Corporate Eights Challenge 2004

Oxford City Royal Regatta is held annually at the end of August on the Isis  - a beautiful stretch of the River Thames and the scene of over a century of rowing history involving both University of Oxford and local rowing clubs. Every year an invitation is extended to local businesses to enter teams for a special event – the Corporate Eights Challenge.

Companies are invited to supply mixed crews of eight people with little or no prior rowing experience. The event consists of 8 coached rowing sessions held in weekday evenings for the 4 weeks prior to the Regatta. The course starts in the third week of July, and the event will be held at the Regatta on Saturday the 21st August 2004. The City of Oxford Rowing Club provides all the necessary equipment and coaching to bring the crews up to a competent standard. Typically the evening sessions will start sometime between 6.00 pm and 7.30 pm depending on your crew's availability.

As well as being good fun, the Corporate Eights Challenge also helps members of your company take part in a novel team-building exercise. In fact, the essence of rowing focuses on good crew spirit with everyone playing his or her own role in an atmosphere of friendly competition. In addition to all the hard work involved, the Club bar is open after training to enable co-workers to relax outside of their usual working environment.

The event is keenly contested. In 2000 the final saw Exitech and R.T. Harris Electricians racing neck and neck, with Exitech the proud victors winning by just 2 feet! Other participating companies have included Bookham Technology, Hewden Hire Centres, Edmundson Electrical, ERM, Unipart, Oxford Glycosciences, Oxford Instruments & W.S. Atkins. Some of these crews had competed in the inaugural event in 1998.

Plans for the 2004 Regatta are already under way and we are looking to build on the continuing success of this event. If your business is interested in participating in this exciting and unique event, or in further sponsorship opportunities, please contact Gavin Kerr (Email: gavin.kerr@tiscali.co.uk; Tel. 07771 956816).

Winners:

2003 R.T. Harris & Sons
2002 Hewden Hire Centres
2001 R.T. Harris & Son
2000 Exitech
1999 Bookham Technology
1998 Oxford Glycosciences
 

Related articles

• Row, row, row your boat (Oxford Times Business Supplement Apr 2003) Andrew Smith reports on the Invitation Corporate Eights Challenge at the Oxford City Royal Regatta - a motivational challenger that is guaranteed to make a splash with the work force

Revised: July 07, 2004.