Welcome to Selwyn College Boat Club!
We are the largest sports society at Selwyn College, founded in 1882, and open to all members of the College. SCBC is a friendly yet competitive club that provides opportunities for rowers of all levels to enjoy themselves within the sport, whether you’re trying rowing for the first time or have been rowing for years!
On this page, you can find our latest news, information on how to join the club as a student and details on our 'Friends of Selwyn College Boat Club' alumni network.
News
Our social media channels are kept up to date with our latest news. You can find our Facebook timeline below, and our Instagram account handle is @selwyncollegeboatclub.
Join SCBC
Rowing for your college is an incredibly popular activity at Cambridge, with many students relishing the opportunity to get away from the books and libraries and enjoy some time on the river, even if it is sometimes very early in the morning!
Each Michaelmas Term, we run our novice programme for those wanting to learn to row at Cambridge. Information on joining the programme is sent out early in term, and we host a taster day BBQ during Freshers’ Week as a first introduction. If you don’t hear anything during Freshers’ Week, please do get in touch with our captains.
During the first term, novice boats will have sessions on the water around 2-4 times a week, and are coached by Lower Boats Captains, many of whom also learnt to row at Selwyn and go on to train with the competitive senior squads. There are also a number of races which we tend to enter our novice rowers into, including QErgs - a relay race on the erg (rowing machine) and Emma Sprints - a short regatta style race in fancy dress!
Joining with previous experience
If you have rowed before coming to Cambridge and want to continue at SCBC, please get in touch with our captains (Men: selwyn.men@cucbc.org | Women: selwyn.women@cucbc.org), who will be able to discuss whether the senior program is a better fit for you. College rowing is often quite different to school or club rowing, but many of our members who had rowed before SCBC enjoyed coming straight into the senior squads, learning a lot from other senior rowers, and bringing their own experience to the squad.
The senior squads tend to train on the water between 4 and 6 sessions a week, coupled with some sessions on the ergs. Training during the week is often in the early mornings, or the late afternoon/evening in Easter Term, so it gives you plenty of time to attend all your lectures and complete your academic work.
Coxing
Rowing isn’t the only option for joining SCBC - you can also join as a cox! The cox is a hugely important part of the rowing crew as they are responsible for steering the boat and giving instructions to the rowers through a microphone. During training, you work alongside your coach to carry out the session plan and feedback to the rowers on their technique - you become the coach in the boat! During races, the role is just as important - to carry out the race plan, motivate the crew and drive them to success.
Alumni
The Friends of Selwyn College Boat Club (FoSCBC) is our alumni network who support the current club financially. Thanks to their contributions, we are able to enjoy a subsidised training camp every year, as well as opportunities to race off Cam. Fundraising for new boats and larger equipment is also thanks to the FoSCBC.
As such, we are incredibly grateful for our alumni network, and encourage all members of the club to join FoSCBC when they leave, where they can get regular updates from the club. If you are not already a member of the FoSCBC, please get in touch with the Chair of FoSCBC, Brian Hornsby at brianjhornsby@gmail.com. If you would like to make a donation (one-off or recurring) please scroll to the Friends of Selwyn College Boat Club section on this page.
Alumni boat crews
For alumni, there are a number of opportunities to come back to visit SCBC, and even to get back in a boat! Over the past few years, we have had numerous alumni crews race at Fairbairns at the end of Michaelmas Term, often supported by current members to try and give as many people as possible the chance to race. If you would like to race at Fairbairns, please get in contact with our President (selwyn.captain@cucbc.org ), and we can help organise your crew.
Boat Club Dinners
The termly Boat Club Dinner (BCD) is another popular time for many alumni to come back and enjoy a three course dinner alongside current members. The most popular is our Mays BCD, usually held on the final evening of the May Bumps in June, but we welcome any alumni who want to attend our Lent or Michaelmas BCDs! Information on reserving your spot will be sent out by FoSCBC, but if in doubt get in touch with the SCBC President.
History
For a detailed history of the boat club, visit our college Archives page here.
