2013 Annual Report - Jesus College - University of Cambridge

122 SPORTS CLUBS I Jesus College Annual Report 2013
Steve Fairbairn with a Jesuan companion circa 1890
point of visiting Percy whenever they were back in Cambridge, often years after
graduating. The memorial service for Percy in College Chapel 25 years ago was full to
bursting.
The strength of the Jesus community, whether college or boat club – in the case of the
boat club, those who rowed at Jesus under the influence of Steve, Percy and Percy’s
successors – lies in the commitment of those who have gone before to the success of the
constant infusion of new talent in the form of new students, with most of the latter
having no prior knowledge of the former. The commitment of those who have gone
before in the JCBC is exemplified by the recently-installed plaque in the Captain’s room,
4CC1, which shows the fourteen former occupants – including your chairman! – who
contributed to the refurbishment of the room, as part of the very successful
modernisation of Chapel Court, for the benefit of future occupants and the club.
You will read elsewhere of this year’s results on the river. As trustees we are happy
with the performance of today’s club: both men’s and women’s first eights within reach
of the top if they can’t be at the actual top, and continuing strength in the lower boats.
We were pleased to see two boats entered for the Temple at Henley: both were asked to
qualify (for the regatta proper) and the almost-first men’s eight only narrowly missed
doing so: just one Cambridge college crew qualified, a Caius/Lady Margaret composite
which went out on the first day.
The Trust made one major purchase of equipment this year, the new men’s eight
already referred to. In addition to maintaining the club with first-class equipment, we
have a strong eye to continuity, and have presented the captains with a Legacy Book –
a fine, bound volume acquired with much effort by Chris McDouall, thankyou to him
– in which the captains each year will write confidential experiences, advice and
guidance, to be read only by their successors – things, for example, they themselves
wish they had known or which they think later captains ought to be told or would
benefit from knowing.
We continue to regard training camps as critical: this year’s, in January in Spain, had
the highest attendance of all camps to date, 29 rowers and coxes. The Trust pays for the
camp itself and supports attendees with fifty per cent of their costs. Everyone agreed that
the camp had a major effect on results in the ensuing two terms.
There is an increasing amount of social activity led by trustees and other supporters,
at no cost to Trust funds: a “meet the new Captains” evening in London in September,