Director of Rowing - Bodo Schulenburg

Rowing has played a big role in my life for the best part of 30 years, starting with my first strokes in a single as a seven-year old. Forced to hang up my oars for quite some time after my junior career in Germany, I’ve had the fortune to get involved both in governance and coaching of a number of successful junior rowing programmes in Hamburg, Marburg and Bochum in my late teens and twenties. My studies eventually led me to Oxford, where I started rowing actively again on the lightweight men’s programme of the university, and later on for Taurus Boat Club. Oxford became a new rowing home and I made the decision to pursue coaching as a career. After a season as Assistant Coach, I took on the role of Head Coach of the Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club for the 2012/13 season. Three boat race campaigns later, I left Oxford and embarked on an adventure to Hong Kong, where I helped co-found a rowing charity called the Kai Tak Youth Rowing Community, providing rowing and educational programmes for Kowloon’s underprivileged youth. Having just finished a year-long sabbatical back in the UK as a chef in fine dining, I’m now looking forward to returning to rowing and Oxford, and am very grateful for the opportunity to help shape the next chapter at Hinksey.