With their reputation for loving the wheel a ‘bit too much,’ it’s no surprise that St Catharine’s College Boat Club (SCCBC) has produced some strange pieces of stash. Despite the wheel being a Medieval torture device, students, especially the boat club, show their college pride by plastering it over every garment imaginable and often in the most obnoxious way possible. As a member of SCCBC, I am well acquainted with the double-wheel leggings and the wheel bucket hats that have become (in)famous on the River Cam for their place as iconic fashion monstrosities. Intrigued by our love for the wheel, I talked with the SCCBC kit secretary about why this society is so obsessed with such an eccentric stash style.

Undoubtedly, the strangest garments produced by SCCBC are the double wheel leggings and wheel one-piece, which can be paired together to produce a look that makes double denim look like high fashion. When speaking to current Kit Secretary John, he taught me the history of this design, which supposedly began in a far more organised lattice pattern that could almost pass as ‘normal’. John’s pitch for Kit Secretary was to boost the popularity of these leggings, which he achieved by making them “more chaotic and disgusting.” He promised that “I’m going to make these leggings worse,” increasing the number at the same time. John was modest about his artistic abilities, supplementing his mock-up to Powerhouse with the firm request that they “paste as many wheels on as they can,” promising that “people will almost certainly buy.” These Powerhouse leggings reached record sales, selling 12-15 rounds in the first year. 

John “used to confidently say that Catz is the only college that has a torture device on its emblem,” and, excluding the crucifix, he still believes that it is unique amongst the Oxbridge colleges. Having such an odd symbol to represent your club opens many opportunities for standing out. As John argued, a unique set of rowing stash becomes a way to distinguish yourself by going “as bright" - and chaotic - "as possible.”

"A unique set of rowing stash becomes a way to distinguish yourself by going “as bright" - and chaotic - "as possible"

With even their designer proclaiming their absurdity, why were these leggings so popular with the club? John argued that rowing fashion is often a “race to the bottom of distinguishing yourself.” Whilst on the river, you want to stand out, whether your crew appears “the most unique or the worst.” John told me about some other strange stash pieces from other boat clubs; Downing Tribal’s purple and black checkerboard leggings are not much better than the chaotic Catharine wheels. In John’s words, “Neither of these leggings belong to polite society.” From both mine and John’s experience, this “race to the bottom” is part of the fun of rowing. Emma Sprints, the first race for novices, markets itself as a dress-up game where the most creative outfits are rewarded with a Rowbridge. As much as the stereotypes say otherwise, Cambridge rowers don’t like to take themselves too seriously. Following this, funky garments become a fantastic form of self-expression to add some fun to a demanding sport.

Of course, plastering your college crest all over your body is also a great way of showing college pride. When rowing, you’ll be certain that your “Yeah Catz” call was directed to the right crew and that the handsome stroke seat from another crew will know where to direct their Crushbridge. When re-running for kit sec, John spread the wheel further and further through each possible garment. The wheel leggings already matched the equally hideous wheel one-piece, and following a recent vote by the Seniors, he helped to produce wheel sliders and bucket hats. Unfortunately, a wheel tie was taking things a bit too far. John's request to Powerhouse for these hats and sliders was once again simple: “I want a truly disgusting number of wheels on them.”

As this boat club has shown, eccentric fashion is usually the most fun to wear. Stash can reach such a level of disgusting that it may as well be haute couture. You might not wear your wheel bucket hat to Fitzbillies or a formal, but it would stand out on the river and the runway, so why not give it a buy? 

"Whilst on the river, you want to stand out, whether your crew appears “the most unique or the worst""

St Catharine’s is hardly the only college with strange rowing stash, although it is certainly distinctive. John told me about some of the sights he has witnessed over his many years on the river; a “bright green unisuit, pixelated unisuit,” and even a “rubber duck unisuit” have shown their colours on the Cam. Ultimately, college sports are there for us to have fun. If we all wore the standard uniforms or plain black Primark leggings, we’d all look like we were taking ourselves too seriously (which we rarely do!). Why not show a bit of college pride and have some fun violating the norms of fashion while you’re at it? 

As a student of St Catharine’s and a lover of the wheel myself, I think that all Catz rowers should continue to wear the wheel 'for the wheel' and that every college should find equally creative ways to express their college sporting pride.