By Adriana Yarkin, Copy Editor
Since 1965, rowers and spectators from around the world have gathered at the Charles River in Boston on the penultimate weekend of October. This year, eight students from VHS as well as two students from McMurray Middle School traveled to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR).
The boys quad, which included senior Seth Rosen, juniors Rohin Petram and Cooper Py, sophomore Oz Hichens and their coxswain, McMurray seventh-grader Hayden Rosen, placed ninth out of 32. The girls quad, made up of senior Emma Greenlee, juniors Ruta Milewski and Mabel Moses, sophomore Olivia White and their coxswain, McMurray eighth-grader Alex Ryan, placed 15th out of 31 — the minimum post needed to be invited back in 2018.
The HOCR is the largest two-day regatta in the world, with over 11,000 rowers representing 716 rowing clubs from around the world, primarily from the United States and Canada.
There are 56 separate races which take place on a single 3-mile (4800-meter) course. The races are timed, and the boats start 15 seconds apart.
“The most exhilarating part of the race was the first thousand meters … it was the only time we overtook someone,” sophomore Oz Hichens said.
Boats can only overtake each other during certain parts of the race due to safety reasons, as the course is overpassed by bridges in six locations.
The girls quad started 18th in their lineup. They managed to pass three boats, but were passed by one.
Even though they were entered in junior races, which meant that they were racing other high school aged students, the Vashon crews noted that they were racing much larger people than themselves.
“The girls that we were racing against were huge,” senior Emma Greenlee said. “They were over 6-foot — it was insane. They were the biggest girls I’ve ever [freaking] seen.”
This makes sense in part because the Vashon girls that went were lightweights — the rowing weight class for teams with rowers under 130 pounds for girls and 150 pounds for boys.
Though the boys were not competing in a higher weight class, they found the same ratio to be at play between themselves and the size of their opponents.
“There was a boat with just full beards — everyone in that boat had a beard,” senior Seth Rosen said.
The boys’ victory was notable not only because the race consisted of faster opponents than last year, but also because they finished two places higher, making them the fourth-fastest American crew in their race.
Every year, the boats that finish in the top half of the previous year’s race are invited back. Other boats who wish to compete, regardless of having raced at HOCR in the past or not, enter a lottery — their invitation is selected at random.
The boys quad was invited back this year due to their placing last year, while the Vashon Island Rowing Club (VIRC) obtained an entry for a girls quad by entering the lottery.
Seats in each boat were selected competitively. Obtaining one of the top two fastest ergometer times earned a rower a guaranteed place, while the other two seats were decided based on a process called seat racing.
In a seat race, rowers race each other in a number of boat combinations to determine who is the fastest individually.
“Seat racing is an arduous process that is very competitive and stressful,” Hichens said.
In Boston, VIRC rented a brand-new size 2 racing shell — a size made for heavyweight girls — which was shared by both the boys and the girls.
The team was accompanied by coach Richard Parr, as well as parent chaperones Summer Rosen, Jordan Petram and Joanne Ryan.
“Summer did all of the coordination,” Hichens said. “Without her, we would have been stuck at SeaTac without a flight or anything.”
The team left on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 18, and returned late the following Sunday night, Oct. 22.
“We’re really, really proud of how we did,” Greenlee said.
Thanks to this year’s results, VIRC has a guaranteed entry for both a boys and a girls quad next year.