On both sides of the River Thames in London, big crowds wait for the start of a rowing race. Their eyes are focused on two boats from the two top universities in Britain.
The race is between two groups of eight rowers from Oxford and Cambridge. The rowers race for about 6. 8 kilometers on the river every year. Since 1836, the rowing eights have worn different shades of blue—Oxford wear dark blue and Cambridge light blue. As a result, the rowers are known as the Blues. To help their universities win the competition, they trained really hard. Their training timetable is strict: they usually train for six days a week for six months, to prepare for it.
The rowing tradition has a long history, nearly 200 years. The very first race took place in 1829, when a Cambridge student challenged (挑战) a school friend studying at Oxford. Ever since, the team who lost the previous year challenges the other team. Though there's little difference between the two universities, Cambridge is in the lead with 84 wins, while Oxford 80 wins.
There have been some interesting events over the centuries. In 1877, and the only time so far, both boats crossed the line at the exact same time. It's been the only draw in its history. In the 1912 race, weather conditions were poor. Strong winds blew during the race, and surely enough, both boats sank (沉默)! And in 2012, the race was stopped after a student entered the water and swam towards the boats. He was against the war. And April 11, 2015 made history. It was the first time that the men's teams and women's teams raced at the same place and on the same day.
