Two stories today here on the banks and, in true Henley fashion--where many folks are kitted up more to enjoy the atmosphere than the racing per se--only one really had much to do with the racing itself.
Call It A Comeback
Off the water, it was just abundantly clear that real Henley is back, and one veteran Henley watcher after another commented on how much bigger the crowds were here, on a Tuesday of all things, then many remembered seeing even on Thursdays and Fridays of years past. After a limited regatta in 2021, where crews launched from the Bucks shore, sans the traditional boat tents and enclosures, and the full cancellation of 2020, Henley was back in full and fine form today.
This is a common theme of post-COVID events, and something we saw at the Charles last fall and again at the spring championships: the pent-up demand to get back to treasured annual events and enjoy something that feels normal brings a crowd, and here, it also re-energized an early weekday of Henley that may have been short of patrons in the before times, but now folks cannot wait to get back.
The bars were full, the Stewards was hopping and even the towpath was trickier to navigate than many early round coaches have found in the past. It will get even busier for sure, especially along the booms, but no one here seemed to mind stealing away from work a day early to toast a full Henley.
This was of course the earliest Henley start ever, and the regatta stretched itself comfortably into this new sixth day: after a leisurely 9:30 am start, 80 races ran the course today, carrying well into the evening, with the last crews coming across the line right around 8 pm, just as the sun got busy peaking out of the clouds from the Buckshire bank.
Headwind, Anyone?
On the racing front, the story was definitely the wind. Coaches have been warily keeping an eye on the forecast all week, and the "gusting to 40 mph" headwinds did not disappoint. Blowing straight and for the most part fairly down the course, the breeze was stiff enough to send ponytails whipping in the early heats of the Diamond Jubilee Quads and it sent more than one eight sliding visibly sideways to "go straight" down the course into the wind.
To be fair, it was not until after lunchtime that we finally heard them call a crew that had "gone in to the booms" (Oxford City in a heat of the Wyfold 4-) and nearly every coach we chatted with claimed they were excited about the headwind, for their crew. Nonetheless, the breeze certainly made the long Henley course just that much longer, and more than a few smaller crews were put out of the running as the wind continued through the day. Yale "B," the lightweight JV, which held a Dutch crew from D.S.R Laga to a relatively close one and three-quarter length margin was one crew that just could not get any closer in the wind against a heavier crew, and the wind was telling in heats of the PE Cup as well, where older--read bigger--schoolboy crews did well against younger crews in the draw.
One crew that did feast on the blustery day was UC Irvine in the Temple, who knocked off Shiplake to advance. "Headwind is definitely is our preferred condition," said Head Coach AJ Brooks. While he did admit to changing the gearing a little bit, Brooks also kept it simple for his guys: "We're heavy, so we just got to push the stones behind it."
"The guys rowed well," said Brooks. "I think the coxie learned a lot: we row in tidal conditions, not a river conditions, so being in an actual race scenario with river conditions, she learned a lot today and hopefully can elevate on that tomorrow. The guys feel confident now, pushing down the course at speed. They took care of business today, and now on the next."
Next for UC Irvine will be that D.S.R Laga crew which saw off Yale "B" earlier in the day. Four other US crews moved on with solid wins, so tomorrow will also feature the Georgetown Lights against Oxford Brookes "A" (a heavy favorite for the event over all), Drexel against University of London "A," and an all US showdown between the Yale Lights and Washington in what should be a cracker of a race just before lunch.
Bucknell, the Cal Freshmen and Santa Clara all went out today in the Temple, as did Los Gatos in the Wyfold 4- and the Brunswick, Brooks, and Groton Junior Men's Eights in the PE Cup. That last bit leaves the Stotes and SRAA champ, Woodrow Wilson HS, the lone American eight still in the running after day one; they get Norwich School tomorrow.
Blazer of the Day
How much thought did you put into the lining of your blazer? UC Irvine Anteaters for the win here:
Honorable mention for the best blazer-bold pants combo of the day to Bucknell.
Notes from the Course
Some Reassembly Required: Washington's top women's eight had a scary start to the week, when the crew ran into a pylon up at the start, shearing two riggers off their brand-new eight and shaking up the crew, one of who needed medical attention. The boat was put together again within hours, and it looked like the crew got out again at lunch-time today. They have until Friday to get sorted before their racing begins in the Remenham Cup.
"So, who do you have?" Match racing here lends itself to some great "let's compare notes" sessions amongst the coaches, particularly when talking about crews that are not meeting in the next round. Far from holding their cards tightly, you will hear coaches sharing the erg average of their boats, racing tips, and strategies-not something you see in multi-lane racing, or at regattas where all the fast crews are progressing to face a full field in a six-boat final.
Making the most of travel woes: From cancelled flights to passport delays, getting here has not been easy, but one crew made the most of their unexpected 24 hour layover: the Georgetown Lights, stuck for a day in Charlotte, North Carolina, when a delay caused them to miss their connecting flight, just went down to the local rowing club, borrowed an eight, and got that day's practice in along the way. So far, the Hoya's unplanned Charlotte training trip has paid dividends: they looked strong in the aforementioned headwind as they saw off Edinburgh "B" by 2 and a quarter lengths. (and added bonus: coach Matt Madigan was set to arrive a day later that the guys when his new passport did not show up in time, but the team's layover adventure meant they all arrived on the same day.)
It's all about the Brushing: coaches of some crews that went out with a loss on this first day were quick to point to how much great training and informal racing their were able to get it by "brushing" with other crews out on the course beforehand. Those informal races are sometimes the bulk of the racing a crew might do should they get a tough draw, and they are certainly the most fun.
The Locals Know Their Rowing: stating the obvious perhaps, here in the original "Row Town" but one coach heard maybe the best local critique ever of one crew at the pub the other night: "The puddles...they don't look proper."
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|