Boat Club Society
Wadham rowers past and present are a thriving community both on and off the water. Wadham College Boat Club Society (WCBCS) welcomes members of the Wadham Boat Club and their supporters to join the social and competitive events held each year.
About
WCBCS exists to help the performance of the Boat Club so that all crews are as successful as possible, and to develop a society which increases the enjoyment of rowing for former and current Wadham oarspeople.
Specific objectives include:
- Ensuring crews are well coached
- Providing financial support through the College Boat Fund to fund coaching and equipment
- Giving experienced advice
- Supporting participation in the sport by a broad mix of current Wadham students, of all abilities
- Providing the Society’s members with news of the Boat Club’s progress
- Organising an annual regatta and The President’s Dinner
- Encouraging past members of the Boat Club to join the Society, so seeking to spread the financial cost of Wadham Rowing across a broad base of support
Membership and Support
Membership of the Boat Club Society is open to all who support and would like to help the current Boat Club or keep in touch with old rowing friends at Wadham. Each year in September the Society holds a regatta and Dinner in Oxford, a great chance to meet up with friends and meet new people all with the same aim – to remember and celebrate their rowing days at Wadham.
Members of the Society are notified of the rowing events that take place within Wadham, or on the Isis and are encouraged to attend and to meet and socialise with the current students. Assistance with coaching of the students or administration of the Society is always welcome (please do get in touch if you would like to get involved with this).
To join, click the link below.
If you would like to join the Society, but are not yet able to make a financial contribution towards the Boat Clubs, do join as a recent graduate.
Join the Boat Club Society
Contact
You are very welcome to email us with queries about the Wadham College Boat Club Society.
Enquiries about assistance with coaching of the students or administration of the society are also welcome.
Further Information
Wadham's Rowing History
In common with many of the Oxford colleges, rowing was the first organised sport at Wadham. The Boat Club was founded at some point before 1837, making it one of the middle batch of colleges to found formal boat clubs. Only a decade or so later, however, Wadham achieved notable success when, in 1849, the College won both the Ladies Challenge Plate and the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta.
The WCBCS exists because of the vision and dedication of one man: the Revd. Vere Ducker. A stalwart of the 1925 five bump Wadham Torpid, he had been a keen supporter of rowing at the College through the years until, in 1974, a chance meeting started the ball rolling. Sadly Vere died in 1996 and he will always be deeply missed.
