Head Of The Charles (HOCR) has to be the most iconic head race on the calendar. This world-renowned regatta was first held in 1965 and consists of a three-mile-long course (approximately 5km) in Boston, Massachusetts. In the Women’s Youth Eights category, there are no less than 89 crews competing, which promises for some tight and exciting racing.
Greenwich Crew
Greenwich Crew have had lots of success in eights racing in recent years. This summer, they placed second at Youth Nationals in the first eights (1V) and second and third in the second eights (2V), showing the strength and depth they have in their squad. They also had three athletes competing at the Junior World Championships, two of them were in the US eight that won gold. This year, they have entered two eights into HOCR, starting first and eighth. As such, I’m expecting them to be fighting for the win.
Marin Rowing Association
Marin are going off second at this year’s HOCR and will certainly be quick. At the 2022 Youth Nationals, they won the 2V, the U16 8+ and placed sixth in the 1V after leading at 1000m but then, unfortunately, caught a crab, dropping them through the field. They also had representatives at the Junior World Championships this summer and will be looking to contest the win this weekend.
RowAmerica Rye
RowAmerica Rye are another renowned rowing club. They placed third in the 1V, fourth in the 2V, won the U17 8+ and came second in the U16 8+ at Youth Nationals. Putting out four successful eights shows just how strong their squad is and it will be interesting to see if they can continue the trend this year.
Saugatuck Rowing Club
Saugatuck will be going off fourth and sixth this year and will be looking to post fast times. Having two eights starting in the top six at such a prestigious regatta is certainly very impressive. They had a slightly less successful Youth Nationals than the aforementioned crews, reaching the B Finals in the 1V and 2V, but they did win the U17 4+ and came third in the U17 8+. The results in the U17 events suggest that they are quick but the step up from U17 to U19 can be quite challenging so it will be interesting to see how they fare.
Other Entries
The other crews starting in the top ten are Newport Aquatic Centre, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Princeton National Rowing Association(PNRA)/Mercer and Atlanta Junior Rowing Association. These crews could also challenge for the win and I’m sure there will be many upsets and surprises in the field, simply due to the sheer number of entries.
Prediction
It is perhaps too early in the season to know how fast crews are going to be, especially as many of their seniors graduated in the summer. One thing is for certain though, the US have a great pedigree in Youth Eights – they won the last two U19 world titles. This year’s victorious eight was made up of athletes from seven different clubs, showing just how competitive junior rowing is. At a push, I’d say the winner will likely come from Greenwich, Marin or RowAmerica Rye but it will definitely be close and is certainly one not to miss.
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