Torpids Info - Truth Time

I have deliberately withheld some anxiety over this race from you, my dear readers and friends, because frankly it was an almost soul-crushingly heavy burden to bear.  Despite my involvement and dedication to the Hertford Boat Club my ability to enter the race as an official Oxford student was never certain.  In fact the probability of it happening was never better than a slim chance.  Previous students from Shimer who have taken part in Oxford athletics have never been allowed to compete in the official competitions because of our lack of "official affiliation", which was granted exclusively to matriculating students...until today.  

To be allowed to row against other Oxford colleges I needed to obtain a letter composed and signed by the Senior Tutor at Hertford which stated that they had fully accepted me as an affiliated international student.  Affiliated students are chosen by the college admissions committee.  These applicants are required to submit a complete college application and are judged  according to the rigorous admission standards that make Oxford one of the most elite schools in the world.

Although my academic credentials were always sufficient to earn me a place here there was no opportunity for me to submit my application during the admissions window.   I was left with only one chance to make this happen - to dedicate myself to the Boat Club with no reservations, always with the thought in mind that I could make this happen once I had proven to the right people that I belonged here despite having never been  officially reviewed by the college.

In a stroke of good luck one of the other gentlemen in the M1 boat last term was the treasurer of the Masters Common Room (MCR), which is the collective body of graduate students studying at Hertford.  Having struck up a good relationship with Mr. Geoff Nelson, the treasurer and fellow oarsman, he submitted my name to the MCR for a vote on whether to accept me into their ranks.  Although I am not a graduate student my age and dedication to Hertford athletics were enough to show the MCR committee that I belonged among the graduate community.  The vote was unanimous and I was accepted as an associate member of the MCR three weeks ago. 

Having pushed my unofficial affiliation to Hertford this far I was now ready to make the case to the Senior Tutor that I was eligible for a letter confirming my affiliation to the college.  This afternoon I was finally successful in securing that letter from the Senior Tutor.  I am now, according to all records, a full fledged member of both the Hertford Boat Club and Hertford College itself.  As far as I know this is without precedent in the history of the Shimer in Oxford program. 

The sky can only be doubling over in agony at the repeated punchings I have bestowed upon it in my exuberant jubilation.

We did it.  Thank you to everyone who helped me get here. 


With Love,
your boy Rob

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 Torpids crews are official and posted online.  Find me in the M2 crew at the 4 seat!  Also, you can use this site to keep updated on the Torpids competition as it unfolds for Hertford in two weeks time.

http://boatclub.hertford.ox.ac.uk/racing/torpids/torpids_2011.php

Juan will be equipped with my digital camera so he can take pics and video of the live races.  Those will be posted each night.