Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 1992

R o w to Victory Cultivating a New Trad i t i on S t a r t i ng at M o r t l a ke a n d f i n i s h i ng at Pu t n e y, the O x f o rd C a m b r i d ge B o at Race is a national event that boasts a history o f over 160 years, each year d r a w i ng huge c r o w ds t o the banks o f the T h ame s, wh e re they eagerly w a t ch h ow C a m b r i d ge trounces O x f o r d, o r v i ce versa. A c r o s t h e A t l a n t ic i n N e w L o n d o n, Co n n e c t i c u t , he annual Y a le H a r v a rd regatta is e q u a l ly e n t h r a l l i ng f or its spectators, w ho have been enchanted b y the v i g o ur and beauty o f the sport ever since t he i n a u g u r a t i on o f the race i n 1852. H e re on the r im o f the Pacific, the H o ng K o ng v e r s i on o f t he O x f o rd C a m b r i d ge race is p l a y ed b e t we en T he Chinese U n i v e r s i ty and the U n i v e r s i ty of H o ng K o ng every September o n the S h i ng M u n R i v er i n Sha T i n . A s t he c o n t e n d i ng universities have a m u ch shorter history than their counterparts in the U K and the N ew W o r l d, and as the race itself is me r e ly six years o l d, organizers d o n 't expect i t t o carry the same w e i g ht and g l amo ur as the magnificent O x f o r d - C a m b r i d ge a nd Y a l e - H a r v a rd egattas, n or that i t w i l e v o ke the same e x c i t eme nt and sense of d r ama i n t he onlookers. T h e race nevertheless represents t he h u m b le efforts of the r o w i ng organizations i n b o th u n i v e r s i t i es to p r o m o te l o c al interest i n the sport, and to b u i ld up their o w n r o w i ng tradition. A s r o w i ng becomes mo re p o p u l ar i n this part o f the w o r l d, a n d as t he o a r s m en g r a d u a l ly r e f i ne their skills, the intervarsity race w i l l, they believe, be a natural focus f o r spectators' attention some day. It was w i th such aspirations that C U HK r owe rs carried their r a c i ng shell t o the S h i ng M un R i v er on 2 7 th September 1 9 92 f o r t h e s i x th i n t e r v a r s i ty r o w i ng competition. T h at a f t e r n o o n, t h e ir m e n 's t e am celebrated t he s e c o nd v i c t o ry i n t w o years, w h i le their w o m e n 's team beat their opponent f or the t h i rd t i me i n thre consecutive years. V i c t o ry has b e en h a rd earned, a n d w e l l- deserved, a nd m a y w e l be j u st w h at is needed to b u i ld the f o u n d a t i on o f a f i ne r o w i ng t r a d i t i on i n this u n i v e r s i t y. H ow was the w i n n i ng c r ew mo u l d e d? Formi ng a Team E a ch year the r o w i ng t e am has t o recruit n ew b l o od to replace o ld hands w ho leave the U n i v e r s i ty u p on ROW TO VICTORY 19