Torpids

Torpids 2005: Men's division one, places 2 to 5.

File:A successful bump in Torpids - geograph.org.uk - 1740407.jpg

Balliol bump St Catherine's, 2010

File:New college torpids 2008 sat.jpg

New College Boat Club with a broken rudder and bow oar on Saturday in 2008

File:Oxford University - Torpids.jpg

Worcester College in Torpids 2012

Torpids is one of two series of bumping races, a type of rowing race, held yearly at Oxford University, the other race being Eights. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five 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).

Overview

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 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.

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 hit 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.

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 without being bumped itself 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. Less sought after is the possibility of getting 'spoons', where the crew has been bumped on every single day. However, the most unusual possibility is 'spades', where the crew is bumped off the start, 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. Only two boats have ever managed this feat on every day of the event.

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 varsity oarsmen and women - 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'.

Rowers competing in that year's Boat Race or any of the Henley Boat Races against Cambridge may not compete in Torpids, but may compete in Summer Eights.

Double Headship

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

The 'Double Headship' is an accolade awarded to any college finishing with both their men's and women's crews at the 'Head of the River'. Oriel College is the only college to have achieved a Double Headship in Torpids, having both men's and women's crews at the Head of the River in 2006.

Men's Head of Torpids

Summary

College	Total Headships	Last Headship	Longest time held
Oriel	32	2006	1972-90
Brasenose	22	1894	1886-94
Christ Church	13	2011	1907-10
Exeter	13	1868	1854-57
Balliol	11	1971	1968-71
University	9	1926	1869-73
Pembroke	8	2015	2012-15
New College	7	1904	1900-04
St Edmund Hall	5	1966	1962-66
Magdalen	4	2008	1912-13
Corpus	3	1885	1883-85
Trinity	3	1880
Queen's	2	1958
St John's	2	1967
Worcester	2	1922
Wadham	2	1849

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

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	1884	Corpus	1885	Corpus	1886	Brasenose	1887	Brasenose
1888	Brasenose	1889	Brasenose	1890	Brasenose	1891	Brasenose	1892	Brasenose
1893	Brasenose	1894	Brasenose	1895	No races	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	1915-19	No races due to World War I	1920	Christ Church	1921	Christ Church
1922	Worcester	1923	Magdalen	1924	Christ Church	1925	Christ Church	1926	University
1927	No Racing	1928	Balliol	1929	Balliol	1930-1940	?	1940-45	No races dues to World War II
1946-56	?	1957	Queen's	1958	Queen's	1959	Balliol	1960	St Edmund Hall
1961	St John's	1962	St Edmund Hall	1963	No Racing	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	1978	Oriel	1979	Oriel	1980	Oriel
1981	Oriel	1982	Oriel	1983	Oriel	1984	Oriel	1985	Oriel
1986	Oriel	1987	Oriel	1988	Oriel	1989	Oriel	1990	Oriel
1991	Christ Church	1992	Oriel	1993	Oriel	1994	Oriel	1995	Oriel
1996	Oriel	1997	Oriel	1998	Oriel	1999	Pembroke	2000	No Racing
2001	Oriel	2002	No Racing	2003	Oriel	2004	Oriel	2005	Oriel
2006	Oriel	2007	No Racing	2008	Magdalen	2009	Christ Church	2010	Christ Church
2011	Christ Church	2012	Pembroke	2013	Pembroke	2014	No Racing	2015	Pembroke

• In 1986, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2003, racing was held on fewer than four days
• In 1991, Oriel were penalty bumped four places for training while the river was in flood.
• 2000, 2002, 2007, 2014 - No racing due to high stream

Women's Head of Torpids

Women's division in Torpids have existed since 1978. This was delayed from 1977 when the river was flooded and Torpids was cancelled.

Summary

College	Total Headships
Osler-Green	5
Somerville	5
Jesus	4
Osler House	4
Magdalen	4
St Catherine's	3
Merton	2
Wadham	2
New	1
Oriel	1
St Hugh's	1

Year	College	Year	College	Year	College	Year	College
1979	Wadham	1980	Jesus	1981	Jesus	1982	Jesus
1983	Jesus	1984	Osler House	1985	St Hugh's	1986	Osler House
1987	Somerville	1988	Osler House	1989	Osler House	1990	No Racing
1991	Somerville	1992	Somerville	1993	Somerville	1994	Somerville
1995	Osler-Green	1996	Osler-Green	1997	Osler-Green	1998	Osler-Green
1999	Osler-Green	2000	No Racing	2001	St Catherine's	2002	No Racing
2003	Merton	2004	Merton	2005	New College	2006	Oriel
2007	No Racing	2008	St Catherine's	2009	St Catherine's	2010	Magdalen
2011	Magdalen	2012	Magdalen	2013	Magdalen	2014	No Racing
2015	Wadham

• 1990 - A fast stream meant that only informal racing was held.
• 1977, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2014 - No racing due to high stream
• 1963 - No racing due to ice on the river.

See also

• Eights Week, a similar event in the summer
• Lent Bumps, the equivalent event in Cambridge

External links

• Torpids 2013 from the Oxford University Rowing Clubs
• Torpids results
• Oxford Bumps Charts