Head of the Charles Regatta
The Head of the Charles Regatta (abbreviation HOCR ) is an annual long-distance rowing regatta held in October on the Charles River in Boston and Cambridge . According to the company, with around 11,000 participants and 400,000 spectators, it is the largest annual rowing regatta in the world.
history
In 1965, the Head of the Charles Regatta was created as a small training race in the vicinity of the Cambridge Boat Club (CBC) and the nearby Harvard University at the instigation of D'Arcy MacMahon, Howard McIntyre, Jack Vincent (all CBC) and Ernest Arlett (Harvard) . The head races in Great Britain, especially the Head of the River Race in London, were seen as role models . Since then, the regatta has been held annually in the second half of October, making it a two-day event in 1997. A regatta board of 15 people now heads the regatta organization, supported by four permanent employees at the CBC. The regatta name is meanwhile a registered trademark of the organizing rowing club.
Most of the regatta participants come from the US east coast. Many teams are registered by universities and rowing clubs, and the national rowing association US Rowing usually reports a few selection teams in the unrestricted boat classes ("championship"). About 10% of the boats reported come from abroad, some also from Europe.
Due to the scheduling in October, the regatta falls roughly in the season break of the international top rowers. In recent years, so-called “Great Eights” (for example: “extraordinary eights”) have been reported regularly, in which numerous top rowers from different nations row together once. In 2009, for example, most of the single rowers in the 2008 Olympic singles final sat together in a figure eight and, despite early boat damage , won the race well ahead of the competition. Members of this eighth were Iztok Čop , Olaf Tufte (who had to be replaced at short notice), Ondřej Synek , Mahé Drysdale , Tim Maeyens , Alan Campbell , Lassi Karonen and Marcel Hacker . In 2014, several “Great Eights” started for the 50th edition of the regatta: One made up of oar oars , another with scull oars , an international lightweight eighth and one in the women's race.
route
The regatta will be held upstream on the Charles River in the US state of Massachusetts. The city of Boston is on the south bank and the city of Cambridge on the north bank. The launch is flying in the amount of the boathouse of Boston University held while the target between the Eliot Bridge and Henderson Boat House of Northeastern University is located. Various bends and six bridges have to be passed over the distance of around 3 miles (around 4.8 kilometers):
- Railway bridge on the East Boston – Allston railway line
- River Street Bridge
- Western Avenue Bridge
- John W. Weeks Footbridge
- Anderson Memorial Bridge
- Eliot Bridge
The entrances to the arches of the bridge, some of which are curved, are a tricky task for helmsmen and rowers who work with the foot control .
format
The regatta is held as a so-called "head race", i.e. in pursuit mode. Every 15 seconds or so a team starts flying from the starting line. The starting order in each boat class is determined primarily based on the previous year's result, with the supposedly fastest teams starting first. Individual, potentially strong teams can be placed on good, low starting positions by the regatta organizer even without the previous year's result. Overtaking on both sides is permitted on the regatta course, provided that the traffic and route situation permit. In principle, some time is lost.
Due to the high number of participants of around 10,000 rowers per year, the races take place closely over both days of the regatta weekend. The first start takes place around 8 a.m. and races run until around 5 p.m. in the afternoon. With a few exceptions, participants are only allowed to take part in one race of the regatta and not, as usual, register several races.
Ratings
A total of 55 general races are currently held at the Head of the Charles Regatta, which are supplemented by 5 other functionary classes. However, all races are held in relatively few boat classes: scullers can start in single or double sculls, while oars with oars can start in four with a helmsman or in eight . In addition, uncontrolled quad sculls are used in the official races. The background to the use of large steered boats is the curvy and narrow bridge crossings riddled competition course on the Charles River.
Different races are advertised for all boat classes, whereby the start authorization is linked to different criteria. There are various class races for master rowers (from 40 to over 70 years), university teams, club teams, alumni teams, youth teams, lightweights and in the unlimited classes. This is known as the "Championship" and has the highest prestige, especially the single and eighth. The organizer will keep a list of course records for all classes.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b About HOCR. (No longer available online.) Head of the Charles Regatta, archived from the original on October 13, 2014 ; accessed on October 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Elizabeth Gehrman: Head of the Charles Regatta: By the numbers. The Boston Globe , October 12, 2014, accessed October 16, 2014 .
- ↑ Our History. (No longer available online.) Head of the Charles Regatta, archived from the original on October 19, 2014 ; accessed on October 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Jim Connelly: "Great Eight" to Make Its Way to Boston for 2009 Head Of The Charles Regatta. www.row2k.com, September 23, 2009, accessed October 16, 2014 (English).
- ^ Matthew MacCormack: HOCR 2014 Men's Great Eights. www.row2k.com, October 10, 2014, accessed on October 16, 2014 (English).
- ↑ Emily McCarthy: HOCR 2014 Women's Great Eights. www.row2k.com, October 10, 2014, accessed on October 16, 2014 (English).
- ^ Race Course. (No longer available online.) Head of the Charles Regatta, archived from the original on October 20, 2014 ; accessed on October 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Starting Procedures. (No longer available online.) Head of the Charles Regatta, archived from the original on October 20, 2014 ; accessed on October 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b 50th Head Of The Charles (race list). Retrieved October 16, 2014 .
- ^ Course Records. (No longer available online.) Head of the Charles Regatta, archived from the original on October 18, 2014 ; accessed on October 16, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
