Wikipedia

Torpids

Torpids is one of two series of bumping races, a type of rowing race, held yearly at Oxford University; the other is Eights Week.[2] Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in twelve divisions: six each of men's and women's; almost 1,200 participants in total. The racing takes place on the Isis (part of the River Thames), usually in the 7th week of Hilary Term on four successive days from Wednesday to Saturday (around the start of March).

Torpids
Head of the River
Christ Church Men[1] University Women[1]
Highest 2nd Torpid (Men) Wadham (Division III)[1]
Highest 2nd Torpid (Women) Wolfson (Division III)[1]
Course Isis (upstream)
Course length c. 1800m
Note: Last Torpids 22nd - 25th February 2023[1]
OURCs - Torpids

Overview

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Main article: Bumps race

Bumping races evolved in Oxford as the river is too narrow for normal side by side racing. Competing crews start the race lined up in order, one behind another, with their coxes holding ropes ('bung lines') attached to the bank, with gaps of about 1.5 boat lengths between the bow of one boat and the stern of the one in front. Racing is started by the firing of a cannon. Racing is by division, the number of crews in a division depending on river conditions. The bottom men's division starts first with men's and women's alternating, finishing with the top women's division.

Crews attempt to progress up their division by hitting ('bumping') the boat in front without being hit by the boat behind, with the ultimate aim of becoming "Head Of The River" i.e. top of the first division. The Head of the River is awarded the Torpids Challenge Cup, presented to the OUBC by President T.C. Edwards-Moss of Brasenose College Boat Club. Once a bump has taken place, the crew whose boat was bumped has to continue racing (and is liable to be bumped again) whilst the bumping crew moves to the side. This can lead to a crew moving down several places during a day's racing. This is the principal difference in the rules between Torpids and Summer Eights, where both crews stop racing.[3] Commonly a cox will concede a bump, signalled by raising an arm, rather than waiting to be hit. The crew finishing top of a lower division rows again the same day at the bottom of the division above.

The name 'Torpids' derives from the event's origins as a race for the second boats of the colleges, which were of course slower than the first boats. The status of the event — still adjudged below that of Summer Eights on account of the absence of rowers in the Varsity boat races — only began to rise at the very end of the nineteenth century, when colleges began to form first boats to compete. Nowadays there is no limit on the number of boats a college may enter, although crews in the last two divisions and crews without a position have to qualify to race by competing in a timed race the preceding Friday, known as 'rowing on'.[4]

Athletes competing in that year's Boat Race, Women's Boat Race or any of the Lightweight University crews at Henley Boat Races may not compete in Torpids, but may compete in Summer Eights.[5]

Double Headship

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The double headship winning Oriel Men's and Women's Eights crews in 2006.

The 'Double Headship' is an accolade of any college finishing with their men's and women's crews at the 'Head of the River'. Oriel is the first to have achieved this in Torpids, in 2006. The college's new first crews repeated this in 2018.[6]

Trophies

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The first day's starting order is based on the previous year's finishing positions, and each subsequent day's starting order is based on the previous day's finishing positions. A crew that bumps on every day or that finishes at the Head of the River is awarded blades - the right to get trophy oars painted up in their college colours with the names and weights of the successful crew emblazoned on them. Spoons are awarded in case the crew was bumped on every single day. A third, somewhat unusual possibility is the award of spades. The crew is both bumped and then proceeds to bump a crew in front of it before the end of the race. Thus being both the bumper and the bumped on the same day. Owing to the differences in rules between Torpids and Lent Bumps at the University of Cambridge this achievement is only possible at Oxford.[citation needed]

Head of the River - Summary table

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Blade College Headships Longest time held Last Headship
Men Women Total Men Women Men Women
  Oriel 36 3 39 1972–90 2017–18 2022 2018
  Brasenose 22 - 22 1886–94 - 1894 -
  New College 15 1 16 1949–53 2005 1953 2005
  Balliol 14 - 14 1968–71 - 1971 -
  Christ Church 15 - 15 1907–10 - 2023 -
  Magdalen 9 5 14 1932–34 2010–13 2008 2016
  Exeter 13 - 13 1854–57 - 1868 -
  Pembroke 10 - 10 2012–17 - 2017 -
  University 9 1 10 1869–73 - 1926 2023
  St Edmund Hall 6 - 6 1962–66 - 1966 -
Osler-Green a - 5 5 - 1995–99 - 1999
  Somerville - 5 5 - 1991–94 - 1994
  Wadham 2 3 5 - - 1849 2019
  Corpus 4 - 4 1883–85 - 1931 -
  Jesus - 4 4 - 1980–83 - 1983
Osler House b - 4 4 - 1988–89 - 1989
  Merton 1 2 3 - 2003–04 1927 2004
  St Catherine's - 3 3 - 2008–09 - 2009
St John's 3 - 3 - - 1967 -
  Trinity 3 - 3 - - 1880 -
  Worcester 3 - 3 - - 1930 -
  Queen's 2 - 2 - - 1958 -
  St Hugh's - 1 1 - - - 1985
  Wolfson - 2 2 - - - 2022
a Since 2008 this crew composition does not exist any more. Before the foundation of Green Templeton College, members of Green College raced with Osler House, and members of Templeton College raced with Hertford College.[citation needed]
b Prior to the composite crew with Green College and after the foundation of Green Templeton Boat Club, Osler has raced as an independent crew formed of clinical medical students.[citation needed]

Men's Head of Torpids

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Men's Division I, places 2 to 5, 2005
 
New College with a broken rudder and bow oar on Saturday, 2008
 
Balliol bump St Catherine's, 2010
 
Worcester College, 2012

Torpids has been held since 1838. The following gives the colleges that were Head of the River (Head of Torpids) in these years.[7]

Year College Year College Year College Year College Year College
1838   Worcester 1839   Oriel 1840   Wadham 1841   Trinity 1842   Brasenose
1843   University 1844   Oriel 1845   Brasenose 1846   Exeter 1847   Exeter
1848   Brasenose 1849   Wadham 1850   Brasenose 1851   Brasenose 1852   Brasenose
1853   Brasenose 1854   Exeter 1855   Exeter 1856   Exeter 1857   Exeter
1858   Pembroke 1859   Exeter 1860   Exeter 1861   Brasenose 1862   Brasenose
1863   Exeter 1864   Exeter 1865   Exeter 1866   Brasenose 1867   Exeter
1868   Exeter 1869   University 1870   University 1871   University 1872   University
1873   University 1874   Brasenose 1875   Brasenose 1876   Trinity 1877   Pembroke
1878   Pembroke 1879   Pembroke 1880   Trinity 1881   Brasenose 1882   New College
1883   Corpus Christi 1884   Corpus Christi 1885   Corpus Christi 1886   Brasenose 1887   Brasenose
1888   Brasenose 1889   Brasenose 1890   Brasenose 1891   Brasenose 1892   Brasenose
1893   Brasenose 1894   Brasenose 1895 no racing a 1896   New College 1897   Balliol
1898   Balliol 1899   Balliol 1900   New College 1901   New College 1902   New College
1903   New College 1904   New College 1905   University 1906   University 1907   Christ Church
1908   Christ Church 1909   Christ Church 1910   Christ Church 1911   Balliol 1912   Magdalen
1913   Magdalen 1914   Christ Church 1915 - b 1916 - b 1917 - b
1918 - b 1919 - b 1920   Christ Church 1921   Christ Church 1922   Worcester
1923   Magdalen 1924   Christ Church 1925   Christ Church 1926   University 1927   Merton
1928   Balliol 1929   Balliol 1930   Worcester 1931   Corpus Christi 1932   Magdalen
1933   Magdalen 1934   Magdalen 1935   New College 1936   Magdalen 1937   Magdalen
1938   New College 1939   St Edmund Hall 1940   Trinity &   Balliol 1941 - c 1942 - c
1943 - c 1944 - c 1945 - c 1946   St John's 1947   New College
1948   Christ Church 1949   New College 1950   New College 1951   New College 1952   New College
1953   New College 1954   Balliol 1955   Balliol 1956   Balliol 1957   Queen's
1958   Queen's 1959   Balliol 1960   St Edmund Hall 1961   St John's 1962   St Edmund Hall
1963 no racing a 1964   St Edmund Hall 1965   St Edmund Hall 1966   St Edmund Hall 1967   St John's
1968   Balliol 1969   Balliol 1970   Balliol 1971   Balliol 1972   Oriel
1973   Oriel 1974   Oriel 1975   Oriel 1976   Oriel 1977 no racing f
1978   Oriel 1979   Oriel 1980   Oriel 1981   Oriel 1982   Oriel
1983   Oriel 1984   Oriel 1985   Oriel 1986   Oriel d 1987   Oriel
1988   Oriel 1989   Oriel 1990   Oriel d 1991   Christ Church e 1992   Oriel
1993   Oriel 1994   Oriel d 1995   Oriel d 1996   Oriel 1997   Oriel
1998   Oriel d 1999   Pembroke 2000 no racing f 2001   Oriel 2002 no racing f
2003   Oriel d 2004   Oriel 2005   Oriel 2006   Oriel 2007 no racing f
2008   Magdalen 2009   Christ Church 2010   Christ Church 2011   Christ Church 2012   Pembroke
2013   Pembroke 2014 no racing f 2015   Pembroke 2016   Pembroke 2017   Pembroke
2018   Oriel d 2019   Oriel 2020 no racing f 2021   Oriel g 2022   Oriel
2023   Christ Church 2024 no racing f 2025 2026 2027
a No racing due to ice on the river
b No racing due to World War I
c No racing due to World War II
d Racing held on fewer than four days
e Oriel were penalty bumped four places for training while the river was in flood
f No racing due to high stream
g Racing held in Trinity Term instead of Summer Eights due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Women's Head of Torpids

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Women's divisions in Torpids have existed since 1978. This was delayed from 1977 when the river was flooded and Torpids was cancelled.[8][9]

Year College Year College Year College Year College Year College
1977 no racing a 1978   Hertford 1979   Wadham 1980   Jesus 1981   Jesus
1982   Jesus 1983   Jesus 1984 Osler House 1985   St Hugh's 1986 Osler House b
1987   Somerville 1988 Osler House 1989 Osler House 1990 no racing c 1991   Somerville
1992   Somerville 1993   Somerville 1994   Somerville b 1995 Osler-Green b 1996 Osler-Green
1997 Osler-Green 1998 Osler-Green b 1999 Osler-Green 2000 no racing a 2001   St Catherine's
2002 no racing a 2003   Merton b 2004   Merton 2005   New College 2006   Oriel
2007 no racing a 2008   St Catherine's 2009   St Catherine's 2010   Magdalen 2011   Magdalen
2012   Magdalen 2013   Magdalen 2014 no racing a 2015   Wadham 2016   Magdalen
2017   Oriel 2018   Oriel b 2019   Wadham 2020 no racing a 2021   Wolfson d
2022   Wolfson 2023   University 2024 no racing a 2025 2026
a No racing due to high stream
b Racing held on fewer than four days
c Only informal racing due to a fast stream
d Racing held in Trinity Term instead of Summer Eights due to the COVID-19 pandemic

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Oxford University Rowing Clubs, Historical Results Torpids, retrieved 16 February 2022
  2. ^ Sherwood, W. E. (1900). "The Torpids". Oxford Rowing: A History of Boat-Racing at Oxford from the Earliest Times. Oxford and London. pp. 43–49. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  3. ^ "OURCs: Rules of Racing". ourcs.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  4. ^ "OURCs: Rules of Racing". ourcs.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  5. ^ "OURCs: Rules of Racing". ourcs.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Oriel Crews Take Torpids Double Headship". Oriel College. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. ^ Sherwood, W. E. (1900). "The Torpids (results)". Oxford Rowing: A History of Boat-Racing at Oxford from the Earliest Times. Oxford and London. pp. 147–170. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  8. ^ "A History of Oxford College Rowing". eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk.
  9. ^ "Oxford Bumps Charts". eodg.atm.ox.ac.uk.
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