Take a Ride With the Warwick Rowers…and Justin Timberlake

Calendar boy Tristan—who claims the front seat by the door because he’s got the “biggest leg press” in the Warwick Club squad –takes you on a ride with us in our trusty minibus. We wouldn’t get anywhere without it, and it plays almost as big a role in our lives as our boats and The Boathouse. It also plays a major role in rousing our team spirit; early morning banter helps compensate for the fact most other students are still lying in bed! The music we listen to on the bus is also a big part of our minibus experience, so Tristan has added a guide to our Top 10 tunes and why we love them. Join in and listen along with us! The Boys

It’s too early to stay awake all the way to the Boathouse!

When the University of Warwick boat club was established in 1967, founding member Godfrey Bishop looked far and wide for a stretch of river to accommodate a rowing club. Unfortunately for him, and many UWBC members since, the closest appropriate stretch of water was a 20-minute drive from campus. However, over the years the time spent in the minibus going to and from both training and racing has become a big part of the spirit of UWBC. The Warwick Rower’s minibus is a sacred vehicle and a rower’s best friend; it provides warmth in the winter and shade in the summer. Moreover, a phenomenon known only as “minibus adrenaline” is a lifesaver on early morning outings, as the melting pot of banter provides all the morning pick-up needed to get us going. However, there are certain minibus rules that must be maintained:

• Postgrads up top: This is a rule religiously enforced by Paddy, who claims that only postgrad students have earned the right to sit in the front seats of the minibus (aka ‘the cock-pit’). These coveted seats have additional leg room, surround sound and control over the tunes. The younger members of the club allow this rule as we’re conscious of the back problems suffered by the postgrads in their old age, and realise that the stiff back seats will only aggravate this further.
• Biggest leg press gets the front single seat by the door- Of all seats in the ‘peasant’ section of the minibus (i.e. any seats that aren’t in the cockpit), this is the best. It has plentiful legroom, and you don’t have to sit next to anyone, which is great in a bus full of sweaty rowers. In order to earn this seat you need to have the biggest leg-press, as you will need to be strong enough to close the forever jamming side door. I have held this seat for the past two years and am in no rush to let it go.
• If the banter is bad sit at the back- There are some days- generally post lash – (“going out on the lash” is a popular English term for drinking somewhat excessively) – when the banter is poor due to fatigue or hangovers. The protocol for days like this is to sit away from the chat and listen to your iPod.
• Don’t let Ryan hold CD cases- Ryan’s spontaneity is a trait that is both incredibly amusing and frustrating. The latter was more applicable when he decided to throw the CD case to Justin Timberlake’s album “Justified” (our favourite CD of all time), out of the minibus window whilst cruising down the M40 (this is a well known English motorway). We’ve still not forgiven him; I doubt we ever will…
• Coxes on the window seats- As a squad with an average height of 6’2’’, leg room is a huge problem. Hence it is an unspoken rule that the (shorter) coxes sit near the window, leaving room for rowers to have their legs drift into the aisle.

Now we’re awake and looking livelier!

Obviously no bus journey is complete without a bangin’ playlist. Here’s our top 10 driving tunes:

1. Anything by Sean Paul- Our obsession with Sean Paul is so extreme that we’ve nicknamed one of our boats Sean D’ Paul. (It’s actually named after someone else called Paul, but their surname has since come off and so we like to assume the link to the Jamaican legend).
2. Shania Twain- That don’t impress me much – This was our team song last year for reasons that are too complex to explain in words.
3. You and Me (Flume remix) – Disclosure- The perfect psych up song before an erg test or race.
4. Theme from ‘Bad Boys’- A previous senior men’s captain drove around a field on training camp for hours on end until everyone in the bus had individually sung the whole of this song. Discipline is essential in rowing.
5. Row, Row, Row your boat (trad.)- We don’t actually listen to this, I just like encouraging stereotypes.
6. UB40, Tom Jones, or Santana- These are specifically for Cyril. Growing up in Switzerland, Cyril has been sheltered from modern culture, with Tchaikovsky winning ‘best upcoming artist’ at this year’s Swiss music awards. For this reason UB40, Tom Jones and Santana are- as Cyril would say- ‘Funky fresh’ in Switzerland. Unfortunately as he’s captain we can’t do anything about this.
7. Justin Timberlake- Justified- This is the modern day “Sgt.Pepper” or “The Dark Side of the Moon”, a truly ground-breaking piece of artistry. We know all the words, all the squeals, all the dance moves, and one of our rowers even styles himself like Justin….but then why wouldn’t you?
8. Roxanne- The Police- As Sting is a Warwick alumni it felt fitting to include a Police track on this list.
9. Ellie Golding- ‘Goodness gracious (chain smokers remix) – On a long a boring drive home from Henley, we listened to this song 26 times in a row, analysing the deeper, hidden meaning of the song. We fascinatingly worked out that it is in fact an anti-war song, about an arms dealer called Itov, who she can’t stop calling to buy guns. (Listen to the song and see if you can work it out…on the 26^th listen of a song you get a bit crazy).
10. Tim Westwood’s Hip-Hop Bangers- There’s a poster of Westwood in our changing room in which he’s seen angrily throwing a car at a motorway. Just because.

Yes, the Warwick Rowers are cool – or we’re hiding our bleary eyes!

Cyril, Paddy, Ryan and Tristan all feature in our calendar, cards and film downloads here. If you were on a minibus journey with them, what tracks would you play?