Fairy tales taught us as children that fair ladies have to wait for their perfect man to give them the kiss of true love in order to have a shot at living happily ever after. But nowadays things are changing - the wheel has turned and the story is being reinvented, with today's heroines being in charge of their own destiny rather than waiting for a prince charming to change it for them. And the girls rowing for CUWBC (Cambridge University Women's Boat Club) are taking part in the transformation.

Founded in 1927, the boat club has come a long way from its unfavourable beginnings, when it had to face "large and hostile crowds" of men objecting to women rowing. The prevailing view was summed up by a Selwyn Captain in a letter addressed to CUWBC: "I personally do not approve of women rowing at all. It is a ghastly sight, an anatomical impossibility and physiologically dangerous."

But these 'Perspiring Persephones' (as named by one of their coaches in the 60s) battled with adversity and nowadays they are on a par with the men's side. It has taken a long time but the shift in the public opinion regarding the place of women in society and the women athletes in particular has had a huge impact on the women's boat race. The CUWBC President, Helena Schofield, thinks that one of the causes of the current spike in the public interest was the 2012 Olympics, the publicity brought by the phenomenal success of female athletes causing people to be a lot more interested in the boat race as well.

The presence of Newton Investment Management has changed things internally as well. The company became the official sponsor in 2011 and this year has increased the sponsorship to match that of CUBC (n.b. the men's side). Although the number of training sessions has been the same in both the men and the women squads for quite a while, the changes brought about by the increased funding are significant. CUWBC has gone from having volunteer coaches to being able to employ three full time members of staff, the entire kit has been replaced, the equipment updated and the cost to individual athletes has been substantially alleviated (especially the daily train fare to Ely).

The increased professionalism in training is used to build up the club to a really strong position in time for 2015, the year when the women will be racing on the same course and day as the men, on the tideway. Small changes towards greater equality have taken place already, with the official challenge and weigh-in held together this year for the first time, but bringing the races together is a major step forward - come 2015, we will be taking about 'the Boat Races' rather than 'the Boat Race'.

Changing the location is an increased challenge for the squad. Currently, the women's race is held at Henley over a 2 km course but this will go up to 6.8 km once they move to the tideway.  The full-time support team the girls have access to will help ease the transition. Also, they are inspired by strong female characters, such as the current CUWBC Assistant Coach, Annabel Vernon, who won the silver medal at the 2008 Olympics or even the race sponsor's CEO, Helena Morissey, who was named 'Most Influential Woman in Asset Management' in 2010, runs the 30% Club, which aims at increasing the proportion of women in the boardrooms of the FTSE 100 to 30% within the next five years, without using quotas - and she has nine children. These great female figures, as well as other Olympians and former CUWBC members, make for a great supportive network to rely on and look up to.

Overall, it is a great environment to train in. Unlike the men's side of the club, where a lot of those who make it to the Blue boat have competed at an international level already, at CUWBC the girls usually take up rowing when they get to university, get better when they train for their college and take it to a higher level once they trial for the uni squad. This is one of the key things that CUWBC wants to keep, according to President Schofield, as it provides a great platform for discovering new talents and allowing them to reach their potential. For example, two of the girls in this year's squad are trialling for the British team after coming out of colleges with no prior experience in rowing.

This comes to prove how fairy tales have changed. Today's fair ladies at CUWBC no longer need a prince charming to come to their rescue. On the contrary, they are reaching for equality, proving the men they are just as able to perform at a high level, as they will do on Sunday the 24th March at 3.00pm when they race against Oxford. This year, the race (usually held at Henley) has been moved to Dorney Lake, due to strong stream conditions and wind forecast. At the official weigh-in, Cambridge topped the scales, weighing in by an average of 3.55 kg per woman more than their Oxford opponents, which makes them favourites. Schofield is excited - the fixtures they've had against other boat clubs have gone really well and Oxford have kept quiet. The crew competing this year is: Caroline Reid [bow], Fay Sandford [2], Melissa Wilson [3], Jessica Denman [4], Vicky Shaw [5], Claire Watkins [6], Emily Day [7],  Holly Game [stroke], who will be coxed by Esther Momcilovic. Sir Matthew Pinsent will be the umpire.

The Women's Boat Race will be broadcast live on Cam FM on Sunday the 24th March, starting at 3pm. If you choose to support them on the bank, details on how to get to Dorney Lake are available at http://www.henleyboatraces.com. Either way, don't forget to vote Light Blue at whichblueareyou.com