On October 23, two crews from Tabor Academy will head to the Charles River in Boston to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the largest two-day regatta in the world. The crews will face off against some of the best rowing schools and clubs in their divisions from across the country and around the world.
The Head of the Charles, now in its 52nd year, will host over 11,000 rowers and tens of thousands more spectators over the weekend. These rowers will represent over 800 schools, clubs, and national teams in 61 separate events.
This year, Tabor is entering a boat in the Men’s Youth Four (four rowers and a coxswain) and Women’s Youth Eight (eight rowers and a coxswain). While the men’s boat consists entirely of seniors, the women’s boat is comprised of sophomores through seniors. These two boats will compete against 85 other crews in their respective events. The Women’s Youth Eight event is set to start at 10:05 am, and the Men’s Youth Four Event is set to start at 11:33 am.
The course spans three miles down the Charles River, starting at Boston University’s DeWolfe Boathouse at the mouth of the Charles River Basin and finishing beyond Elliot Bridge near Allston. The course is infamous for the challenges it poses to crews with its six bridges and seven turns, the most notorious being the half-mile, 180-degree turn leading up to Elliot Bridge.
Crews race down the course in a time trial format, starting with a distance of two to three boat lengths (boats are 24 to 60 feet long, depending on the type of boat) between the crews. While the race is primarily against the clock, rowers work to overtake other crews as the race gets underway. The difficulty of the course leads to a frequency of crashes between boats as they jostle for position.
In recent years, Tabor Academy has not formally entered boats into the regatta. The last recorded win of the regatta by the school was in 1983 in the Men’s Youth Eight division, beating out other scholastic and collegiate teams – including Princeton and Harvard – by 30 seconds or more.
For most high school crews, rowing is primarily a spring sport, with sprint races (held over 1500 or 2000 meter courses) as the main competition. Because of the drastic differences in the lengths of the two types of races, training is very different between the two seasons.
“It’s much like training for a marathon instead of training for a single mile race. It’s much more endurance-oriented, both physically and mentally,” said senior Jon Mabie, a member of the Men’s Youth Four.
Even this year, fall rowing is not an official sport recognized by the school, and thus the training for HOCR was completed in addition to a primary sport or activity. Because of this, training was completed early in the mornings during the week and during the day on Sundays. On one occasion, both crews got the opportunity to row on the Charles to get a feel for the course before race day.
“Training as an independent program has been a learning experience and has certainly contributed to the mental aspect of rowing training that’s often harder than the physical side,” said Mabie.
With over 98 years of rowing history, Tabor rowing has a large base of alumni who have benefited from the program, many of whom have gone on to compete at collegiate, international, and Olympic levels. For these alums, Tabor’s presence at HOCR carries deep significance.
“I think for a lot of [the alumni], it means a lot that we as a program are still able to enter and compete in major regattas, and that we’re carrying the Tabor Rowing torch. I’m sure there will be a plethora of Tabor rowing alumni watching our races to see how we do, and to see that the expectations for excellence are the same as when they were rowing, literally, in our shoes,” said Jackson Hawkins, a senior in the Men’s Youth Four.
Tabor alumni of all ages will be competing in the regatta throughout this weekend. In addition, the banks of the Charles will be strewn with Tabor students, families, alumni, faculty, and supporters of the school and the rowing program. To unite these spectators and competitors, Tabor is establishing a fan tent in the Reunion Village, a meeting point at the halfway point of the course with one of the best views of the racing. The village, and the Tabor tent specifically, is open to anyone who wishes to stop by.
Even before the racing has begun, the rowers already have a sense for just how special the opportunity to race at HOCR is.
“Head of the Charles is one of those events you grow up hearing about in the Boston area but never think you could be a part of. So when Mr. Bentz told us we got a bid, I was thrilled to be a part of such an amazing Boston tradition,” said junior Piper Cole of the Women’s Youth Eight.
Mabie also feels strong sentiment for the event. “For me, rowing in HOCR is more than just competing, it’s a reflection of four years of hard work and dedication,” he said.
The regatta will be held October 22-23 and will be streamed via live webcast on hocr.org.
By Jack Gordon