Rob Ferritto

DPhil Geography and the Environment
2021

My experience in Oxford has been shaped by many different aspects of life: academia, where I have completed my MPhil in Water Science, Policy and Management and have just begun my DPhil looking at the gendered impacts of Ethiopia’s development policies; sport, where I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in sports and constantly injure myself; GTC, where I’ve met many friends and been welcomed warmly by the close-knit community; and the COVID pandemic, which threw a spanner in just about everything (and has been particularly tough given how well Australia, my home, has combatted COVID).

For this student profile, I am going to briefly reflect on the influence and importance of sport during my time in Oxford, with a particular focus on the impact of the Green Templeton Boat Club (GTBC). Back home, sport played a big role in my life: it was the place I went to look after my mental and physical health, and it provided another avenue to meet new people and engage with friends. That’s why, when I moved to Oxford–a completely foreign environment to me–it was important to get involved in as many sports as my body would allow.

In the pre-pandemic portion of my Oxford experience (October 2018 to March 2019), I was involved in touch rugby, rowing, Australian Rules Football, and rugby to differing extents. Of these sports, it has been rowing with Green Templeton Boat Club which has informed my experience most significantly; rowing with GTBC has not only allowed me to learn a new sport and compete, but it has allowed me to become involved in a club which is accessible and inclusive to all.

My fondest memory of rowing with GTBC is the Summer Torpids (‘Torpeights’) campaign of Trinity term, 2021 because of how well the club battled through difficult circumstances. The term started with the men’s squad not having enough experienced rowers to fill a boat, let alone enough rowers in a position to be involved in bumps racing. What we did have however, was a large group of enthusiastic men and women novices (people who hadn’t rowed before) who were willing to learn; I particularly found it heartening to hear how being a part of the club benefited people’s physical and mental health after such a tough year. As a club (men and women, together), we navigated difficult guidelines and uncertainty to train approximately 30 novices to row, and even trained 5 novice men to race in bumps! While the results don’t make for pleasant reading, I am incredibly proud of the squad and how well we performed (regardless of my constant swearing).

Ultimately, what makes GTBC such a great club to be involved in, is its willingness to put people before results (which, I think, leads to results in the end). We are inclusive and accessible to all, a community of supportive friends, and a place where many have been able to look after their mental and physical health after a tough year. In my role as captain the past two years, the club has played an important role in my Oxford life, but I’ve also seen first-hand the important role it plays in the lives of others and the GTC community-at-large.