Martin Parr - New Captain’s Speech 2000

History - I started in the Pub Regatta in the same boat as Kirsty, Beginners Course & Novice squad (Julian, Andy & Susan), finally squeezed into a Henley boat last year (both literally and metaphorically). After that I spent some time relaxing and getting fatter.

I Have been club publicity officer and a committee member for the past year, and I hold I think the record for being the only person ever to have been refused a drink at the club bar for being ‘too drunk’.

The Sort of Captain I hope to be is ...

Approachable - live in Wallingford, frequently at the club and contactable - i.e. I don’t get out much, except to the club! I want to make the membership feel involved in the running of the club. I want the committee also to be representative, approachable and responsive. So that you know what is going on, Ali West has taken over the running of the club website, and we hope to send out regular bulletins on club activities - something that has slipped in recent times.

Pragmatic - I’ll delegate where appropriate to do so, but I have no fear of cleaning the Men’s urinals….. Rachael and Andrew before have helped build an increasingly flourishing club, both in terms of on-the-water activity and revenue generation. We need to keep this up. Andrew needs support in running events (specifically through staffing - as this is currently our major means of fund-raising for new equipment) and in generating rack income from colleges - in this latter case, it may only require you making our paying guests welcome.

Visionary - I feel very fortunate that the previous few captains have done the hard work in putting the club back on its feet competitively and financially, building competitive squads from scratch, often with a high proportion of home-grown rowers. I’m also the first captain in a few years to have an appreciable amount of money to spend on new equipment. From this period of rebuilding and consolidation, we now have the opportunity to stand back and ask how we want to direct the future of the club. We need to grow - we’ve been bursting at the seams for too long. We all need better facilities, and we need money to pay for them.
In this vein, Bob, Chris Bomford and Matt Cooper will form a nucleus of people who will this year be actively seeking sponsorship to develop the club and provide for new equipment. They will be seeking your help in this matter.
Short-term I have started to set in train a rolling programme of replacements for our boats and blades. Graham Day has taken over the roll of for want of a better term ‘boat monitor’. He has already sold some of our old stock of boats and blades and we hope to use this to put towards the funds for new equipment.
Committee, interested parties and coaches have been consulted on the priorities for both boat sales and purchases, and in summary, we hope to buy:

A new set of 10 blades
A new lightweight double for international trialists
A new 80kg coxless four
A new 85kg eight
A second-hand eight for the beginners or novices

In addition, some smaller purchases including a scull and some riggers have already been made. Some of the purchases may be delayed somewhat, as we are also seeking alternative sponsorship funding for some of them. Long term we need to improve the fabric of our buildings, generate new income streams through sponsorship and assess the broader aspects of what we do - how for example could we rebuild a junior sector? This often comes back to money.

Help Andrew to make as much as he can by making the events and racking a success, and think how you could contribute to fund raising. It need not be anything too ambitious. Joining the 200 club could be a start. Active rowers must also be active supporters of the club as the active membership continues to grow as a proportion of the whole. And one last thing. With a quote from my esteemed coach - don’t forget we do this for enjoyment……