Club The purpose of the Tortoise Club is two-fold: the recognition and celebration of outstanding Oriel rowing; and the financial support of the OCBC. Membership is by election: proposal by the Men's Captain of Boats, Women's Captain of Boats and the President of the Tortoise Club. Election is by the approval of the Tortoise Council. Members must be Orielenses (excepting Honorary members) who have represented OCBC with excellence. Members of the men's and women's 1st Summer VIII and 1st Torpid are judged to have fulfilled these criteria but still must be approved by the Tortoise Council. All other potential members are at the Council's discretion. The unique emblem of the Tortoise Club is the tortoise badge. The College of Arms' narrative should not be misunderstood to imply the use of the Tortoise emblem by the general Oriel College Boat Club membership or members of the Oriel Society – these have their own appropriate emblematic devices. Former clubs The Blessed Virgins Club This was an exclusive, women's alumni club. Since 2016, women are admissible into the Tortoise Club on the same terms as men so the club is defunct. At the creation of the Oriel College Women's Boat Club in 1986, rowers in their 1st VIII and 1st Torpid became members of this club mutatis mutandis to the Tortoise Club. The respective unique emblem was a pair of (angelic) wings. The "Blessèd Virgins" was a nod to a name of the college as still seen in some registers of title and official documents today, The House of Blessèd Mary the Virgin in Oxford. Noteworthy rowers Anthony Purssell – British rower, Olympian in 1948 Chris Mahoney – British rower, Olympian in 1980 and 1984; President of the OUBC in 1981. Daniel Lyons – American rower, World Champion in 1986; Olympian in 1988 Terence Dillon – British Rower, Olympian in 1988 and 1992. Michael Wherley – American rower, three times World Champion, 1997, 1998 and 1999; Olympian in 2000 and 2004; won the 2008 Boat Race (as the oldest rower in the history of the event); and was inducted into the US National Rowing Hall of Fame in 2014. George Bridgewater – New Zealand rower, Olympian in 2004 and Bronze medallist in the pair at the 2008 Summer Olympics Peter Hackworth – British coxswain, cox of the 2002 Blue Boat Sjoerd Hamburger – Dutch rower, Olympian in 2008 and 2012 Chris Mahoney –