good area to target it. I mean a sporting environment is where a lot of social skills are developed, at school or on your Sunday football team or whatever. It’s how a lot of young people interact. And if there’s a social problem like homophobia or transphobia, it’s going to take place in a social environment like that. We’re sports people, so we’re treating it as sort of tackling the problem on home turf. If we can target homophobia there, then maybe it can spread beyond sport to wider circles.

What did you each personally get from the experience? And what were your reactions to it all taking off?

Phil: I didn’t really know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting so many articles about it. Now wherever I look I can’t escape pics of naked Phil. I definitely wasn’t expecting that, but it’s good it’s out there and raising awareness.
Laurie: I think aside from the kind of media hype and all the jokes, what I’ve taken away from it so far is that I’ve learned a lot about homophobia and problems in society and attitudes, both wrong and right, to bullying, homophobia and equality. So, for me, I’ve really appreciated being able to meet a lot of LGBT people and learning more.
Lauren: Also, there’s about ten people in the post office right now just posting calenders. It’s brought everyone together. Everyone’s got a common goal and we’re all working to make a project the success.
Phil: Yeah, I mean we spend pretty much all of Sunday afternoon sitting in Laurie’s flat, fifteen or twenty of us, writing addresses on all these calenders with a big screen with all the supportive messages from the twitter feed.

Have you had any negative messages?

Laurie: I saw one tweet along the lines of “it’s like trying to treat diarrhoea by eating more fibre” or something? It was quite wacky. I think the point was that because we were stripping off… actually I don’t really get what the point was, but it was negative. That’s the only one I’ve seen.
So has the club as a whole learned more about homophobia?
Laurie: Yeah! Well I mean, just on Sunday when we were sat posting and we were asking people to send their messages of support to the guys, we were seeing people send in not just that they loved what we were doing but why. How they were being bullied or what for, how they were excluded. That in itself was a great educational experience for everyone there, because we saw not just that homophobia takes place but why and how and where and when, and that helps us understand what needs to be doing.
We went to a club called Aura where about 500 gay men bought tickets to get their calender’s signed, and we spent four hours just talking to the guys and hearing their stories about what they thought needed to be done, how they’d been treated. On a personal level it’s been a fantastic educational experience. Hopefully that education will help the club and the project make more of an impact than it would otherwise.

Would you do it again?

Phil: [laughing] got one more year here. As long as I don’t get too fat in the meantime.
Lauren: Yeah, definitely.
Laurie: yeah I’d do it again. I might not run the project again, it’s taken over my life a bit, but I’d definitely do the calender again and get involved in Sport Allies in any way possible, both as a student and as an alumni.

To wrap it all up, what’s your favourite month?

Phil: I can’t even remember what the pictures were.
Laurie: [chuckling] I think it’s August, but I like that one because it’s me tackling Paddy into the water.
Okay! Well thank you, both for this interview and for what you’re doing. It genuinely means a lot to me and others like me.

Please note that the film is now available for download at £11.99 as an .m4v file in both 720HD and 1080HD versions. This should play on any device, platform or player compatible with MP4 files.

All pre-orders, including rewards for crowd-funding supporters, are now up to date. Please contact us if you are encountering any ongoing problems. But do read the FAQ first! Thanks.

Our new fulfilment centre is up and running, and offering the sort of first class service that we want for our customers.  We know delivery hasn’t been our strong suit this year, and we promise we’re going to make it up to you!

All international orders that were placed by the advised deadlines have now been despatched, and should reach their destinations by Christmas.

Good news for those in the UK!  It is not too late to receive your print calendars and greeting cards in time for Christmas, but please order by midnight on Thursday 19 December so that we can meet Royal Mail recommended postage times.

And if it’s too late to get your calendar for Christmas?  Don’t worry, 2014 is still a way away!  We have a whole new batch of calendars reaching our distributors on 23 December, and they will be working over the holidays to deliver these around the world.  So any orders placed now and over the next week or so will be despatched within the next ten days.

We are thrilled to say that the Warwick Rowers 2014 Calendar has won two trophies at the UK’s National Calendar Awards in London. The judges, drawn from the most senior ranks of the UK calendar and stationery industry, voted us the Cause-related Calendar of the Year, which is an enormous accolade and a very public vindication of what we have set out to do through Sport Allies.

We then won the People’s Choice Calendar of the Year award, which is based on a vote by the hundreds of industry professionals who attended the awards ceremony itself. To have won this award in the face of competition from, for example, the Pirelli calendar by Helmut Newton and the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary calendar is an extraordinary achievement for our little project.

It was humbling for us that the awards took place at Stationers’ Hall by St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Stationers’ Company was founded in 1403 to represent the booksellers “stationed” around the cathedral who produced manuscript copies and sold papers and inks, and received its Royal Charter from Queen Mary Tudor in 1557. So these people have been in this business for a very long time, and we want to thank them for welcoming us into their circle with such generosity and warmth.

May 2014.  After becoming Charity Calendar of the Year, Warwick Rowers celebrate a landmark year with their first foray into the art world!

 Their 2014 calendar was featured on Good Morning, America and E! Entertainment, has raised nearly £100,000 for their sport and for charity, and won TWO awards at the UK’s National Calendar Awards.

 Now they hope to commemorate an extraordinary year, and support the formal foundation of their charity Sport Allies, through sales of limited edition prints.

 From a few hundred sales in its first year, the Warwick Rowers naked male calendar has become an international phenomenon, popular with both women and gay men. The gay community has supported the calendar from very early on and the rowers, who include both gay and straight athletes, have shown their appreciation for this support by dedicating themselves to challenging homophobic bullying among young people around the world.

With the help of funds from the calendar and its associated products (films, image downloads and greeting cards) the rowers have been working with other students, including representatives of Warwick Pride, the university’s LGBT organisation for students, to set up a registered charity dedicated to young people affected by homophobia or transphobia.  Top professional services firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young) spotted the potential of Sport Allies early on, and has also played a crucial role in the charity’s development.  You can read more about Sport Allies at their new, dedicated website at sportallies.org.

Working on the calendar project has brought the need for Sport Allies home to Laurie, one of this year’s biggest stars:

“Working on the calendar and the development of Sport Alllies has given me a chance to meet people from the LGBT community that I might not otherwise have met.  I had the opportunity to hear about their experiences of being bullied, of struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, and I hope that this is something our calendars and our films can help to address.  Not just by funding our outreach work, but by making a statement.  We don’t mind who enjoys the calendars and films.  We had fun creating them and we want everyone to have fun looking at them.  It’s all good!”

Now, to celebrate an outstanding year for the boys, they are launching a limited edition print of the 2014 calendar centrefold image of Laurie – a shot that has been the darling of social media since it was first tweeted back in 2013.  The iconic shot will be produced in three different editions to suit every pocket – from a smaller size in an edition of 500 through to an enormous print in a run of only 100.  What all prints have in common is that they are giclee printed by craftsmen on the highest quality pure cotton paper, and each one is signed by both Laurie and photographer Angus Malcolm.  Each print will also be embossed and will come with a certificate of authenticity.  Watch a video with Angus and Laurie here: https://vimeo.com/92958055 (embed code in Editors’ Notes).

In one of their first joint ventures with another cause, the Warwick Rowers were delighted to auction a large print at a recent fundraising dinner at top City law film SJ Berwin, in support of the Albert Kennedy Trust which supports young LGBT people facing homelessness or a hostile environment.   The print sold for £700.  Angus, who made a speech at the dinner, commented that:

“It is great to see the rowers and Sport Allies collaborating with established LGBT organisations like Albert Kennedy Trust, which has just celebrated its fifteenth birthday.  I only hope that we will still be around in fifteen years’ time, fighting stigma around sexuality in our own unique way!”

And there is no telling whose walls the print will end up adorning!  Celebrity fans include Crystal Hefner, Hugh’s wife, who has tweeted the rowers telling them that she loves the calendar and inviting them to the Playboy Mansion (an offer the boys continue to discuss regularly). Andrew Sullivan, influential blogger on ‘The Dish’, wrote that the rowers have not only ‘copped to their own sexiness’ but are also ‘legitimizing gay people by their support’. UK celebrity fans also include Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, John Barrowman, Boy George and Derren Brown.

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Warwick Rowers products now have their own site at http://www.warwickrowers.org, where you can see promos for both the calendar and the film, and find all the products available for sale, along with FAQs about the club, the charity work and customer support.
2. The first Warwick Rowing calendar was created in 2009 and sold only on Warwick University campus.  Since then, the calendar has sold to over forty countries, with several hundred thousand downloads of digital images.
3. University of Warwick Boat Club (Warwick Rowing) was founded in 1966 and has been officially recognised as one of the university’s best sports clubs for its unique combination of accessibility and competition focus. Now on the verge of top tier status in British rowing, Warwick Rowing has produced some of the most outstanding rowers of recent years, including Tom Solesbury (Current British Olympian and World Cup Championship medallist, Boat Race winner with Oxford in 2009) and Ben Ellison (2011 Boat Race winner with Oxford).
4. The limited edition prints are giclee printed to museum archive quality on Hahnemühle Photorag, a fine art paper made from 100% cotton for a smooth surface that gives impressive pictorial depth.
5. Each individual print is signed by both Laurence Hulse, our centrefold, and Angus Malcolm, the photographer.  They are also individually hand-numbered, stamped, and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
6. Each print will be sent unframed by tracked delivery in a highly reinforced fine art tube, enclosed within a further cardboard box for added security.
7. The prints come in three sizes:

Standard Edition of 500 prints

Image size is 317 x 446 mm (12.5” x 17.5”).

Size including border is 481 x 610 mm (19” x 24”)

Price:  £95 plus delivery

 Deluxe Edition of 250 prints

Image size is 476 x 669 mm (18.75” x 26.5”)

Size including border is 721 x 914 mm (28.5” x 36”)

Price:  £195 plus delivery

Gallery Edition of 100 prints

 Image size is 582 x 818 mm (23” x 32.25”)

Size including border is 882 x 1118 mm (34.75” x 44”)

Price:  £295 plus delivery

Please note that imperial measurements are approximate.

The embed code for the limited edition print video is: <iframe src=”//player.vimeo.com/video/92958055″ width=”500″ height=”281″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

1. The calendar is printed on quality silk stock – 250gsm insides with a gloss laminated 350gsm cover.  It retails for £9.99 ($16.06) and can be purchased from warwickrowers.org, along with a range of digital downloads:  the calendar itself, plus eight themed bonus packs, and the 2014 film.  Customers can also buy a full range of previous downloads and calendars (where available.)
2. The first print run of the Warwick Rowers 2014 calendar sold out in three weeks, and a further three reprints had to be ordered.  The promotional trailer for the calendar received over one million views in its first month.  It has been featured on E! News and Good Morning, America, as well as being embedded in the UK’s Daily Mail and Spain’s El Pais, among many other news websites, It can be seen and shared from here: http://vimeo.com/77412748
3. The film The Warwick Rowers: Bigger, Longer and Uncut is produced to broadcast standard in full colour, full 1080p HD.  The music for the film was supplied by musicians from the UK and all over the world, with the kind support of websites The Unsigned Guide and Music Jobs.  For more information on either site, please visit theunsignedguide.com and music-jobs.com.  The promo can be seen and shared from here: http://vimeo.com/80754729
4. The theme tune from the film trailer, “NSA”, was donated by UK-based electronic duo Lectrolips and is available on iTunes.  @LectroLips; soundcloud.com/lectrolips; lectrolips.blogspot.com
5. The theme tune from the calendar trailer, “Crazy” by George Simpson, was donated by George for the film and is taken from his album “Playing for Strangers”.  Both are available on iTunes.  George Simpson’s website is at georgesimpsonmusic.com.
6. At the launch of Sport Allies in week beginning 3rd February 2014 we provided inclusion and diversity workshops for students. Our first off-campus event was National Student Pride in London on 22 February 2014. The first phase of the website has just been launched and we aim to become an independent registered charity by October 2014.
7. Warwick Rowing (aka University of Warwick Boat Club) can be found at www.warwickrowing.org.  They are @naked_rowers on Twitter and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Warwick-Rowings-Mens-Naked-Calendar/496964983654487?ref=ts&fref=ts

For further information and to arrange interviews please contact:

Laurence Hulse, publicity@warwickrowers.org

Here it is! Our brand new website! We’ve tried to make the site easier to navigate, and we will be introducing a host of new features over the coming weeks. So watch this space! And it’s not just the site we’ve changed. We really appreciate and value all of our supporters, and we’ve been working hard all year to create even better products and an even better experience for the many thousands of you who have given us your help, encouragement and support.

We have some great new products, with pride of place going to our all-new calendar. It has had a total makeover, and we are sure you are going to love it. We are also proud to introduce a new clothing range, all designed and made in England to the highest standards.

And with so many new products, we thought we would make the shop easier to use.

Please take a moment to look around. We are sure you’ll see something you like!

It’s been an enormously exciting week for the Warwick Rowing’s Men Naked Calendar and for Sport Allies. And we’re not the only ones excited by the 2015 calendar – the British press has been picking up the story and spreading the word to its readers.

It’s always good news when influential Buzzfeed picks you up, and it’s not always that easy as Lord Sugar’s ‘Apprentices’ discovered this week when they tried to get the online magazine to support their viral videos. However, Buzzfeed writer, Sam Stryker is clearly an enthusiast in his The Naked Rowers are Back and Hotter Than Ever. Sam says: “Just unveiled the 2015 calendar and boy, let’s just say HOMOPHOBIA DOESN”T STAND A CHANCE!” Thank you Sam.

The mighty Huffington Post also weighed in with Naked Warwick Men’s Rowing Team Make a Splash to Fight Homophobia and very helpfully points readers in the direction of our shop.

Then the Daily Mail –yes, you read that correctly—headlined the boys with a Phw-oar: Warwick rowers strip off for racy new naked calendar and some prime coverage – even more than Kim Kardashian on the that particular day! As one reader commented: “That just cheered me right up.”

Local paper Midlands Zone covered the launch with Sir Ian McKellen and pointed out that Sir Ian is an enthusiastic supporter of Sport Allies.

Winq, the luxury lifestyle for gay men magazine invited Laurie to be the focus of a feature Laurence Hulse Displays Scents and Sensibility in its October issue and extensively covered the launch of the 2015 calendar hosted by Sir Ian McKellen at the May Fair hotel in London.

But let’s go back to Sam Stryker’s fun piece in Buzzfeed; how did the Buzzfeed readers rate the photos? It got a 95% YAAASS, which is pretty good.

Now, as Sam says: “it’s your civic duty as a good person to appreciate these British bums.” The best way to do that is to go directly to our shop and buy a calendar, a hoodie, a poster or a wristband.

When you buy something, you’re “ part of the story.” Please join in!

Date of birth: 21/11/1989

Height: 6’1”                            
Weight: 84kg
Eye colour: Beautiful            
Hair colour: Blonde

Paddy’s Rowing stats and personal bests

2km: 6.25 mins

5km: 17.28 mins

30min: 1.48.4  (this is a special rowing test result: it means Paddy can row 8303 metres in 30 mins at rate 20. Wow!)

Do you have  a nickname?
Several actually: First Sea Lord, Special Guest West and Jesus 2.0

What’s your star sign?
Ladatarius

And your home town?
Minas Tirith, Gondor

What are you studying at Warwick University?
A PhD in Engineering focusing on Environmental Resources.

What made you choose rowing?
I like training harder than anyone else and pushing myself to the limit.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
The best thing about rowing is winning. The worst thing is waking up early for training.

How many Warwick Rowers’ calendars have you appeared in?
Two so far – 2014 and 2015

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
Surprising: the numbers of people who have bought a calendar or who follow us. Flattering: the praise and support we have received from the gay community and others for Sport Allies and the message we are trying to send.

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
I’m a fan of cycling and cricket.

What’s your favourite food?
Chicken. Anything that gives gainz!

Person dead or alive  you would most like to have dinner with?
Aneurin Bevan, the founder of our National Health Service. A man who believed in equality, not privilege.

When you’re not in a boat what would be your dream mode of transport?
A mode of transport that has zero environmental impacts, one that doesn’t pose danger to pedestrians and one that doesn’t cause unnecessary anger and contempt. So, not a car! Ideally, the big spider thing in the steampunk movie Wild Wild West.

Where would you most like to go in the world?
The Amazon

What’s your pet hate?
Apathy

Do you have a secret ambition?
To become America’s next top model

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
Save the world.

 If you’d like to see more of Paddy (and who wouldn’t) pop into our shop and browse the brand new selection of stationery, posters, prints and clothes.

 Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

Date of birth: 08/04/1994

Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 92 kg
Eyes: Blue                              
Hair colour: Blonde

Oliver’s Rowing Stats and Personal Bests

2km: 6.25 mins

Do you have a nickname?
Yes, the Green Giant!

What’s your star sign?
Big Dipper

And your home town?
Birmingham

What are you studying at Warwick University?
History – with a specialisation in the History of Doormats!

What made you choose rowing?
I wanted a sport that would allow me to exercise shirtless as often as possible.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
The best: the feeling you get pushing yourself to the edge on a hard ERG workout.
The worst: the time investment

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
One.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
That I’ve had a few people follow me on Instagram. Every time it happens it makes me laugh because apart from stripping off for the calendar, I don’t think I do anything that is that interesting!

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
Football. I support Birmingham Football Club.

Favourite food?
Cake! All varieties of it.

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
Jo Nesbo. My favourite author and the most accomplished man ever.

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
A matte black 2001 Fiat Punto

Where would you most like to go in the world?
I spent three months working in North Carolina at a summer camp for kids. I would love to back to see some of my mates over there.

What’s your pet hate?
When you speak to someone and they don’t ask you nay questions about yourself. Conversation goes two ways, you know.

Do you have a secret ambition?
Well, apparently St. Kitts (Caribbean island) has the smallest military force in the world—only 150 active personnel—so I have always thought that if I got 300 of my mates together, we could take over the island and I could install myself as President. If anyone is interested in joining my crusade, please feel free to contact me.

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
I’ll probably join either the Police or the Military.

If you’d like to see more of Oliver (and there’s plenty more to see) pop into our shop and browse the exciting new selection of stationery, posters, prints, films and clothes.

And please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

Date of birth: 06/10/1992

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 88 kg

Eyes: Blue                   

Hair colour: Dirty blonde

Do you have a nickname?
Just “Laurie”.

 What’s your star sign?

Libra

And your home town?
St. Albans

What are you studying at Warwick University?
Er, Politics supposedly…

What made you choose rowing?
I wanted a challenge, plus I had played rugby since I was a child, so I fancied a change.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
Being able to push yourself to the absolute limits of exhaustion is both the best thing and the worst thing simultaneously!

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
Two now: the 2014 and 2015.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
I’m constantly surprised by how popular it has become outside the UK.

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
Rugby and football.

Favourite food?
Sushi!!!  Especially Tuna and Salmon Nigiri – and sashimi.

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
Bruce Wayne/Batman or Jenson Button

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
A McLaren MP4 12C

Where would you most like to go in the world?
Las Vegas – I’ve been before and I’d love to go again.

What’s your pet hate?
Gossip.

Do you have a secret ambition?
To be able to card count. Then I could move to Vegas and fund a lifetime there…

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
I plan to pursue a career in Finance or Politics – Advice welcome!!

 If you’d like to see more of Laurie (or hang him on your wall like Kylie Minogue) pop into our shop and browse the exciting new selection of stationery, posters, prints, films and clothes.

 And, please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

Date of birth: 10/01/1995

Height: 6’ 3”

Weight: 85 kg

Eyes: Blue and Brown                        

Hair colour: Brown

Tristan’s Rowing Stats and personal bests

50m in 7.8 seconds

Do you have a nickname?
Rex Studz McPower!

What’s your star sign?
The only star I follow is Beyoncé

And your home town?
Truro in Cornwall

What are you studying at Warwick University?
Mathematics, Operational research, Statistics and Economics

What made you choose rowing?
I run like a newborn and slightly handicapped giraffe, so a sitting down sport like rowing seemed a logical choice.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
The best: Being able to wear wellies and lycra in Tesco’s supermarket with pride!
The worst: Ryan’s tap down (it’s a rowing joke)

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
The 2015 calendar is my first one.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
The diversity and kindness of our audience is both surprising and flattering. I’d say the scariest thing was having to row naked – I didn’t want to get anything caught in the slides!

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
I have been a lifelong fan of Manchester United Football Club and briefly played football at school, proudly captaining the third IX (we actually couldn’t get 11 players, so had to make do with 9.)

Favourite food?
There’s a restaurant equidistant between my house and campus called Jin’s. Regardless of the time of day, or the meal purchased, it’s always referred to as “going for a Jin’s”. Be it a £1 chicken baguette or a hash brown butty; the pomp and grandeur of Jin’s is matched only by its questionably low prices!

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
The Queen. I reckon she’d have great banter.

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
Dog-assisted roller blading.

Where would you most like to go in the world?
I always thought Cuba would make a great holiday destination: culturally rich and historically fascinating. Failing that, I’ve heard that Canley (near the university campus) is beautiful in the springtime…

What’s your pet hate?
My pet hates cats, as it is a dog!

Do you have a secret ambition?
To walk on the Moon, while listening to “Walking on the Moon,” by The Police.

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
I plan to start writing my greatly anticipated series of children’s books entitled: “Winstanley- The Accident Prone Walrus”

If you’d like to see more of Tristan (you can see him larking around in our brand new 2015 films Some Like It Hotter and The Boatload) pop into our shop and browse the exciting new selection of stationery, posters, prints, films and clothes.

 And, please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

One of the things that taking part in the calendar has really helped us to understand is the importance of diversity and inclusion in sport and in society. The calendar has led us to meet and often become close friends with people we might never otherwise have encountered – people from different backgrounds and cultures as well as people with different sexualities. Our lives are very much richer as a result, and what we have come to understand is that diversity and inclusion are important for all of us.

We know that some people see rowing as a sport for “posh boys”, but we are committed as a sports club to attracting people from all sorts of backgrounds, and the calendar helps us with this. Not only does it raise our profile on campus, it helps us to ensure that rowing at Warwick is a sport that every student can afford to join.

We thought you’d like to hear how club members feel about our diversity and inclusion policy, so we asked one of the club’s coxes to share her experience with you. The Boys

Embracing Diversity

by Beth Savage (Cox)

Rowing was a sport I’d always wanted to try but never dreamed that I’d have a chance to. Arriving at university from the North Wales valleys, the closest I’d ever come to rowing was watching it on the television during the Olympics. These athletes were a far cry from anyone I knew, having gone to a poor state school: for a start, they were all very well spoken and appeared to be incredibly well educated, which fitted with the fact they had all attended what are considered to be very good universities.

When I attended the sports fair on my first week of university, hoping to find a new sport to try my hand at, the last sports club I thought I’d fit in to was the rowing team. However, I was greeted by a group of friendly faces that were incredibly welcoming. I’d believed that rowing was an elite sport and that only experienced athletes could join, but in fact, Warwick Rowing has an entire novice squad dedicated to teaching people who’ve never rowed before.

So, only three days into university life, I began my journey with Warwick Rowing, and it’s a journey I’m still on over a year later. The club more than blows away any preconceptions you might have about rowing: your background means nothing and people are purely judged on their ability to row. In the senior squads you find experienced schoolboy rowers row alongside people who have come through the club from the novice squads. And that’s just the start.

Warwick Rowing does far more than just welcome people from different backgrounds. From our first week in the club, our Diversity and Inclusion policy, driven by the learning from the calendar and Sport Allies, was made clear to every single member. It’s not something we just have written down in the Club rules; we take an active approach to it.

The way the policy is implemented is first of all through a workshop that everyone has to attend when they join the Club. In the workshop we discuss what it means to be inclusive as both a club, and as an individual. It’s important that we get the message across to new members that someone’s sexuality, race or religion are irrelevant in all sport, not just in rowing: we value our Club members based on their merits as an athlete and person.

The Club also appoints a Diversity and Inclusion officer for each of the squads so that if a member has a problem, there is a recognised person they can go to and who will deal with the issue. This code of conduct and the named representatives are also listed on our Club website, so they are easy to find. This policy isn’t just something we hear about once and then forget: every single rower embraces this value, ensuring that not one of our crewmates ever feels marginalized. It is also a message all of us are passionate about spreading.

We are filled with pride every time the Warwick Rowers or Sports Allies are mentioned, both nationally and internationally; it is a sign that our message is being passed on to an increasingly wider audience. I can certainly say that as a member of Warwick Rowing, I am immensely proud of the diversity and inclusivity the club promotes. Plus, I really couldn’t imagine university life without the family atmosphere within the club: we all look after each other, and that’s a feeling you can’t buy.

Rowing is an expensive sport, and a lot of that expense falls on the students. You can help us to promote greater diversity in rowing at Warwick by visiting our shop, where nearly half of all profits go to making our club more accessible to more students.

Thank you for your support – it means a lot to us.

We’ve been blown away by the response to our calendar, and never more so than last month. Over two consecutive nights, we went from a stellar launch at one of London’s poshest hotels with one of the world’s most famous actors, to a reception with the most powerful politicians in the United Kingdom at the awe-inspiring Palace of Westminster.

Two once-in-a-lifetime occasions in a row! How does that work? We’re still not sure, but here’s calendar boy Oliver to tell you more…

Tuesday 28^th October began just like any other bog standard rowers’ outing. The minibus pulled up outside Cost Cutter supermarket at two, and we all piled in, waiting as usual for whoever it was this time who had forgotten their onesie, (a rower’s skimpy one piece outfit, as most of you will know!) or the ones who always seem to have a problem negotiating their way out of the crowds in the lecture hall to get to the bus on time.

It continued to feel like a very normal rowers outing, with the banter flowing and onesies being thrown on haphazardly, while rain pounded the windows of our faithful minibus. But gradually, as the miles passed, we realized the enormity of where we were we were going. Our destination today wasn’t our humble boathouse at Barford, but one of the swankiest venues in London: the May Fair Hotel in, well, Mayfair, one of London’s poshest postcodes.

Whilst covering the 117 miles of motorway to London, listening to our favourite 90’s classics mixtape, it began to dawn on us all what a momentous occasion this launch was, for both our club and for Sport Allies, our campaign to challenge homophobia in sport.

When the Warwick Rowers Calendar began back in 2009, the calendar ‘launch’ consisted of the lads viewing the photos on a projector in their untidy student kitchen in Leamington Spa with a few beers. Now, in just the sixth year of our little project, we found ourselves handing the keys of the minibus to a uniformed attendant in London’s glamorous West End. You could tell it was a classy hotel because they pretended not to notice that our vehicle was any different from the Lamborghinis and Ferraris all around us.

Almost immediately we were introduced to the iconic Sir Ian McKellen: one of England’s greatest actors and a spectacular Gandalf, the white wizard of Lord of the Rings. Strangely for us, he seemed as excited to meet us as we were to meet him. We then took a few photos outside with him, including one of us lifting him up like a heroic winner!

Inside, the projector was still there – so we could view our latest calendar film – but the crappy student flat had been replaced by the opulence of the two-hundred seat private cinema of the May Fair Hotel. And the cheap beers had been replaced by drinks on silver trays handed out by waiters.

The event began with a powerful speech from Sir Ian McKellan who captured the audience with his heartfelt message about the importance of challenging homophobia in schools and in sport. He gave us all a history lesson about the struggles of the LGBT community to win human rights and introduced Will Parry, a pioneer of gay equal rights, who we’re very fortunate to have on the management committee of Sport Allies.

We were awed by who had turned up in the audience as well. Our invited guests included distinguished members of the press and the LGBT community, including stars of the small screen, as well as several of our supporters who had made their way to London.

Then it was the turn of our exceptionally talented photographer and producer, Angus Malcolm, to take the microphone. Angus took us on the journey from the days when the calendar only raised £300, which as he pointed out, was a drop in the ocean when we needed to buy boats that cost £30,000. Angus also echoed what we were all feeling: to find our little calendar being launched by an A lister in a top class venue was a “hell of a bloody surprise!”

Before introducing our viral video with a fab soundtrack composed by Kay Anderson, Angus summed up why the Warwick Rowers’ calendar has captured the imagination of so many (aside from the well toned muscles!) when he said it had become a phenomenon “because it had heart.”

The viral video went down a storm and then it was our mates’ turn to speak. Paddy, Matt and Laurie represented the rowers and did a great job of explaining what it means to all of us. Paddy emphasised the fact that we’re all real sportsmen, who are committed to our sport and club, which is a vital part of our story. Matt and Paddy talked about the importance of Sport Allies as a means for us to spread the message of diversity and inclusion to other sports clubs and other universities.

Laurie very eloquently put the importance of Sport Allies work in the context of his personal and social development. Sport enabled him to make friends and find himself. As he rightly said, why should a person be deprived of that experience just because they’re seen as ‘different’?

Jenny Clark from Sport Allies took us through a quiz related to homophobia in sport, which gave some of us a surprise. She reiterated Laurie’s message about changing things “from the bottom up,” which of course got a huge roar of laughter.

Then it was the Q&A session. Sometimes these can be tricky because when you ask people if they have any questions, they often clam up. That certainly wasn’t the case tonight. Contributions from Sky News presenter Stephen Dixon, who had interviewed Laurie, Matt and Paddy on TV a few weeks earlier, and who is a fantastic supporter of the Sport Allies cause, helped keep the conversation flowing in the room.

He was joined by British soap opera star, Anthony Cotton, another stalwart supporter of Warwick Rowers and Sport Allies, who shared his views about homophobia in sport and made some very interesting and serious points among his entertaining banter with our guests, who couldn’t stop laughing. Along with contributions from other audience members, it all made for a very lively, entertaining and informative Q&A session.

What became most apparent from the speeches and the subsequent Q&A session was that people don’t simply purchase our calendar because there is a bunch of naked guys in it (although I’m sure that is an important factor), but because they also truly believe in the message we are trying to promote.

Our message is that sport should be for everyone. We’ve got a lot from it, and we want everyone to have the same opportunities that we have had. Sadly, as many of our supporters know from first-hand experience, people who are different are often victimized in sport, and particularly team sport. Our message, and our commitment, is that that has to change.

The next day we found ourselves at The Speaker’s House receiving a Pink News award for Community Group of the Year for our Sport Allies initiative, an honour we shared with Human Dignity Trust. (We’ll write about this in more detail in another article.) To receive an award from the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Equalities, Nicky Morgan, who had only moments earlier outlined the UK Government’s determination to address difference-based bullying in formal education gave us hope. It gave us even more hope that she agreed to talk to us about the work of Sport Allies.

It was quite mind blowing for us to find ourselves in the glamour of the Mayfair one moment and in the Mother of Parliaments the next. None of us could ever have imagined the calendar would take us on such a journey.

Overall, the two events highlighted for us just how far the calendar has come in such a short period of time. They showed us that our message about challenging homophobia in sport is not lost amongst the bare bums and sculpted pecs that may initially catch one’s eye.

You can help us spread the message of inclusion in sport, and Sport Allies’ work to promote diversity and ways of tackling homophobia. Wearing a tshirt, hoodie or even just a wristband can really help get the message out there. Our greeting cards are the perfect way to show you care in more ways than one, and our calendar includes postcards of our very latest pics. All are available now in our shop.

We get quite a few questions about our lives as students and athletes.   What’s it really like to be part of a rowing team? How do you guys balance your studies and your commitment to rowing? What is college life like nowadays? And of course, how does it feel to get naked for the calendar? That one comes up a lot!

So we thought we would bring you an occasional series of posts about life at the boathouse and on campus, and doing the calendar. Written by us and by other members of the rowing club, we hope these articles will help you to get to know us a little better. 

Please feel free to write to editor@warwickrowers.org if you have any thoughts on what you’d like to read about next.

The Boys

by Tess Gullis

Freshers week, or in our case Freshers fortnight, is an initiation into university life. As fresh young blood arrives, the students who have a year or two of experience tucked under their belts show these newbies the ropes. Recruiting new faces for the rowing club and teaching them our social customs is an important part of being a club member; fortunately, it’s something we love doing.

Freshers fortnight is a ‘hard working’ two weeks for any student at Warwick and for the rowers it is no different. It’s a key time for all the sports clubs because this is their best opportunity to recruit as many new club members as they possibly can.

Warwick University Rowing Club is a rather large club in terms of its membership, and we like it that way. So, when our third years leave we’re always on the lookout for newbies to take their places. However, as you can imagine, there’s a strong sense of competition between all of the sports clubs – yes, we battle as hard for new members as we compete to win races.

Most clubs have a stall and our executive members usually set it up and decorate it with photos of our socials and training highlights. We offer several taster sessions later in the week: this involves learning how to use an erg correctly. An erg is a rowing machine like you will see in many gyms, but it’s much harder to use correctly than it looks.

We also document everyone’s heights, weights, wingspans (measurement of fingertip to fingertip with arms extended) and their base fitness. We do this so that we can monitor rowers’ progress. These scores themselves are not part of the selection process for rowing. Neither do we focus our selection on students with rowing experience.

Our experience with the calendar has really affected how we recruit. Warwick Rowing has always been keen to discover new talent wherever it may be, but we have now formalized this approach in our constitution. We actively seek out people who have never rowed before, and have diversity offers on every squad to ensure that novice rowers are made to feel welcome and included.

We will bring you another post about our approach to inclusion, and we’re quite proud of the fact that most of the people who join the rowing club and make up our novice squads are beginners. Rowing is a demanding sport, so it’s to the credit of the club that we’re able to attract so many novices.

Freshers Fortnight would not be complete without its parties. One of the best parties is the Freshers’ ‘first circle’ in the second week before Pop! Pop! Is a Students’ Union event, which is famous for its truly awful music – the cheesier, the better! Curiously, by the end of the evening, we seem to think it all sounds pretty good…

It is our social secretary’s solemn duty to teach the new club members our drinking games and the ‘punishments’ for not being very good at these games! One of these social skills is long arming a pint. To do this, you raise pint of beer at arm’s length and try to pour it into your mouth from a height. Most of it ends up over you rather than in you. Our Freshers’ party this year was one of the largest to date with over a hundred people attending – clearly we’d done a good job at recruiting! Of course, perhaps they’d also heard about the calendar boys!

We try a make rowing as prevalent a part of Freshers’ lives as early as possible to highlight just how much rowing can add to the typical university experience. We teach our novices early on how to work hard and play hard; that includes how to master the eve-tricky art of drinking the long arm pint!

Now you’ve read about the great British tradition of Freshers week, why not take a look at some of the fresh new faces in this year’s calendar? You can audition the new boys for yourselves at our shop where they are in our calendar, films and bonus photos!

Taking part in competitions is an important part of rowing for all of us. Thanks to the calendar and your support we’re able to travel to competitions around the UK, which means we get to meet student rowers from other universities, and this has hugely broadened our horizons. These occasions also provide a great opportunity to share the Sport Allies message about diversity and inclusion in sport, and when we turn up in our #WR15 hoodies and T-shirts we have a ready made talking point that helps us break the ice and make new friends.

  Of course, competitions are tough – especially for the virgin rowers – so we asked Mark Timms, a Canadian postgraduate student and one of our novice rowers, to share his first experience of an indoor rowing competition – yeah, we know it sounds weird, but with the British weather it’s not such a bad idea. The Boys 

by Mark Timms

For most of us it was our first time. If we weren’t addicted to rowing before, we definitely are now.

On Saturday, 29^th November 2014, rowers from universities all across the UK met at the Nottingham Trent University sports centre for a face-off against one another – without even getting on the water!

Organized by British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS), in partnership with British Rowing, indoor rowing competitions see university rowers from multiple weight and skill categories compete as individuals against each other. The aim is to attract top student rowers plus a wide participation base, and at the same time encourage an interest in Indoor Rowing competitions.

We did pretty well on the day! Warwick’s Rebecca and Katie won the gold and silver medals respectively for the Senior Women’s 2k race in spectacular style, while Gabriel, a recent addition to the Warwick Novice Men’s Rowing team, and a former water polo player with Great Britain’s national team, took the bronze medal for the Senior Men’s 2k category.

“It was a fantastic privilege to watch Rebecca and Katie row,” Gabriel enthused after the competition. “Just seeing the way experienced rowers approach a competition was a great learning experience for my novice teammates and I.”

Whilst Rebecca and Katie row with Warwick’s Senior Women’s team, they were the only experienced Warwick rowers racing that day. The rest were total newbies: the Warwick’s Novice squads –only assembled in October 2014–were filled with the type of nervous excitement that accompanies tackling anything for the first time.

They had all spent a significant amount of time practicing on individual rowing machines (called “erg’s,” by rowers and featured in the picture above). That said, since selection for the novice squad, they had not pushed themselves to a state of complete exhaustion. And, just to give you an idea of the kind of competition for a place on one of our teams; over 100 male students had presented themselves for the Men’s Novice Squad try outs.

The indoor 2k race was completely different to this initial try out!

“The thing about you guys having never done a 2k race before, is that you don’t know to be afraid of it,” warned a more experienced Warwick rower.

He might have added that the thing about going flat out for 2k is that it really tests your ability to maintain a deliberate pace.

“I want to see mature racers, executing mature race plans,” demanded Alex, one of two Novice Men’s coaches. That’s a big ask for novices!

Alex, alongside fellow-coach Thomas, described a mature race plan to the Novice men as one where “the rower deliberately maintains a certain rate for planned amounts of time.” The idea is to pick a particular rate and maintain it, so that you can row hard at the beginning and middle stages of a race, whilst maintaining the ability to row even harder towards the end.

A rower who depletes all their energy stores at the very beginning of a 2k will easily maintain first place for 500m to 1k. As some of the novices learned on Saturday, however, exhausting yourself in the beginning leads to a dramatic emotional rollercoaster ride. You feel like a champion, if only for a brief moment, and then you watch your lead position become distant memory, as you are overtaken by other rowers who unleashed their energy more deliberately during the race.

“Hey man – I was totally winning that race for at least 30 seconds,” said one Novice man, making fun of his own performance. “Too bad it took me seven minutes to finish, when the dude who won did it in 6.29.”

Regardless of everyone’s performance on Saturday, it was a fantastic opportunity for all the new rowers to get a sense of what rowing competitions will be like in the future.

All this writer remembers about his 2k race is that all his friends were around him cheering as loudly as they could to encourage him, that his vision went blurry at the end of the race (having absolutely no energy left in him to row on past the finish line), and that he’ll do better next time.

Thankfully, the competition did not count towards Warwick’s overall race standings in the university league tables, meaning that the Novices were granted a consequence-free opportunity to explore the thrills of racing against other rowers. The next race, however, will not be so forgiving.

We wear our #WR15 T-shirts and hoodies with pride to rowing competitions. It’s a great way to spread the “anti-homophobia in sport” message…and a different way to get a conversation going with people you’ve just met! You can order the clothing, or our famous calendar, as well as other products at our shop.

Our passion for rowing is one of the reasons we started our calendar. And part of that passion comes from the friendships that rowing has helped us discover.

Rowing is not just a sport to us. It offers a refuge and a new “family” to students arriving at university, often far from home for the first time. As we know from our supporters who have had bad experiences with college sport, a friendly sporting environment can make a huge difference to a person’s happiness and health.

We’ve also become aware through our work with Sport Allies that anyone who feels alienated because they’re ‘different’ is more likely to drop out of education. That’s because they feel excluded, so at our rowing club we work hard to make sure everybody feels part of ‘our rowing family’.

We asked Ellie, one of our club members, to share her experiences of arriving at university, and how rowing has enhanced her student life and friendships. The Boys

I made the decision to start rowing on the first day of university. I’d just completed a circuit of the campus, half dragged around by my over enthusiastic Mum, when I came across the rowers recruiting freshers on the central piazza. (see Getting Fresh with the Warwick Rowers) To my mind, it was definitely the most impressive recruitment drive I’d seen by any of the sports clubs.

Having been fully armed with rowing club information, I returned to my halls, where I was the only girl on my floor. In a virtually all male environment, the chat naturally turned to sport. Fortunately, this was a subject I was fairly comfortable with and I quickly broached the topic of rowing. Later that week the ‘boys’ and I went to the introduction talk, and that was that. I was a rower.

For many, the experience of rowing for your university adds a different and extremely beneficial dimension to university life.

A lot has been written about the qualities you can develop through rowing. As well as the obvious physical benefits, rowing teaches you commitment and organisation, to name just a couple. It also strengthens your mental and physical endurance. The life skills gained through rowing go far beyond what you learn in the boat, which is why rowing is great for anyone regardless of age or gender.

For a start, there is the sense of camaraderie that you get from rowing. This aspect of the sport is often overlooked, but I think it can’t be emphasised enough. There are nine of you in a boat – eight rowers and the cox – so immediately you have that group to bond with. Then there is the entire club, and Warwick Rowing has a substantial number of members (currently 97) all rowing at different levels of experience.

I’m part of the Senior Women’s team, which is made up of 20 rowers and three coxes, all of whom spend a lot of time together. With the exception of the coxes, who only have to train on the water, we all have to train in the gym and in the boats. And, quite frankly, there’s something to be said about the friendships that form when you’re all out together partying at 2am and then up for training four hours later!

Also, when you feel like you’re going to die because your leg muscles are burning and your heart is pounding, and 500 metres has never felt so long, it’s the best feeling in the world to know that there are seven other people feeling exactly the same as you do.

No matter how we feel, no rower will do anything less than her or his best, because to do less than that lets the others down– and that’s just not an option. All of this effort makes crossing the finishing line as a team all the sweeter. But, there are other ways in which rowing is a life-supporting sport.

University can be tough and lonely. Belonging to a support network of rowing mates is not just the best thing at a race, but also the best thing at university generally. Your rowing club friends are there for fun nights out, but also for when you need someone to talk to, or you’re stressing out in the library over an essay. I’m pretty confident that someone who’s seen you before, during and after a 2k endurance test, and still wants to hang out with you, is a friend for life. And we all need those.

Have a look at some of our new members and friends in the 2105 calendar, the frankly fresh new film Some Like It Hotter and the bonus photos!

Date of birth: 07/12/1993

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 77 kg

Eyes: Blue                   

Hair colour: Brown/ blonde

Rowing stats and personal bests:
Being physically sick after every hard erg and finishing 2km on one lung.

Do you have a nickname?
Robbo

What’s your star sign?
Sagittarius

And your home town?
London

What are you studying at Warwick University?
History and Politics

What made you choose rowing?
I had never tried rowing before, but no sport builds more lactic acid, plus it’s a sport for tall people where I actually feel short.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
The best thing about rowing is physically pushing myself harder than I ever have. The worst things about rowing are the erg training sessions and early mornings.

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
This is my first one.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
The most surprising thing was how normal it was to walk around naked with a bunch of my mates and all the lads in the club: it wasn’t at all awkward and half the time I didn’t even realise I was naked. The most flattering aspects are the camera angles! I didn’t find anything particularly scary, except maybe the drone that almost took my privates off…

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
I played rugby for eight years before going to university to try out rowing. I love watching the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). I also support Arsenal Football Club and London Wasps rugby team.

Favourite food?
Paella!

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
Genghis Khan. One of the legacies of his empire, which was the biggest empire in history, is that 1 in 200 men are descendants of his. I’m sure he’s got some pretty good stories to tell.

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
Aston Martin DB9 has always and will always be my dream car.

Where would you most like to go in the world?
The Maldives. White beaches and that sea, that’s all I need.

What’s your pet hate?
Not giving something a go.

Do you have a secret ambition?
It wouldn’t really be a secret if everyone knew about it.

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
Something exhilarating!

If you’d like to see more of Tom (revealed by his very flattering camera angles) pop into our shop – he’s featured in our film “Some Like It Hotter”.

And, please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

Date of birth: 04/08/1994

Height: 6’ 1”

Weight: 82 kg

Eyes: Grey-blue                      

Hair colour: Light brown

Rowing stats and personal bests:
2k in 6:29

Do you have a nickname?
C.Y.

What’s your star sign?
Leo

And your home town?
Geneva

What are you studying at Warwick University?
German and Business Studies

What made you choose rowing?
My brother and my friends encouraged me.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
The best things are the racing, the effort you put in and the feeling of achievement and speed. The worst thing might be the ergs!

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
This is my first one.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
That it was actually quite fun to do the shooting!!

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
Because I’m Swiss it’s probably not surprising that I love skiing and watching others do it as well. I love cross country skiing as well as the Alpine variety. I also love sailing, cycling, mountaineering, and sometimes I enjoy a game of golf.

Favourite food?
French cuisine – it’s the most exquisite!

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
A president, because they are much more informed than most of us about what’s happening in the world and it would be interesting to get their views on society in private.

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
Any kind of plane!

Where would you most like to go in the world?
New Zealand and Argentina.

What’s your pet hate?
Water!!!!

Do you have a secret ambition?
I would love to sail around the world.

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
To work, or study more.

If you’d like to see more of Cyril (having fun with his friends on the photographic shoot) you can find Cyril in our calendar and in our film “Some Like It Hotter”.

And, please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

Date of birth: 14/05/1994

Height: 6’

Weight: 70 kg

Eyes: Blue                   

Hair colour: Brown

Rowing stats and personal bests
6.50 2k,
1:50 30min  at R20… (8182m in 30 mins at rate 20)
17:46 5k

Do you have a nickname?
Coach

What’s your star sign?
Taurus – but personally I think it’s a load of bull

And your home town?
London

What are you studying at Warwick University?
Maths – first year is adding up, second year taking away, hopefully we will be moving on to multiplication this year!

What made you choose rowing?
Rowing chose me!! I’ve been involved in the sport for over 10 years now, can’t really remember why I started – I think it had something to do with my brother rowing and I joined because I didn’t want to be left out.

What’s the best thing/worst thing about rowing?
Best thing would be the people you meet and the friends you make. And the worst thing? That probably would have to be sitting in the pouring rain on a frosty winter morning waiting for a race to start.

How many Warwick Calendars have you appeared in?
This is my first one.

What has been the most surprising/scariest/flattering thing about the calendar?
I guess that would be how laid-back it felt. After some initial awkwardness the guys relaxed and then we were back to the familiar banter and joking around that makes the squad a good laugh to be in. Turned out to be a great day!

What other sport do you like watching and/or playing?
Apart from rowing not much of a sports fan, I do a lot of other sports but don’t support any teams.

Favourite food?
Any type of fish is great, but I especially love tuna.

Person you would most like to have dinner with?
My girlfriend, I know its soppy but I really enjoy it – plus she’s a much better cook than I am.

When you’re not in a boat, what would be your dream mode of transport?
There are forms of transport outside of boats!? But seriously, I really like running as a form of transport: I often run several miles to training since the buses don’t start early enough on Sunday mornings.

Where would you most like to go in the world?
China: the landscapes are spectacular and there is so much to see in the country. I have been once briefly, but would definitely like to go again.

What’s your pet hate?
Not getting enough sleep. I love getting my beauty sleep, but unfortunately that’s sometimes difficult when you have to get up at 5.00am for a session.

Do you have a secret ambition?
Maybe, but it wouldn’t be secret if I told you would it?

What do you plan to do when you leave Warwick University?
I am in my final year, so hopefully I will make my mind up pretty quickly! Either I will do a Masters or I may take a year out to travel and coach rowing.

If you’d like to see more of Thomas (while he’s enjoying some banter with other naked rowers) Thomas is in both the calendar and our film “Some Like It Hotter”. 

And, please don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter – we want you to be part of the story!

You’ve probably noticed that the ‘Erg” crops up in a lot of our articles. You may have also realised that we have a rather difficult relationship with this essential piece of rowing machinery. You might say it’s pretty much as necessary to rowing as a boat is. Steve, one of our novice rowers who has recently become acquainted with the erg, explains the love-hate relationship between a rower and the erg…and how it creates well-defined muscles. The Boys

If you’ve ever been to a gym, or watched a home shopping channel, chances are that you’ve seen an erg. It’s basically a rowing machine, but it’s a lot more than that to us.

The relationship between a rower and his erg is like a marriage: it’s frequently turbulent, often painful and sometimes incomprehensible. But one thing is for sure; a rower is nothing without it.

Like any relationship, there was of course a first date. Ergometers, more commonly referred to as ergs, have been around in rowing since the 1800s, but they can be traced back to an Athenian general called Chabrias in the 4^th century BCE who devised a similar machine as part of military training for the ancient Greek navy’s oarsmen. Ergs as we know them now have been around since roughly the 1970s; the first being the Gjessing-Nilson ergometer from Norway.

The erg primarily works the cardiovascular system, but it also works other muscles anaerobically, which is why rowing is sometimes referred to as a strength-endurance sport.

Ergs are vital for rowers across the globe because they are an extremely accurate measure of power and fitness; vital attributes when it comes to race day. And, now that rowers are more astute at incorporating technology into training, they have the potential to achieve the higher levels of fitness needed in competitive sport. The erg is an essential tool in the development of that sport competition fitness. As technology advances, not just with the erg, but also in sport science’s understanding of the human body, rowers learn how to maximise their productivity in each erg session. This does not mean a rower needs to go all guns blazing each time; a range of aerobic workouts and interval training is an ideal regime.

One amazing thing about the erg is the effect that it has on muscular development. The erg works all aspects of a rower’s body, whether it is their legs, which are the main driving force behind the rowing stroke, or the core abdominal muscles, which provide stability and balance during a race. It also develops the back and arms, which allow rowers to explode through the end of the rowing stroke. As a result, it is vital for rowers to dedicate themselves to muscular toning and development, in order to get the most out of the stroke.

As you can see from this description of the effects of the erg on your muscles, the rowers in our calendar have to develop well-toned and muscular bodies to compete in races, not just for photo shoots. That’s an all year round pursuit of perfection that includes chilly early morning training sessions and strenuous erg workouts; but we’re delighted you can enjoy the results month by month.

So if the erg is so important, why do rowers dread it?

The simple answer to this only requires one word: pain. A 2k erg test is excruciatingly painful because it requires rowers to pull as hard as they can for 6-7 minutes. As any rower will tell you, after just two minutes, you can feel the lactate—also called lactic acid– in your legs burning like an unendurable torture method. And you still have four minutes to go.

Despite this, rowers know that they are nothing without the erg. Like an old married couple, the rower will always complain about the erg, but they’d be stupid to file for a divorce.

You can see rowers on ergs in our very earliest calendar, which is still available for download along with lots of other great pictures in our digital archive. You can check out all our downloads here: http://www.warwickrowers.org/product-category/films-downloads/