Snow, Tears and Tantrums – but the Show Must Go on

This is how most of us felt when we heard the news that the weekend Heads of the River races had been cancelled. It wasn’t entirely unexpected – the rumours had been flying round Twitter for hours, and the weather forecasts for once agreed that it was to be perishingly cold, snowy and windy to boot. But still, nothing could quell the crushing sense of disappointment.

For some – namely the businesses who relied on the events to earn a crust – it was more than disappointing. What about all those HORR and Vets’ Head T-shirts that Rock the Boat had ordered in? And what about the photographers, suddenly finding themselves with nothing to photograph (and no photographs to sell)? There’s no denying that they were the real losers.

So, did they really have to cancel it? Well, stepping out into a biting wind yesterday, safely wrapped up in coat, boots and hat, I stopped to wonder for a moment what it would be like to be sitting for hours in these conditions on a river, clad only in lycra, waiting for the race to start, and I silently gave thanks that I wasn’t getting frostbite. Better to suffer from disappointment than from hypothermia.

But did they really have to cancel it so far in advance? Well, again, I was glad of this when we managed to get our deposit back on the minibus. Getting to London can be a costly business, and getting there only to find you’ve got to go home again without racing would be ten times worse.

And what about all that training that’s gone to waste? Well, here’s the thing. It hasn’t. Those of us who trained for the heads are fitter and stronger as we head into regatta season. That training is all in the bank and I don’t regret a freezing minute of it.

So, the show must go on. You never know, one day the temperatures might even rise and we might row in – just imagine – warm weather. Let that thought cheer you and keep you going.