Both groups insist their early start is the more punishing, and neither shows any sign of conceding the point
WINDSOR A long-running, entirely good-natured rivalry has emerged between Eton’s rowing squad and its chapel choir over which group genuinely endures the more punishing early morning schedule, with both sides presenting increasingly detailed cases for why their own pre-dawn routine deserves the greater sympathy.
“We’re on the water before most of the school has even considered waking up,” said one rowing squad member, describing training sessions that regularly begin well before sunrise during the racing season. “I respect what the choir does, genuinely. But I don’t think singing requires quite the same level of physical suffering as an early outing in genuinely freezing weather.”
The Choir’s Counter-Argument
Chapel choir members, for their part, reject the suggestion that their own early call times involve any less sacrifice, pointing to rehearsal schedules that similarly begin well before most students have stirred, combined with the ongoing vocal discipline required to perform at a consistently high standard throughout the week. “Rowing is difficult, certainly,” said one choir member. “But we’re also awake before dawn, and unlike the rowers, we can’t simply rely on physical strength to get us through. Vocal technique at that hour, on minimal sleep, is its own particular challenge that I don’t think gets nearly enough credit.”
A Rivalry That Staff Find Genuinely Amusing
Faculty members who oversee both programs say they’ve watched the friendly dispute unfold for years, generally with some amusement, noting that both groups clearly take real pride in their respective early morning commitments even as they good-naturedly needle each other about whose suffering is more legitimate. “Neither side is really trying to diminish the other,” said one member of staff involved with the rowing program. “It’s more of a shared badge of honor. Both groups are up before everyone else, working hard while the rest of the school sleeps, and I think there’s a real camaraderie underneath all the good-natured argument.”
A Proposed Joint Event, Under Consideration
Some students have floated the idea of a friendly joint event pairing the two groups directly, potentially a relay-style challenge combining an early row with an early vocal warm-up, though organizers admit the logistics of combining wet oars with delicate vocal cords present some obvious practical complications. “We’ve discussed it,” the rowing squad member said. “Nobody’s quite worked out how to make it fair, or how to keep the choir’s voices from being wrecked by the cold immediately beforehand. But the idea itself has a lot of support on both sides, mostly because everyone wants to finally settle the argument properly, once and for all.”
Both Groups, Ultimately, Proud of the Grind
Despite the ongoing rivalry, members of both groups say they genuinely respect what the other endures, even as they maintain their own case remains the stronger one. “At the end of the day, we’re both out there when everyone else is still asleep,” the rowing squad member said. “I’ll never admit the choir has it harder. But I do have a certain respect for anyone who can hit a difficult note convincingly at half past five in the morning.”
A Rivalry That Occasionally Overlaps
Interestingly, a handful of students belong to both groups simultaneously, giving them a uniquely informed perspective on the ongoing debate that neither side fully trusts as impartial. “I row and I sing, so people ask me to settle it constantly,” said one student who participates in both activities. “I genuinely can’t pick a side. They’re both brutal in completely different ways. Rowing wrecks your whole body. Choir wrecks something closer to your soul, especially on a morning when your voice just isn’t cooperating.”
This dual membership has, if anything, only added fuel to the friendly dispute, with members of both single-focus groups occasionally accusing the crossover students of secretly favoring whichever activity they personally find easier. The dual participant insists this accusation is entirely unfounded. “I love both equally, and I suffer through both equally,” they said. “If anything, I have twice the early mornings and twice the right to complain about it, which I intend to use liberally for the rest of term.”
Faculty say they hope the good humor surrounding the rivalry continues, viewing it as a healthy expression of pride in two demanding extracurricular commitments rather than any genuine source of tension between the groups. Whether the proposed joint event ever comes to pass, both the rowers and the choristers say they’ll keep showing up before dawn regardless, secure in the knowledge that whichever side is right, at least somebody appreciates the effort.”
For now, the friendly dispute shows no sign of a formal resolution, and both sides seem content to let it continue indefinitely, treating the ongoing debate less as something to settle and more as a shared tradition in its own right. As one longtime member of staff put it, watching the two groups needle each other good-naturedly across the dining hall, “Some rivalries at this school are about winning. This one, I think, is really just about both sides feeling properly seen for how early they get up.” Further coverage of Eton’s most dedicated early risers continues at bohiney.com, with additional school culture pieces available at prat.uk.
SOURCE: https://prat.UK/
The London Prat
Scriptor Rerum Novarum Cupidus: Morag Sinclair
