Pulling together
Proudly sporting over 120 years’ rowing history, Southampton University Boat Club (SUBC) is the oldest club at the University – and one of its most successful and enduring communities
Since it was first established, thousands of alumni (known as stags) have passed through its boathouse doors, with several going onto international success. Olympic alumni include Guinevere and Miriam Batten, sisters who won silver in the women’s quadruple sculls at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Andy Sinton (Atlanta 1996), and Katie Brownlow (Barcelona 1992). Other notable rowing alumni are Naomi Ashcroft who won gold at the 2002 World Championships and is now Chair of Henley Women’s Regatta, and Paddy Broughton who went on to win the Boat Race with Cambridge and rowed for GB at the 1985 World Championships. More recent successes include Alex Morris and Aisling Brown winning Henley Royal and Henley Women’s Regatta respectively.
And for nearly 50 years, the club was shaped by legendary coach Mike Beresford, whose own rowing career included European Championship silver, Commonwealth gold and a fifth-place finish in the coxless fours at the 1960 Rome Olympics. His impact on the club, region and wider community was recognised with a British Rowing Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. His wife Roma, who sadly passed away in 2014, was also a big part of the boat club community, and multiple club boats have been named for both of them.
Off the water, the long-standing nature of the club continues. The friendships created during the early morning training sessions and late-night social events have proved to last well beyond graduation, helping create a vibrant alumni network that continues to show up for one another – and for the club.
Katrina Chia (health and social care, 2012) was a cox, secretary and president of the club and remembers her time as formative in every sense.
“I had the best time during my university years, and I have so many lifelong friends from the boat club,” she says. “I’ve attended lots of celebrations over the years including many weddings. We’re all in different phases of our lives now, but that connection will always be there.”
A club for life
Both the long training hours and the location of the facilities serve to make SUBC distinct from other clubs. Oliver Davis (Civil Engineering, 2022) says: “Other sports clubs use the same facilities on campus, and there is more overlap. It means that all the club members really get to know each other, and those friendships stick.”
Oliver first studied at Southampton in 2010 and recalls being immersed into club life from day one. “I turned up at Freshers’ Week wanting to join the Rowing Club and the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU). I turned up late for the interview for the URNU so that was that! But I did sign up for rowing and four hours later they rang to say: ‘The men’s first VIII is going out at 6am tomorrow morning. We haven’t got a cox, can you jump in?’ The next day I was in a boat thrashing up and down the river.”
That sense of being immediately welcomed and belonging is something Oliver has carried forward. He has been involved with SUBC ever since, as a cox, coxes’ captain, novice women’s captain, boatman, and coach. Despite now living in London, he returns every weekend to coach both the novice and senior women. “The love of the sport keeps bringing me back. Southampton is a place I know, where I feel comfortable – I love sharing that with others.”
Katrina has followed a similar path. Her first job came through an SUBC connection – alumnus and then coach Tom Russell (Management Science, 2003) – and she has continued to give back as a senior men’s coach. Over the years, she helped establish the Stags’ Fund with two previous men’s captains, Sam Friel, and Alex Morris, with contributions from alumni helping purchase SUBC equipment. Katrina has also helped organise alumni events that bring stags together across generations, including the annual London Stags’ Dinner (pre-covid). The club also hosts the Stags’ tea party at Henley Royal Regatta, established by Frederick Levy in 2012, another alumnus.
Surprise reunion for Mike Beresford
In March 2024, that community spirit took centre stage with a surprise 90th birthday celebration for former coach and rowing champion, Mike Beresford. Katrina took the organisational helm and managed to secretly gather together some 120 alumni, at a restaurant where Mike believed he was having lunch with his twin sister and daughter. Appropriately enough, he was wearing a jumper emblazoned with a stag.
Among those attending was Nick Turpin (Geography, 1982) who had flown in from the US especially for the event. “Mike was such a dedicated coach and his contribution to SUBC has been huge. He never missed a training outing or competition during my time,” he recalls.
Attending the event meant that Nick was able to catch up with Mike and many of the crew from his era and reminisce over happy and successful times.
For Nick, the reunion was a reminder that time and distance don’t weaken bonds built the Southampton way. “The birthday party was a catalyst to bring us all back together. “After university, we set off on our own paths but meeting up again was as if time had stood still. We used to send the occasional Christmas cards to each other, but now we have a WhatsApp group and are far more interactive,” he continues.
Everyone’s welcome
Rowing, Nick reflects, is an incredibly tough sport, requiring herculean fitness, synchronisation, endurance and discipline to train daily come rain or shine. At pace, a good VIII looks effortless, but keeping half a tonne of boat and crew level and moving as one is anything but straightforward.
Testament to how easy those world class crews make it look is the fact that after the London 2012 Olympics, 1000 people signed up to join the club. “It was insane,” recalls Oliver.
The club has always welcomed everyone. “Some want to compete at a high level, and some just want to have fun with friends. I want them all to enjoy it as much as possible in whatever form that takes,” he says.
After more than 15 years of involvement, Katrina is convinced that it’s not only shared enjoyment but also the hard training sessions and cold winter mornings that continues to keep the SUBC community strong. “I loved every moment of my time there and I see every cohort having a very similar experience, continuing to have the best times of their lives. There is nothing like it.”
Universities are built not just on lectures and labs, but on people who show up, share experiences, and in SUBC’s case in particular – who pull together.
The Stags’ Fund
SUBC are continually looking to create and reinforce relationships with our alumni and supporters, embarking on significant fundraising projects and events to help new cohorts enjoy rowing. For more information, visit Sponsorship — Southampton University Boat Club.
