Life is too short to Not Row

I am a rower myself. I started rowing with Wayland-Weston Crew team in 2011, which was the beginning of my high school career. I was encouraged by my brother, who rowed all four years with WW crew during high school, to try rowing out because I had the body type and loved to be on the water. Without hesitation, I tried rowing out. The moment I took my first stroke on the water with an oar, I feel in love with the sport. I have been doing it for over three years now and reminiscing on how much I have developed in the sport. Looking back, I wish it had not gone by so fast, because I remember the days when the sun was setting and I was banging out thirty stroke pieces with all eight of my best friends. Those are the kind of days that I live for.

           

Two weeks ago I rowed in the 50^th Head of the Charles Regatta. This was my third time racing in the Men’s Youth Eight category. Not only was the race my last HOCR with Wayland-Weston, but it was also was my last 5000 meter race of my high school rowing career. I will forever look back on that last race because of its huge significance to the rowing world. The actual 50^th HOCR was my last HOCR. How cool is that!? The regatta was first held in 1965 and since then, it has grown to become the most renowned crew race in the world.

Starting bow number fourteen at the start line was an incredible feeling. I felt that cheesy moment when you think about all that you have accomplished and that you have been working all your career for this one race and one time to perform your best. It sent shivers down my back. During the race I was totally focused on stroking the boat, so I don’t remember really anything except for the wind blowing across my face and hearing my breathing pattern hissing by. After the race was done, I thought to myself that that was the fastest race that I have ever done. It felt like six minutes had gone by, not fifteen. I lived and breathed every moment of that fifteen minutes, yet I was still in disbelief. Rowing is my passion and nobody can take that away from me in this lifetime.

Rowing: A Lifestyle Choice

The glass-like water shimmers as the sun's rays beam down. Stroke, swish, stroke, swish is the sound that the oars make through the water as the floating 8 men shell glides atop the water. Body's calm, minds aggressive. Rowing takes one's body to a whole new dimension of pain and mental toughness. One must persevere through all odds to stay with the other crews racing against them. "BREAK THEM!!!!!!!" the coxswain screams through her mike as they are neck and neck with the boat next to them. Nothing can be going through the rower's head except for puling hard and focusing straight ahead. "THERE ARE NO PASSENGERS!!!!!" yells the coxswain. The energy and speed of the boat jolts forward with the next stroke. "Last ten; Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One, okay way NUFF" the coxswain tells the crew. All eight oars immediately rest on the water and the boat glides out. All eight men, plus the coxswain are exhausted from the workout piece and knowing that this was only half the distance that they will have to race next week. Yes, this was ONLY a practice.

Rowing is one of those sports where either you love it or hate it; there is no in between. Over the centuries, starting with the first race back in 1852 between Harvard and Yale, the sport of rowing has slowly turned into an international renowned sport. While it is popular at the collegiate, Olympic and recreational levels, rowing is not the “coolest” sport to do at the High School level. The concept of sitting on a boat, rowing with an oar, and doing the same body motion over and over again does not always intrigue kids to even try the sport. The brave few who do are immersed into the painful, but rewarding sport of rowing. Many schools do not even offer crew as a sport because of its expensive equipment and limited availability of coaching. Private schools tend to have crew, while public schools do not. Also, friends normally grow up together playing sports and the fact that one cannot start rowing until one’s first year in High School, limits the eagerness to start a new sport. For these reasons, the participation in crew is reduced greatly compared to the typical high school sports, such as football, field hockey, track, soccer, etc…

However, rowing is slowly becoming more popular at the High School level as the physical and social benefits are starting to be realized. The beginning of some rowers careers start with their parents pushing them to start crew based on what they have heard from college-athletes who were recruited. Some of the top schools in the Ivy have a very strong recruiting pull from admissions, so this makes rowing a very attractive sport to do for some students who wish to pursue their athletic career past high school. Another incentive that high school student-athletes have in doing crew is that it really keeps the body in shape. Rowing works out the entire body from head-to-toe, including the brain. 

The rower must constantly be aware of his or her surroundings and make adjustments to row better. Half of the battle is having good technique on the water, as that translates into more power. Not only is there power to send the boat down the race course, but power to overcome all odds and win. The power pumps through the blood of all eight rowers. The consistent, numbing pain in taking each stroke in the water never lets go, but the desire to achieve great things can wash-away. No one is forcing you to take the next stroke. You have to want it. This is what makes rowing one of the best lifestyle choices that you can ever make.

Recap of the Head of The Charles:

Waking up at 5 in the morning and rowing on the cold, misty, flat water does not sound like everyone's cup of tea, but it was for the thousands of rowers who competed this past weekend at the 50th Head of the Charles race. With thousands of people lining the banks of the Charles, the excitement was felt throughout the Boston area. The sunny and 60 degree weather was perfect for the racers and spectators, who watched the boats race down the river. Whether it was the cool fall wind, or the talkative spectators walking around Weld exhibition or Reunion village to get the right angle on the racing, there seemed to never be a moment when the river calm and quiet.

The increasing wind slowly became stronger as the day progressed and by the end of each afternoon the wind began to hinder crews, especially the novice and lightweight crews. However, the wind did not stop the rowers from setting twenty new course records on Saturday of the Regatta alone. The level of the competitors varied from a wide range: amateurs to elite and Olympic caliber oarsmen and women.

Andrew Campbell, a Harvard University student and international competitor, made a huge mark at this year’s Head of the Charles by winning the Men’s Championship Singles event by over 10 seconds. Not only did he beat some very stiff competition, but he also set a new course record by a little more than one second. This impressive feat goes to show how the sport of crew is getting faster and faster every year, meaning that the rowing in general is becoming more popular within the athletic community.

Along with small boats, bigger boats dominated the field as well this past weekend. A tradition of the Head of the Charles is to put a crew together comprised of the best rowers from around the world. This year, there were two Great 8+’s; one having the best sweep oarsmen from around the world and one having the best sculling oarsmen from around the world. Both boats placed top two in the Men’s Championship Eight event and it sure was an exciting race to watch. The intensity that each of the rowers brought to the water was exhilarating to even look at; as each of the blades pierced the surface of the water, to be locked into a position to push away the water efficiently.

Every year the crews that come to race in fall on the Charles change their rower’s line-ups, because rowers graduate and eventually retire, leaving a legacy on the water to share. The major component to the Head of the Charles Regatta that never changes are the locations of the bridges and the course of the race. The tight and complex turns along the race course of the HOCR always seem to trip-up a few crews during the racing. This past weekend, there were a few crashes, but thankfully, nothing too serious that required emergency service.

Overall, the 2014 Head of the Charles Regatta created a huge turn-out of people and rowers, which allowed for two exciting days of racing in the warm and pleasant fall weather.

HOCR by the Numbers: (Courtesy of USRowing)

2 days

7 bridges

3 miles

55 events

2,045 boats

6,971 competitors

37 states

23 countries

86, oldest known competitor (Mary Elizabeth Stone, senior veteran single sculls)

11, youngest competitor (Christopher Bass, parent/child double sculls)

400,000 spectators

$4.8 million dollars generated in local and state tax revenue

$47 million dollars generated revenue for local businesses

20 new course records set on Saturday

1,400 volunteers
900 entries turned away

Number of people not impressed by the 50th HOCR: ZERO

50th Head of the Charles Regatta- October 18th-19th

The one and only Head of the Charles Regatta, where some of the fittest people come to compete against one another. BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS have all been shed for this one race on the Charles River. Thousands of rowers and crews from all over the world flock to the legendary Charles River to compete with the best of the best in the rowing world. The Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) is the largest annual rowing competition in the world. Hosting over 11,000 athletes and 400,000 spectators, the ultimate two-day rowing competition in the middle of October, sees some of the fiercest racing of the year.

The most popular events are the races involving the classic eight-person boats, which require coxswains to the steer down the winding course of the Charles. The treacherous turns around the Weeks and Elliot bridges mark the areas of the course where boats have the greatest chance of colliding into each other. The HOCR is no ordinary race. Not only is the five thousand kilometers tasking on the bodies of the rowers, but also a test on the mind. To immerse one’s self into a dangerous gauntlet of no turning back, requires a unique mindset of perseverance and craziness.

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the HOCR (1964-2014). Commemorative activities will be taking place along the banks of the river during the entire weekend. There will also be free food from popular vendors around Boston to keep you satisfied throughout the racing. So, if you have some time this weekend, definitely stop by the Charles River, as it will be a regatta to remember!