Editing Eights Week (section)

==Overview==
[[File:Eights Week - geograph.org.uk - 1135168.jpg|thumbnail|right|A busy riverbank scene as a boat is returned to one of the college boathouses in Summer Eights 1982]]
[[File:The boathouses, Oxford.jpg|thumb|The scene at Boathouse Island during Summer Eights 2005, crammed with spectators awaiting the next race]]

{{further|Bumps race}}
The racing takes place on the [[The Isis|Isis]], a length of the [[River Thames]], which is generally too narrow for side by side racing. For each division, twelve boats line up at the downstream end of the stretch, each cox holding onto a rope attached to the bank, leaving around 1.5 boat lengths between each boat. The start of racing is signalled by the firing of a cannon, each crew attempting to progress up their division by bumping the boat in front, while avoiding being bumped by the boat behind. Once a bump has taken place, both of the crews involved stop racing and move to the side to allow the rest of the division to pass. It is possible to "over bump" if the 2 crews in front of your boat bump (and so drop out) and your boat can catch the boat that was in front of them. They then swap places for the next day's racing, whether that be the calendar day or the first day of racing in the next year's competition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OURCs: Historical Eights Results |url=https://ourcs.co.uk/racing/historical-results/summer-eights-historical-results/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=ourcs.co.uk}}</ref>

The ultimate aim of a crew is to become "Head of the River" (top of the first division) and stay there. This entitles the winning crew to commission trophy [[oar]]s in their college colours with the names and weights of the successful crew on them—commonly called "winning blades". As this is only possible for crews already near the top of division one, another way to win blades is to bump on each day of the competition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oxford Bumps |url=https://bumps.live/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=bumps.live}}</ref>

The "Double Headship" is an accolade awarded to any college finishing with both their men's and women's crews at the "Head of the River" in their respective divisions. This feat has only ever been achieved once, by Pembroke College in 2003. A silver "Double Headship Trophy" was commissioned from the silversmith Peter Musson in 2003, to commemorate the historic occasion.<ref>[http://www.petermusson.com Peter Musson].</ref>