This year marks Trevelyan College Boat Club’s (TCBC) 50th anniversary. Established in 1976, TCBC has been a staple of college sports for years. To mark such a momentous occasion, the club have already hosted a number of events to celebrate this milestone, as well as delivering many incredible race results to reflect the success and evolution of the club.

In January, TCBC hosted its first ball in years in honour of the anniversary at the Durham Masonic Ball. It’s not a small feat for a society, especially a college one, to hold its own ball, but the event was a roaring success, with plans to continue this tradition. The event included live music and speeches, as well as the annual club awards from the Presidents, Women’s Captains, Men’s Captains and Cox’s Captain.

TCBC also held a 24-hour ergathon in February in honour of the club’s anniversary and for fundraising. TCBC placed four ergs (rowing machines) in the Cobbles, and for 24 hours, at least one club member was there. Ergathons are no small accomplishment, and the club kept the ergs going the whole time, drawing great attention to the club. The ergathon even attracted participation from the College’s own Principal and Vice-Principal, who had a go on the erg.

To round off a celebratory Epiphany Term, TCBC also went international for the first time ever! In March, the club travelled to Belgium to attend the 31st Brugge Boat Race, bringing both a Men’s 8+ and a Mixed 8+. This will surely be the first of many more international excursions for a club that is going from strength to strength.

It’s been a brilliant year marking the club’s golden anniversary and there’s more exciting plans to come for the rest of the year.

It would be amiss not to mention the success TCBC is having in its golden anniversary year. For such a small college, our boat club has truly become a force to be reckoned with. It has truly been incredible to watch the club rise over the last few years to become one of the most competitive college clubs in Durham, and this evolution is a testament to all of the athletes who have come through TCBC and worked hard to continually dedicate themselves to the club.

Both the men’s and women’s squads have had fantastic years so far and are expected to continue their domination across the regatta season. In March, both the Men’s and Women’s 1Vs set new course records at Derwent Head in the Lake District. Following on from this race, the crews travelled to the Women’s Head of the River Race (WEHORR) and the Head of the River Race (HORR) respectively. At WEHORR, the Women’s 8+ took the title of the fastest Durham college. At HORR, the 1V took the spot of the second fastest college crew, whilst the 2V beat every other Durham college second eight.

It has certainly been a great start to TCBC’s 50th anniversary, and there is surely more to come from the club in subsequent months. HEX spoke to one of the club’s outgoing Presidents, James Robinson, who said:

“It’s been a fantastic year and a pleasure to serve as Co-President of the boat club. This year we’ve attended even more races and had some fantastic results.

The highlights of the year include the Men’s 1st 8 defeating Collingwood at Rutherford Head, ending an over 1000-day winning streak. Additional races in Cambridge and Brugge were firsts for the club. The latter was especially memorable as it was the first time TCBC has competed internationally. Some other significant highlights include the revival of the TCBC ball, last held in the 90s, a club Ergathon that raised over £1,700 for a new competitive 4+, and, most notably, our double course record at Derwentwater Head with stunning scenery in the background.

HEX looks forward to seeing what plans TCBC’s new Presidents, Alena Cartmell and James Elkington, and their new exec have for the rest of the year and wishes the club luck during regatta season.

Cover Image: Trevelyan College