Nordiska Roddföreningen i Zürich

A week ago the Nordiska Women’s Eight arrived at the Sunday Race to defend their, to some, somewhat surprising victory from last year. Was it a one time wonder or the result of dedicated rowing and training together? 

At the lineup in the fist heat a sneak peak left and right confirmed a tight race. Was it the younger strong looking ladies, the seasoned, technically good crew or the competition from abroad that was going to be the toughest part? From the start it was a tight race against Stäfa, Nordiska in the end securing a solid win and a place in the A finals. 

For the second race, the wind had picked up making the lineup very mobile and resulting in a call for a new start, after the German boat left course and some tangled oars led to a near crash with us. The third start sent especially Stäfa and Nordiska going. This time, our competitors were again fighting to keep the lane in the wind. Our cool as a cucumber cox Suzanne calmly kept a steady course and stroke Teresia less calmly yelled to the boat as their bow was less than 20 cm from our stern, possibly scaring the competition to manoeuvre away into another lane. 

With a solid boat’s length the Nordiska women could hold their place as defending champion and a very happy crew turned to the dock for the important procedure: Throw in the cox, then the rest of the crew, enjoy the cool champagne, and in the end rush to the award ceremony — fashionably late becoming our trademark. Tired but happy the ladies enjoyed the traditional brunch at RCZ. And 2027 you ask? Third time’s the charm, we say! 

One week later the newly formed duo Kristofer and Jani participated in the Men’s Masters 2x on Greifensee. The duo, coming in fifth of eight and second in their category, saw it as good practice for SM. They learned a lot and verified some of the items in the race plan - one of them being to sit on the seat all the way to the finish. Stay tuned for more news from this powerhouse! 

The next day the Men’s Masters Eight participated on Greifensee for their first race this year. Compared to last year it was a “new old crew” introducing new rower Knut in the cox seat and seasoned rower Till in six seat, after a decades long pause. In a four boat strong heat, under the scorching sun, the crew began the walk towards the pontoon. During the check-up, the binding of a show pair did not pass the check, making the boat somewhat late. After a yellow card for arriving late at the lineup, the men sat ready. 

What the commentator saw as “The Nordiska men getting a slower start, but we are happy to see this club at regattas again” was a planned move: By mid-race the Nordiska boat started moving forward seat by seat, securing a second place in the race less than a second before the third boat. What a fight!

Maybe it was the burning heat, the beer getting warm — or perhaps being the day after the midsummer party — the disassembling was swift and the first crew members were already on their way home. To the surprise of the six men left, Nordiska was called to the podium to collect the award for winning their category, coming home with a golden oar. What a great start for the new old crew!