Crackers!

Treading the hallowed halls of The Pink Club at the weekend, Gurt found CBRC Women's squad behaving like a bunch of giggling excited school girls outside the gym. Whatever could have reduced such dedicated, hardened rowers to a state of near delirium? Of course! The rowing god himself was in the gym.
Result - lots of swooning starstruck Bristol girls and one slightly bemused but lovely James Cracknell!

Can I borrow your Cosmo, darling?

The Lush was a little worried during Saturday's lunch at Leander.
Sat amidst the mens squad, I was concerned that the effect of having a female coach was rubbing off on the squad...
Scotty:" So how do you cook lentils?"
John: " Oh, I often fry them in butter, with garlic, maybe some fresh parsley" etc, etc
Scotty: "You must let me have the recipe, that sounds divine"
Oh my god!
Hand cream anyone?

Lance Armstrong would be proud...

My towpath spies tell me that during the recent Leander-based CBRC training camp, the men's coach had a little steering issue while on her bike.
Word has it that Coach was firmly in the tuck position, in order to keep up with her charges, when drama struck. One minute she's pedalling her heart out, the next she's having a little rest on the tarmac.... Ouch!
A bumped forehead, and a grazed knee and chin later, she was back - shouting at the boys and dishing it out harder than ever!
A little early for 'crash of the year' but a sure contender.

While the cat's away...

Whilst prowling through the club house over the last week, I was really pleased to hear that the women's squad have been putting in the hours to ensure a good showing at Training Camp.
Tuesday's hardest working four were last seen on they're way to the pub, because it was "raining too hard"! They must have been worried they'd get wet...?

They were, however, run a close second by a crew that were overheard saying "Christi and Jane aren't down tonight, so we can have an easy outing".

You know who you are, but you'd better run and hide because so does your skipper!!!

8.9 - 8.8 - 8.9 - 9.0

The signs looked ominous.... It is no coincidence that David and Goliath never paddled a pair, but despite this heavenly guidance "Little and Large" were attempting to defy the laws of physics last night.
Now, no-one ever doubted Crusher and Charlie's ability to get themselves from one end of the docks to the other. However, what Charlie didn't know was that Crusher is no stranger to swimming!
Needless to say, they covered a distance of at least 3 feet from the pontoon before rolling over to have their bellies tickled. Full marks to both for waiting until they had a proper judging panel containing all of the womens and most of the mens senior squads!

Next time - "The running bomb"!

Kickers R.I.P.

I don't know how to break it to you...but Gurt is sorry to have to announce that Kickers is apparently being closed in 7 weeks to be developed into a modern trendy nightclub.
Kiss goodbye to Abba, Wham and Dexy's Midnight Runners. They'll be no more glass on the sticky floor, no more grannies to snog, and no more opportunities to turn up to rowing on a saturday morning wearing the Kickers Tshirt that you earned the night before for your dancefloor moves (he knows who he is....!).
I will be circulating the date for the closing party!

Veteran's night out

Crusher and Steve are celebrating their birthdays this Saturday (combined age 346), and all are invited to join them.
Proposed running order:
6.30 - Wagamama, Queens Rd
7.30 - Park Bar, Triangle West
9.30 - Slippers, Cocoa and bed for the Birthday Boys
11.00 - La Rocca
2.30 - Kebabs!
The Lush will be ever-present... You have been warned!

Stroke a fine pair?

In my experiences trying to woo Mrs Lush, I found out how difficult it can be to draw the "moth to the flame"...
So I was pleased to hear that an alternative approach had been taken by the men's skipper in recent weeks. No doubt he had already tried such lines as:
a) Fancy a trip to the cinema?
b) Would you like to pop out for a drink?
c) Let me take you out for a kebab? etc etc
So when all else had failed, he struck gold with the suggestion "Fancy going out in a pair?" Three "dates" in three days...!?! The Lush salutes you!

Lady, boy!

Which of our gorgeous Lady oarswomen was dissuaded from her first choice of party frock by comparisons with shoulders of dubious sexuality?

Gurt is bound to secrecy....

Nag, nag, nag

For the attached male readers of the Lush you will be used to the nagging often received from the other half. However -
Steve, the unlucky singleton, managed to warrant a bit of a nag from three different women due to the state - or lack - of his love life. After following a certain young lady around like a lost sheep for most of the evening perhaps a bit of nagging would sort him out?
The Lush was unable to ascertain if the nagging worked…. Or whether he just fobbed them off!

All the action

Here's the first set of photos, courtesy of Jimmy:

http://cbrcrowing.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

Novice action!

We were all feeling the love as CBRC opened the conduit of amorous advances again on Friday...
So lovely to see to Jo & James on the sofa of love.
Don't think you got away with that one!

Marital re-action

Last seen at 5am in George's front room - the spot light is on you Crusher.

Rumour has it that Mrs Downey has locked him away following his return in broad daylight on Saturday morning.

Has anyone seen him yet?

Missing in action...

... 1 x Novice of the Year Blade
But were you going to tell anyone Dom?!