What the heck is a regatta?

In the sport of rowing, a regatta is a day- or weekend-long competition between boats of like-skill/experience levels. In the fall, the course is longer (5k) and the boats are released from the start at 30-second intervals – this is known as a “head race.” In the spring the course is shorter (2-3k) and boats in each event start at the same time – this is known as a “sprint race.”

My husband and I have been blessed with children who have participated in a couple of high school activities (swimming, robotics, rowing,) so we understand that every sport or activity has its own unique competition idiosyncrasies. Here’s a few you find at a regatta: 

1.       Sun up to sun down.  Regattas always start at early-o’clock, so we are in the car and on our way at o’dark hundred. We arrive at the body of water in pitch darkness. We proceed to stumble through the darkness past buses and carloads of rowers and supply-toting parents, tripping over 50 foot long boats and trailers full of cooking equipment. It is a sea of iphone flashlight apps bouncing across wet, soggy grass in search of team tents.

2.       A Humpty-Dumpty of sports. At the end of the last practice prior to the regatta, rowers disassemble all of their boats – singles, doubles, fours and eights. They remove hundreds of bolts, washers and screws that secure the riggers. They load these boats onto the boat trailer, painstakingly securing the boats with dozens of straps. At the regatta venue, at o’dark hundred and in the pitch dark, the rowers then unload and reassemble the boats. Some teams actually bring generators and flood lights to help their rowers during this critical task – but many work in complete darkness.

3.       Mother Nature is in charge. Out on the water, rowers are dealing with currents, course markers, local water obstructions and the elements (rain, wind, temperature), but an unexpected challenge are the recreational water enthusiasts who may or may not embrace the usage of their favorite fishing spot for a day of boat races. We’ve had boats run into each other, lane markers and cement buoys, they’ve been taunted by jet skiers and they’ve been stuck on the water for hours in freezing cold temperatures due to a poorly run regatta.

4.       Iron Chef on the river. Picture most large bodies of water in Michigan and Ohio – in a word, isolated. It’s often miles and miles to the nearest food source. In response to this challenge, rowing parents quite literally build a kitchen at each regatta. (I’m not going to point out that the construction of the kitchen is in complete darkness, because you’ve already figured this out.) Teams bring entire trailers filled with grills, chafing dishes, dishwashing stations, serving bowls and utensils and even the means of boiling water. We provide breakfast, snacks and lunch for sometimes as many as 100 people – all including hot food choices and, of course, hot coffee. The rowers have a tent where they hang out when not competing or supporting their team, and connected to that is Food Central.

Here’s what I love about regattas: our rowers are learning to be responsible, to take initiative and to think outside the box. It is the rowers who ensure that their boats are taken apart and put back together efficiently and competently. It is the rowers who support their teammates by carrying the oars and other equipment to and from the dock for each event. It is the rowers who are on the water alone – in times of challenge and crises – having to think for themselves, in order to keep the boat and themselves safe.

Up next week: What’s it like in that boat?