At 12:10 and 13:10 on the 13th December 2023 Cambridge University Women and Men will face gruelling battles against themselves as part of the annual Trial Eights event and you can catch it all on the live stream.

Designed to be a simulation of the toughest possible race, the coaches select the crews to be evenly matched against one another – an uncomfortable race for the athletes, a spectacle for the rest of us!

Below are the crew lists for each club, and our first glimpse at who the coaches have their eye on.

CUBC Women – 12:10

Mufasa

Sarabi

CUBC Men – 13:10

Hansel

Zoolander

The stories behind the CUBC names:

We have decided to have four related names to include all four of the women’s crews racing in T8s. This is to represent unity across all of the athletes in the women’s program. Our names are “Simba vs Nala vs Mufasa vs Sarabi”— these are the four nice lions in The Lion King who fight together to ensure the safety and longevity of their kingdom.

Lions are the symbol of Cambridge University. They are the only cats that live in social groups and are fiercely loyal to their pride, who they rely on for all aspects of survival. Importantly, the leaders of each pride are female, representing the leadership we bring to our daily lives, both in the classroom and on the water.

And for the men, President Seb Benzecry had this to say: “Zoolander and Hansel were two bitter rivals who eventually find common ground and unite to take on a greater enemy, so we felt they were perfect names for our crews. Also, we’re all really really ridiculously good looking.”

Don’t miss any of this week’s racing and subscribe to the live stream for each race.