Boston's largest and most popular outdoor party is next weekend, at the 44th annual Head Of The Charles Regatta! Boston and Cambridge claim bragging rights as co-hosts of the world's largest rowing regatta, as more than 8,400 athletes, in nearly 1,800 boats representing 600 universities, schools and rowing clubs from all over the globe will be racing against the clock under seven bridges that span over the meandering three-miles of the legendary Charles River.
There will be a few small changes at the 44th Regatta...
COLOR CODED BOW NUMBERS
With approximately 1,792 boats slated to row throughout 57 events, it can be difficult for observers to know which event is racing on at any given moment at the Regatta. Enter HOCR's Start Committee co-chair and scheduling guru, John Romain-and his trusty "Thinking Team" of Regatta visionaries-who thought about, researched, studied and tested various ways for observers to best understand which event is underway throughout the entire weekend.
The solution: colors! On each bow number placard this year, there will be six different colors rotating throughout Regatta weekend. The 2008 Head Of The Charles official program will list all events and representative color. If people can't figure out the bow number color scheme, at least the boats will look prettier on the river.
NO SATURDAY& SUNDAY PRACTICES ALLOWED
Due to the overwhelmingly high volume of rowers, there are practice restrictions that all participants must observe. The Charles River is open this upcoming week for practice until Friday October 17th at 6:00 PM SHARP, when all boats MUST be off the water; accordingly, no boats will be permitted to launch after 5:30 PM on Friday. On Saturday morning (10/18), before racing, only Singles, Doubles, and Quads are allowed to practice on the course and all boats must be off the water by 7:30 AM. On Saturday evening, October 18th, there is absolutely no practice allowed. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. Ditto for Sunday morning. This is for the safety of everyone during Regatta weekend.
2008 HOCR COXSWAIN CLINICS & RIVER TOUR AVAILABLE
Navigating along the narrow serpentine Charles River is one of the most demanding and challenging courses for coxswains of all abilities. The Head Of The Charles Regatta offers three coxswain clinics presented by Yaz Farooq, World Champion and eight-time U.S. National Team cox; John Lambert, chief of the Rules and Appeals Committee; and Tom Tiffany, former HOCR Race Operations Co-Chair. There is also a river tour on Saturday for coxswains and coaches.
It is strongly recommended that coxswains, coaches and rowers-regardless of coxing experience-attend an HOCR coxing clinics. Coxswains will be equipped with information, tools and techniques that will improve their performance on the illustrious racecourse. Presentations will include video examples taken from the point of view of the coxswain's seat. Maps will be provided to guide and explain the challenging scenarios on the racecourse.
While navigating the legendary racecourse is difficult, the Regatta makes attending the coxing clinics and river tour easy!
No pre-registration is required, just show up 20-minutes prior to each event at the designated location. Clinics and tours are first come, first served and only cash will be accepted.
Schedule:
2:00 PM
Cox & Coach River Tour
Departs from Harvard's Newell Boathouse (map)
Returns to FALS; all participants will disembark at the Finish Area Launch Site (NOT Newell Boathouse!).
Preference will be given to novice coxswains, if the tour is over capacity
Cost: $5 per person (free to clinic attendees).
Saturday, October 18th
8:00 AM
"How to Cox the Perfect Head Race" (no river tour)
Led by Yaz Farooq
at Nichols Athletic Center Tennis Courts
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School (map)
80 Gerrys Landing Road
Cambridge MA (across from Cambridge Boat Club)
Cost $15 per person
4:00 PM
"Cutting it Close" (no river tour)
Led by Tom Tiffany
at Nichols Athletic Center Tennis Courts
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School (map)
80 Gerrys Landing Road
Cambridge MA (across from Cambridge Boat Club)
Cost: $15 per person
More info on the Coxswain Clinic can be found at hocr.org
ROWING AND FITNESS EXPO
The Rowing & Fitness Expo tent is located at the Finishing Area Launch Site (FALS) near Herter Park in Brighton. Check out a variety of rowing-related merchandise and apparel-including official Head Of The Charles programs, posters and clothing. Food and beverage vendors will be located nearby to satisfy your cravings for hot sandwiches, warm apple cider and tasty clam chowder. The HOCR Info Center can answer most questions inside the EXPO's "Big Top" tent.
REUNION VILLAGE
The Head Of The Charles Reunion Village is in its 6th year, growing ever more popular year after year for good reasons. The Village provides a centralized gathering place for people to meet with friends and family along the three-mile course. Located on the Boston-side of the Charles River, adjacent to the Weeks Footbridge, the Village is positioned at the halfway point in the races and is hailed to be one of the best viewing sites on the river. Reunion Village will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am-4:00pm. There is a modest entry fee of $1 per person per day, which will be donated to HOCR's Official Charities.
Andaluc?a Sports Bureau, ChaCha.com and others are sponsors of this year's Reunion Village. For a list of Reunion Village hosts and other highlights, go to http://www.hocr.org/2008HOCR/rv.asp.
WELD EXHIBITION AREA
The Weld Exhibition Area is located near Radcliffe's Weld Boathouse (between the Weeks and Lars Anderson Bridges) with an excellent view of the halfway point of the race. It's one of the most popular places at the Regatta to score free samples from Regatta sponsors and vendors. It's in close proximity to Harvard Square, so it's a quick 7-minute walk from/to the MBTA Red Line stop.
The HOCR Information Center will be at Weld, where you can get all sorts of info on events and venues, buy official Regatta programs and merchandise, and find real-time race results.
NO ROW-A-PALOOZA OR PASTA PARTY THIS YEAR
Sadly, there will be no Row-A-Palooza or Pasta Party this year. During these difficult financial times, the Regatta is being fiscally prudent and needed to cut these venues for now. On the bright side, there will be more quiet and fewer carbs this year.
DIRECTORS' CHALLENGE
Two New Doubles Events
Since its inception in 2005, the Directors' Challenge [link:] http://row2k.com/hocr/features.cfm?ID=686 has been a spectacular success for the Regatta. In the past three years 136 Quads have rowed the formidable curvilinear course, with their entry fees contributing to HOCR's permanent endowment to support the longevity of one of the greatest outdoor festivals in the country.
In addition to the three Quad events, there are two new "special" Doubles events added on Saturday. A Mixed Doubles event is for buddies, spouses, and significant others to row together. A Parent/Child Doubles event-colloquially dubbed the "DNA Race"-has also been added, which offers a rare opportunity for family members to compete in a world-class event. For rowing aficionados, the Parent/Child Doubles will surely be a "who's who" event to watch.
Want to know even more about the 44th Head Of The Charles Regatta? Go to www.hocr.org.
Comments | Log in to comment |
There are no Comments yet
|