Here in the UK, we are no stranger to seeing US crews coming to race at Henley Royal Regatta. Indeed, it seems this interest continues to grow.
However, a new trend which is emerging is British crews heading over to Boston to take on the Head of the Charles (HOCR). This coming 59th edition of the race is set to see a bumper crop of British crews competing.
There are the likes of Windsor Boys’ School, sending two quads and a double, and St Paul’s School, sending an eight and a coxed four which is matched with an eight and coxed four from St Paul’s Girls. Continuing with the Juniors, there is an eight and coxed four from King’s College School, while Tideway Scullers has entered a women’s and men’s quad and a women’s and men’s double. Even outside of the Juniors, there are entries from Molesey Boat Club, Vesta, Tyrian (the University of London alumni club) and Blue Star.
One of the Clubs that is returning for a second consecutive year is Leander. For Leander, the draw of competing at HOCR is clear. HOCR possess one of, if not the, best opportunity for Leander and its top athletes to compete internationally at one of the premier rowing events and further boost the club’s brand globally. Leander, like many other top UK clubs, is constantly working to expand its ties abroad and an event such as HOCR, with hundreds of clubs and thousands of athletes attending, provides the perfect chance for a club to grow its image globally and expand its network outside of Europe.
For the athletes as well, the chance to be selected to go to Boston provides an excellent motivation to stay in condition over the summer and a chance to enjoy the experience of competing at one of the largest rowing regattas in the world, before the stress of preparing for November trials really starts to bite.
For us watching from home or those spectating from the riverbank, not only am I sure that HOCR will be a spectacular display of some of the best rowing, but also will be a chance to see some of the stars of the future perform.
It is likely that many of the athletes in the Leander eights will have their eyes set on Los Angeles 2028, while the juniors in the Windsor Boys’ School and St Paul’s School boats will almost certainly include some of the stars of tomorrow.
HOCR is a rare chance to see international standard crews such as the US national eights or the Danish national women’s eight be tested by top level club crews on a course which punishes any error and can throw up some eye-catching results.
As to whether this trend is set to continue, we can expect to see Leander return to HOCR for at least the next decade thanks to support from its new sponsor, the Colgan Foundation. St Paul’s School Boat Club also appears to be becoming a reasonably regular attendee and so I would expect these clubs to lead the way and spark growing interest from other British clubs.
It must also be said that for these crews a lot of gratitude must not only go to sponsors such as in the case of Leander and the Colgan Foundation, but also to the support often provided by friends and family as well as the great hospitality of hosting clubs such as Boston University.
With the growing quality of rowing in the UK, it is only right to see athletes having the chance to represent their clubs internationally at premier rowing events and I look forward not only to seeing how well the British crews get on this year but also to seeing many more British crews make the trip across the Atlantic in future years.
And who knows, maybe this British interest in the Head of the Charles might lead to some greater international interest in the Head of the River Races and a chance to race the best of Britain outside of the hallowed waters of Henley.
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