When I put myself forward to be social secretary at the end of last year, I never thought it would be so hectic yet so enjoyable at the same time. Here, at DUBC we pride ourselves on being more than just a Boat Club and it’s very important to us that when joining DUBC you feel welcome and as much part of the family as the rest of us. We are definitely the club of the year on and off the water and the start of this term has certainly been no exception.
Our first official social event of the year was our very popular Pub Row. 60 people dressed head to toe in sports kit and rowing onsies, did unsurprisingly raise a few eyebrows whilst travelling from pub to pub through the streets of Dundee. But none the less, the night went off without a hitch. Everyone was in teams of around 4 or 5, freshers grouped with seniors and given different photo challenges to complete throughout the night. A fab first social for the freshers to get involved in and see the off the water side to DUBC!
Next up we had our welcome drinks: WINTER ROWLYMPICS. DUBC loves a good rowing punt so winter Olympics was perfect. Again freshers and seniors were split into teams and given countries. It was then up to their senior parents to make costumes best suited to their country. The effort put in by some was outstanding and it set such a great tone for the rest of the night. After meeting at Beer Kitchen, it was a race to Brooke Close and there we played games which ended in a medal giving ceremony for the winning country!
On the 10th October, Aberdeen Uni BC were kind enough to invite us up to take part in a fresher training day. It was a great opportunity for our budding freshers to see a different river, a different club and get a glimpse into what their rowing career could become. Thrown straight into the deep end, our freshers and novice coxes were doing drills and racing each other down the water before you knew it. Also I think the freshers secretly enjoyed having steps into the water and not having to wade into the freezing Tay for once! Boat Club is how many of our seniors found best friends and flat mates so it is important to us to make sure the freshers are bonding with each other as well as the seniors.
For this reason we also organised a fresher social, freshers and members of the committee went to play laser tag because honestly who doesn’t love laser tag… Many laughs were had and it was a good opportunity to get to know one and other better through having to work together. After laser tag we headed to Beer Kitchen to rehydrate after running around like headless chickens for an hour! A very successful term so far for the social team! Next on the to do list Super Saturday, Trampoline Park and Christmas Dinner...