Schools’ Head of the River race is a tad different from your normal 2000 meter race. This regatta runs on a time trial basis over the course of 4.5 miles through a curvy course on the Thames river. There are bridges and hazards along the way, ensuring that this race will be as much a test of the coxswains’ abilities as it is a test of the rowers’ strength and endurance. The J15 8s race has a total of 11 entries from 11 different schools. Here is a preview of a few of the boats which are expected to perform well in the upcoming regatta:
Wallingford Rowing Club (WRC):
The Wallingford Rowing Club has a proven record of racing in eights At the Marlow Town Regatta of 2021, they placed second in the J15 8+ section, right after Sir W Borlase’s GS Boat Club. Similarly, at the Wallingford Head of the River, their namesakes placed third, with a time of 17:01.6 on the approximately 4000-meter course in the J15 8+. This was just one second behind the second place, and about 15 seconds behind the first place – not a lot when considering the lengthy seventeen-minute race. Of all of the crews in this race, it appears Wallingford are in a great place when it comes to long-distance racing experience in the 8+.
King’s College School (KCS):
To get a sense of the possible performance parameters of this KCS unit, we have to look no further back than the Hampton Fours and Eights Head just a few weeks ago, where they put up a time of 8:56.58 in the J15 8+ section over the approximately 3000-meter time trial course. This was a very impressive time, especially considering the age of these young rowers. This time put them ahead of the other thirteen boats, and ten seconds ahead of the next time of 9:06.60. Though the course at the Schools Head will be about twice as long, their impressive sub-1:30 pace is a good indicator that they will be competitive in the upcoming race.
St. Paul’s School (SPS):
 The boat club of St. Paul’s School stands alongside King’s College in its potential to dominate the Schools’ Head of the River race. In the first heat of the 2021 Schools Head J15 8+ race, they placed third, 20 seconds behind King’s College School in first. In the second heat, they placed fourth, less than 20 seconds behind King’s College School. Though this was a shortened “virtual” course, its clear that these two schools are neck and neck when it comes to this discipline, and we should expect a similar result this year.
Prediction:
While every club on the list certainly has their strength, King’s College School’s record stands alone when it comes to times and experience. Their sub-9 minute time at the Hampton Fours and Eights Head, as well as their win in this event at the School’s Head for the last two years, makes them the front runner in this race.
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