Hello, my name is Lewis Cavinue. I’m originally from Motherwell but I moved up to Dundee to begin my studies in Fine Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, of which I’m now in my second year. Moving away from home pushed me to gain new independence and try new things. Due to the pandemic, I was reluctant to join any clubs or societies in my first year, however this year I decided to join boat club, moving away from my previous involvement in curling for many years.
After curling for so many years, I wanted to join a sport that had a similar emphasis on technique, but also encouraged much more physical training. Rowing seemed to fit this for me, as well as having good friends back home who have rowed for many years, meaning I had somewhat basic knowledge around the sport. Starting out as a beginner from the Give it a Go’s I instantly felt the rush of what being out in a boat on the Tay is like. From that first session, I’m proud to look back at the progress I have made, not just on the water, but also with land training on ergs and with my overall strength. Putting that training into action at races like Inverness have also been a very gratifying experience.
Getting involved in the subcommittee for PR and Engagement this semester has now allowed me to blend my more artistic and creative abilities into helping the club with social media content creation, as well as other events.
When not training or rowing I really enjoy going out to art exhibitions, talking to interesting artists and creative minds, this being something that greatly influences my practice as an artist myself. I also try to spend as much time as I can with family and friends back home, in addition to those in Dundee, in my downtime. With my course, you can tend to constantly be thinking and developing ideas and thoughts around projects or possible artworks. This is something that rowing has really helped me escape from, keeping me to a routine of allowing a balance within my days of Uni work, training and relaxing.
DUBC has such a rich body of dedicated people, who all encourage and push you to achieve your best within the sport, no matter what level you want to sit at. This is something that I feel has established such a great social community within the club. There is a huge sense of team spirit and strong relationships between the members, something that makes the club very powerful and enjoyable to be a part of. Getting involved in the club has been a truly rewarding experience and I’m excited to see what lies ahead going forward!