St Catharine's College Boat Club (SCCBC or ''Catz'') is the

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

club for members of

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

, England. In the

Lent Bumps The Lent Bumps (also Lent Races, Lents) are a set of rowing races held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge. They began in 1887, after separating from the May Bumps, which are bumping races held in mid-June. Prior to the separation there had be ...

, the men's first VIII resided largely near the boundary of the 1st and 2nd divisions, but spent a few years in the top-10, reaching as high as 6th in the 1930s and in 1968, and more recently, peaking at 9th in 2002. They now reside in the 1st division. In the

May Bumps The May Bumps (also May Races, Mays) are a set of rowing races, held annually on the River Cam in Cambridge, England. They began in 1887 after separating from the Lent Bumps, the equivalent bumping races held at the end of February or start of M ...

, St Catharine's spent most of the time before the 1940s in the 2nd division, but rose to 4th in 1947 and 1961, with the 2nd VIII reaching the 1st division in 1963. In 1967, the 2nd VIII actually managed to bump the 1st VIII on the second day, but the 1st VIII bumped back the following day. Since then, the 1st VIII have spent most of the time in the middle to lower half of the 1st division. Between 1998 and 2004, the men's 1st VIII were bumped only once and rose to 2nd position, partially helped by having many oarsmen trialling for university crews, but St Catharine's have never yet taken a headship. They are now sitting 5th on the river (2013). The first women's VIII first raced in 1980, and in the

have spent most of the time since 1990 in the 1st division, ranking as high as 6th in 1997, but had fallen into the 2nd in 2003 and 2006. Since then have returned to the center of the first division. In the

, St Catharine's 1st women's IV rose quickly to 3rd in 1989. When the races were reorganised following the change to eight-oared boats, the 1st women's VIII were placed in 8th. In 2002, they managed to get to 7th, the highest they've yet managed in eight-oared boats in the

, but the following three years saw St Catharine's fall to the top of the 2nd division. 2006–07 saw a turn-around, and they have since climbed back towards the middle of the top division.

Boathouse

The current boat house was purchased from the

First and Third Trinity Boat Club The First and Third Trinity Boat Club is the rowing club of Trinity College in Cambridge, England. The club formally came into existence in 1946 when the First Trinity Boat Club and the Third Trinity Boat Club merged, although the two clubs had ...

in 1958 under the leadership of David Bailey, the captain in 1957. He was approached after the 1957

by the captain of First and Third (A A M Mays-Smith), who felt that St Catharine's showed the most spirit and drive of those boat clubs without their own boathouse. The boat house was formerly host to the 3rd Trinity boat club, a club of old Etonians and Westminsters, and was built in the early 1930s. The boathouse is located between the Goldie Boathouse and the 1st & 3rd Trinity Boat House. In 2012, work began to renovate the boathouse, and the newly refurbished and extended boathouse was officially opened by the Master, Dame Jean Thomas, along with a long-time sponsor of the boat club, Herb Bate, on 16 March 2013. The extension now hosts separate male and female changing rooms with lockers and proper showers, as well as a kitchen and office; and the old upstairs has become an

erg The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100 nJ). It originated in the Centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). It has the symbol ''erg''. The erg is not an SI unit. Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work' o ...

room with enough ergs for an VIII to train together.

References

External links

St Catharine's College Boat Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Catharine's College Boat Club, Cambridge Saint Catharine's

Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

1833 establishments in England Sports clubs established in 1833 Rowing clubs in Cambridgeshire Rowing clubs in England Rowing clubs of the River Cam