Torpids
Encyclopedia
Torpids is one of two series of bumping races
Bumps race
A bumps race is a form of rowing race in which a number of boats chase each other in single file, each boat attempting to catch and "bump" the boat in front without being caught by the boat behind....

 held yearly at Oxford University, the other being Eights
Eights Week
Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the Saturday of the fifth week of Trinity term...

. Over 130 men's and women's crews race for their colleges in six men's divisions and five women's; almost 1200 participants in total. The racing takes place on the Isis (part of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

) usually in the 7th week of Hilary term on four successive days from Wednesday to Saturday (around the start of March).

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
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...

 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
Eights Week
Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the Saturday of the fifth week of Trinity term...

, 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
Oar
An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Oarsmen grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles are that paddles are held by the paddler, and are not connected with the vessel. Oars generally are connected to the vessel by...

 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 the crew it is chasing, thus being both the bumper and the bumped in the same race. 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. 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
The Boat Race
The event generally known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the River Thames in London. It takes place generally on the last Saturday of March or the first...

 or any of the Henley Boat Races
Henley Boat Races
The Henley Boat Races are a number of rowing races between the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Taking place on the River Thames at Henley, they are for crews that do not compete in the main University Boat Race on the 6,779m Championship Course in London:* Women's Boat Race *...

 against Cambridge may not compete in Torpids, but may compete in Summer Eights
Eights Week
Eights Week, also known as Summer Eights, is a four-day regatta of bumps races which constitutes the University of Oxford's main intercollegiate rowing event of the year. The regatta takes place in May of each year, from the Wednesday to the Saturday of the fifth week of Trinity term...

.

Men's Head of Torpids

1838 Worcester
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...

 
1839 Oriel 1840 Wadham 1841 Trinity |
1842 Brasenose
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...

 
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
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...

 
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 1901-1959 ??? |
1960 St. Edmund Hall
St Edmund Hall, Oxford
St Edmund Hall is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Better known within the University by its nickname, "Teddy Hall", the college has a claim to being "the oldest academical society for the education of undergraduates in any university"...

 
1961 St. John's
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...

 
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
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....

 
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
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

 
|
1992 Oriel 1993 Oriel 1994 Oriel 1995 Oriel |
1996 Oriel 1997 Oriel 1998 Oriel 1999 Pembroke
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...

 
|
2000 No Racing 2001 Oriel 2002 No Racing 2003 Oriel |
2004 Oriel 2005 Oriel 2006 Oriel 2007 No Racing |
2008 Magdalen
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

 
2009 Christ Church 2010 Christ Church 2011 Christ Church |

  • 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.

Women's Head of Torpids from 1992

1992 Somerville
Somerville College, Oxford
Somerville College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and was one of the first women's colleges to be founded there...

 
1993 Somerville 1994 Somerville 1995 Osler-Green
Green College, Oxford
Green College was a graduate college of the University of Oxford in England. It was centred around an architecturally appealing 18th century building: the Radcliffe Observatory, which is modelled after the ancient "Tower of the Winds" in Athens....

 
|
1996 Osler-Green 1997 Osler-Green 1998 Osler-Green 1999 Osler-Green |
2000 No Racing 2001 St. Catherine's  2002 No Racing 2003 Merton
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...

 
|
2004 Merton 2005 New College
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...

 
2006 Oriel  2007 No Racing |
2008 St. Catherine's 2009 St. Catherine's 2010 Magdalen
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

2011 Magdalen |

Double Headship

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.

External links

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