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Mila Marcheva (Computer Science 2018) is Captain of the Boats at Caius Boat Club. Ahead of May Bumps, which begins on Wednesday, Mila talks about a special anniversary for CBC, and the possibility of replicating a success from 25 years ago.

Q: It is 25 years since double headship, and it is a possibility again - how challenging is it going to be?

Getting (or retaining) a single headship is a tremendous feat, let alone both the men's and women's side of the same college doing it at the same term. Historically, Caius is the only college that has held a Mays Double (Men's and Women's) Headship, and has done it twice – in 2000 and 2002. The Double Mays Headship in 2025 is a possibility.

Our W1 starts at headship, which means that to retain our position we need to row the full 2.3K course (about eight to nine minutes of full-on sprinting) on all four racing days, whilst withstanding the surges of our opponents. Our M1 starts third on the river, so they need to catch Magdalene M1 on day 1, LMBC M1 (St John’s) on day 2, and then row the full course for the remaining days. 

The competition is strong: top college boats all train six days a week, including double session days. After presenting the existing statistics and practical information, I can answer how challenging it is in one word:  ‘very’! 

Q: How realistic is the possibility of double headship?

Our M1 have had a very strong race term, winning virtually every race on the Cam they entered, and our W1 has also been training hard and has the added boost from our CUBC trialists (Carys Earl, Eloise Etherington, Lucy Havard). 

Whilst Caius has an impressive record and has held at least one Mays Headship (Men's 2019, 2022, 2023 and Women's 2021 June Eights Regatta, 2024) every year since 2019, rowing at Caius Boat Club is not about the end goal, it is about the process itself. 

We are going to row our best every day next week and deal with the imposter, be it triumph or disaster, just the same. 

Q: Why is Caius Boat Club enjoying such success in terms of participation numbers and results on the water?

There are five main reasons why:

1. Caius is a rowing college: we have one of the oldest clubs on the river Cam dating from 1827 (the Bicentenary in 2027 will be an exciting time!). Some members of the club apply to Caius because of its rowing pedigree.
2. We train exceptionally hard and hold ourselves to a high standard. Winning is fun, of course, but CBC stands on a simple foundation: hard work. Our motto since 1827 – “Labor ipse voluptas” (“Work is its own reward”) – still sums up our ethos nearly 200 years on. At Caius we show up for each other and work hard together day after day, regardless of the results. What we gain in the process of working hard together – physical and mental resilience and an incredibly supportive community – truly is its own reward and goes beyond any race results.
3. At CBC, college life and the Cambridge drive are amplified to a new level. Our athletes span all stages of Cambridge degrees and all rowing abilities, from school-trained rowers with international accolades to complete novices who learn at Caius. Yet we end up rowing in the same boat, bonding over our shared effort to get better as individuals and as a team. Cambridge degrees can be very stressful, so spending your free time in a non-academic, but overall enriching club is a proven way to recharge for the academic demands of our degrees.
4. Unsurprisingly, after so many hours on the water, we become close friends and spend time together off the river, too. In Easter term, many members spend their whole day around the club: studying in the Boathouse crew room, which doubles as a busy revision hub, rowing in an evening session, and then having dinner together at ‘Boatie Hall’. When crews trust each other beyond the boat, they’re more likely to push for each other in the boat, further perpetuating the strength of our community.
5. I must acknowledge the incredible facilities we have, and the alumni community behind them. Caius Boathouse was renovated in 2016 thanks to the amazing generosity of our alumni and is one of the finest boathouses on the Cam. We have a bright and airy gym, a crew room for debriefs (and revision!), and top-of-the-line shells. The quality of our material base is a testament to the Caius Boat Club community, which is truly a lifelong network.

Caius will have six crews (three men’s and three women’s) in May Bumps, which takes place from Wednesday 18 June to Saturday 21 June. 

For full information, follow along on , , or on Caius Boat Club’s and pages.

Pictured: W1 in 2024 celebrating Head of the River; Mila is pictured in the centre (beige jumper)