MBS Students Prove to Be the Perfect Host at the Third German MBA Rowing Race

There are two reasons for which one cannot deny that the Mannheim Business School (MBS) was a real good host at the third edition of the "German MBA Rowing Race": One reason is that the event that took place in a competitive but yet friendly atmosphere with the Vallendar-based WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management was perfectly organized, and the other reason is that the rowing team consisting of the graduating class of students of the full-time MBA program of the Mannheim Business School came off second-best for the first time. The final score after a total of five races was 3:2. While it was the women's quadruple sculls that brought the overall victory for the MBS last year in Vallendar, it was the men's boats which won two races for the Mannheim Business School this year.

The role model for the "German MBA Rowing Race" is the prestigious boat race carried out between the two British elite universities Cambridge and Oxford since 1829. The competition on the River Thames is very popular in Britain with approx. 250,000 spectators on the shores of the river per year and more than eight million Brits in front of their televisions. The Mannheim Business School and the WHU, which are considered to be among the leading German business schools can only dream of such a numerous audience. But their dream had come true – at least partly -, because for their race on Saturday, both schools had been able to mobilize a considerably large number of fans. A great number of passers-by also became curious and watched the "international" competition at the foot of the city's telecommunication tower. International, because the three quadruple sculls of the Mannheim Business School combined a total number of eight different nationalities. That is not very surprising when you consider that the full-time MBA program of the MBS from which the rowing team was recruited is attended by 36 participants from 18 different countries who study for their career in the senior management.

The students of the MBS had been preparing themselves meticulously for the race – just as their predecessors did in the past two years – since spring at the Mannheim-based rowing club Amicitia. "We were all just beginners, but after several hours of practicing, we did really well," says Florian Schenkel, responsible for the overall coordination of the event. This rowing event was a welcome change from the lectures, case studies and project work in the past few weeks. "Rowing is the ideal recreational sport. On the one hand, you can train your whole body and on the other hand, it requires perfect teamwork, which is the key to success for both rowing and your career." said Mr Schenkel.