My purpose in having a blog is to let people know what is going on at the club, and to explain my plans and vision for the future.

Through this format it will then be possible for you the members to comment on what has happened, and get involved on issues as they are being developed.

In taking on the Captaincy last July, one of the general criticisms levelled at the club from some quarters was that the level of communication could be improved. This is not unusual in any organisation, as no doubt you'll have noticed. Sometimes people felt as though they did not really know what was going on, and certainly weren't involved in shaping it, which lead to a feeling that the club was a collection of disparate groups, some of which operated in a fair degree of isolation.

It occurred to me that the main squads were well catered for, having the support of coaches and various helpers, as well as a reasonably high profile within the club. These groups tended to know what they wanted and where they were going; but members with less of a high performance focus were finding it more difficult to build links within the club in order to progress their rowing development.

The heart of a club is often this middle group of members, who have a wide range of goals and aspirations, and might not be elite athletes in their teens or twenties. So one of the first jobs I set myself was to create increased mobility between these non-elite groups, so that those who wished to mix and match might find it easier to do so.

The benefits of increased mobility are that we can share resources more effectively, whether that be boats, training equipment or substitutes when people can't make outings. At no point have I sought to restrict people who just want to row with their mates, as this is a perfectly valid form of having fun on the river too.

The process of trying to create a stronger sense of community at UTRC has been greatly helped by using email to circulate ideas and requests for assistance. Putting up a notice on a club noticeboard just doesn't have the same effect, and there's a big difference in response levels and issue awareness between emailing the membership and putting up a paper notice.

Another benefit of this blog is that I can clearly tell you what my main goals are.

Back in July I was clear in my own mind about two priorities:
Firstly, I wanted to ensure that, over time, I did whatever I could to promote rowing achievement ahead of other worthwhile objectives.

We have had some very notable rowing successes at UTRC over the years, but the challenge to me is to get the whole club firing on all cylanders rather than just one squad or group. I want members to take pride in our rowing achievements in the same way that they do at other leading clubs. Anything that I can do to increase the likelihood of club-wide rowing success over the next few years I will pursue, but not at the expense of the good things we already have going for us.

Secondly in July, I realised that it was very important we ensured the financial future of the club after the recent building work. As a result I determined to play my part as Captain to facilitate this, by imposing some discipline on our rowing budget and spending priorities.

What this means in practice is that we have to look after what we have got better than in the past, hence my early decision to employ a very good boatman. We still want to upgrade our equipment as we go on, but whether or not we go out and buy a brand new Empacher eight against the background of a particularly strong Euro must now be carefully balanced with the need to pay back some of the outstanding debt which we have raised for building works.

So my initial goals could be summed up as focusing on a rowing culture and stabilising the finances, neither of which will be achieved quickly.

We now have first class facilities in a truly unique location, so we have everything going for us. The basics are already in place. We are fortunate to have some income from HRR as well as a growing membership base, but we can't afford to rest just yet. There is still a long way to go, and we are living in unusual economic times which may yet threaten our goals, especially if interest rates rise faster than currently expected.

I am conscious of the need to continue to attract good people to UTRC, in every area of club life - people who can "bring something to the party". I think we can best do this by making the place somewhere that good people want to come to. Creating a really good training facility is one way to do this, and this is now a primary target. Needless to say, we already have some excellent people at the club, and it's even more important to retain you as members through developing and maintaining a first class rowing club.

Sometimes I will make mistakes and have to retrace, but I'd ask for your understanding when this occurs. If anyone had all the answers the journey would be boring, and ultimately we're all after a little excitement now and again.

So if you have any comments or suggestions please let me know what they are.



I look forward to hearing from you.

With best wishes,

Justin