## White Water Race
*28th-29th November 2010*
Men: Oxford, Women: Oxford
The Varsity White Water Race was held at the BUCS WWR event on the River Washburn. With ice lining the inside of the boats on the Sunday morning, it was the coldest weekend most of us had ever spent paddling! Cambridge had some great individual performances, Alison Galloway placing 2nd out of all University paddlers in the sprint being the highlight, but unfortunately lost both men’s and women’s team events to Oxford.
## Marathon
*7th May 2011*
Men: Cambridge, Women: Oxford
The Varsity Kayak Marathon was held in Oxford this year. The thrilling men’s race came right down to the final 100m. The top two paddlers from each side were neck and neck almost up to the finish line, but Mark and Peter Wilkes managed to inch ahead to place 1st and 2nd, sealing the victory for Cambridge. In the women’s race Oxford took the overall victory despite a strong performance from Cambridge’s Kate Ashley, who finished 2nd.
## Canoe Polo
*7th May 2011*
Men: Oxford, Women: Cambridge
Varsity Canoe Polo was also held in Oxford. The women’s match was won comfortably by Cambridge. The team, captained by Rachel Thorley, all played to the high standard they had been training and competing at all year, combining effective disruption of the Oxford defence with accurate shooting to secure a 5-0 victory. In the men’s match, Cambridge defended firmly and took their chances on the attack, with two goals from captain Hugh Bird bringing the scoreline to 2-1 in Cambridge’s favour at half-time. Unfortunately the second half saw Oxford pull out a series of goals, making a well-aimed last-minute Cambridge shot from outside the opposition’s zone too little too late, with the final score standing at 5-3 to Oxford.
## Freestyle
*8th May 2011*
Men: Oxford, Women: Oxford
The Varsity Freestyle competition was held at the artificial white water course at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham. A fun and inclusive scoring system was used, with points available for such things as waving at the judges as well as more serious moves, ensuring that a great day out was had by all competitors. The men’s event was won by a strong Oxford team, while terrific performances from Cambridge’s Jo Wensley and Nickie Shadbolt were unfortunately not enough to secure victory in the women’s event.