Перевести sporting activities at oxford and cambridge are varied and numerous. there are different competitions (соревнование) between the colleges. one of the most popular sports is rowing (гребля) . at the end of the term long, narrow, light boats, rowed by eight men, compete in the races. boats start at short intervals one after another and try to knock the boat in front. those who are able to do it move one place in a table (таблица) and the college at the top of the table is known as the "head of the river". rowing has a long history in england. rowing a boat with eight oars (весло) or with four oars was first started in england in the 18th century. at that time the boats took part in festivals and processions on the river thames. in the 19th century people started to use the boats for racing, not only in london on the thames but also in the universities of oxford and cambridge. the first boat race between oxford and cambridge was held in 1829. nearly every year since then there has been a boat race between these two universities. it is held in london on the thames, during the easter vacation, at the end of march or the beginning of april. the course, from putney to mortlake, is 4 1/4 miles long. it has many turns, and the crews usually row the 4 1/4 miles in 20 minutes. the crews of the boats, chosen from the members of the college boat clubs, train together for twelve weeks before the race, first in oxford or cambridge and finally in london. in each boat there are eight oarsmen and a coxswain (рулевой) , usually called a "cox". the cox, who is much lighter than the others, sets the speed and the rhythm, and steers. on boat race saturday the banks and bridges of the thames are thick with people who have come to watch. some wear dark blue ribbons (лента) for oxford, and some wear pale blue ones for cambridge.
