The University of St Andrews Boat Club (UStABC), founded in 1962, is the rowing team affiliated to the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. Operating under the

University of St Andrews Athletic Union (AIEN ARISTEUEIN) , established = 1901 , type = Athletic Union , president = Jess Smith , city = St Andrews , state = Fife , country = Scotland, UK , affiliations = British Universities and Colleges Sport Scottish Student Sport , webs ...

, the club competes in head races and regattas across Scotland and England, including the Head of the River Race (London),

British Universities and Colleges Sport British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

(BUCS) Regatta and

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thr ...

. Its national governing body is

Scottish Rowing Scottish Rowing (SR), formerly the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association, is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Scotland. It is responsible for promoting the sport in Scotland and also for selecting crews to send to the Home Internati ...

and the registration code of 'SAU'.

History

The club was founded in the 1962–1963 academic year by John Browne with one coxed four and 6 athletes. The club rowed on the River Eden until the late 1990s until they moved to

River Tay The River Tay ( gd, Tatha, ; probably from the conjectured Brythonic ''Tausa'', possibly meaning 'silent one' or 'strong one' or, simply, 'flowing') is the longest river in Scotland and the seventh-longest in Great Britain. The Tay originates i ...

, Perth due to extremely tidal waters. In January 2016, the club moved again to

Loch Ore Loch Ore is a loch situated in Fife, Scotland. It forms the core of Lochore Meadows Country Park. It is used mainly for leisure purposes, especially yachting, although the uneven depth can make speed boating problematic. The Roman General Agr ...

, Fife. A Senior Men's coxed four (4+) won the Scottish Rowing Championships 2012 and in the 2015–2016 season, many Club records were set with the Men's 1st VIII and Women's 1st VIII breaking the previous Club records for the Head of the River Race (HORR) and Women's Head of the River Race (WeHORR). Additionally, the Club qualified for the

Prince Albert Challenge Cup The Prince Albert Challenge Cup is an event at Henley Royal Regatta. It is contested by Men's Student Crews in Coxed fours. It has been held since 2004. Creation in 2004 The Britannia Challenge Cup was originally presented in 1969 as an event ...

at Henley Royal Regatta and the Cathy Cruickshank Trophy for Academic Coxed Fours at

Henley Women's Regatta Henley Women's Regatta, often abbreviated to "HWR" or "Women's Henley", is a rowing regatta held at Henley-on-Thames, England. Chris Aistrop and Rosemary Mayglothling were jointly responsible for setting up the Regatta in June 1988 and Aistrop w ...

in 2016, and continue to race at these events annually, with growing athlete numbers. The club has gone onto win a shield at the British Senior Rowing Championships, and the VL trophy at Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships in 2018. The 2019 season was one of excellence for the Boat Club. The Senior Women reaffirmed their position as W4- medalists at

BUCS British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

and achieved the first gold medal for the club in the Wint2-, which featured Lydia Theos and Kirstin Giddy. The Senior Men equally cemented themselves within the rowing community; from breaking club records at Head of the River Race (HORR), to winning the second gold

medal, amongst others. Their most notable achievement of the season was reaching semi-finals of the

at Henley Royal Regatta. Many of the club members went on to represent Team Scotland at

Home International Regatta The Home International Regatta is a rowing regatta held every year for the countries of the British Isles - England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Events are held for both men and women at junior (under 18) and senior levels, including Para-rowi ...

. The club announced the appointment of Olympian Alan Sinclair as Director of Rowing during the 2020–21 season.

Facilities & Training

The University of St Andrews Boat Club utilises indoor studio space for land training as well as usage of specialist Strength and Conditioning facilities within the University Sports complex. Following a move in 2016, from their previous training waters on the

, Perth, the club now trains on

in Lochore Meadows Country Park, Fife. The 1.4 km long Loch provides more favourable training conditions and facilities.

The Community

Taking pride in their community, the Boat Club organises a 24-hour ergathon every September. All members of the club take it in turns to row for a consecutive 24-hour period in order to raise money for

Maggie's Centres Maggie's centres are a network of drop-in centres across the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. They are not intended as a replacement for conventional cancer therapy, but as a caring enviro ...

. The Development Officers over the years have been developing a school's programme, to widen the sport to the larger community.

Madras College Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell. History Madras ...

worked with the Boat Club throughout the 2018–19 season, to encourage sport amongst their students. As of 2019, the Boat Club began a brand new schools program at

Lochgelly High School Lochgelly High School is a non-denominational secondary school located in Lochgelly, Fife. The school's catchment area covers Lochgelly and the surrounding towns and villages of Ballingry, Cardenden, Crosshill, Glencraig and Lochore Lochore i ...

. Rowers of St Andrews are volunteering their time to help move the High School up to first place in the Scottish Indoors Rowing League.

References

External links

* {{United Kingdom rowing clubs Boat Club University and college rowing clubs in Scotland 1962 establishments in Scotland Sports clubs and teams established in 1962