Regattas AKA Races

The fall and spring seasons offer completely different experiences regarding races. During fall, rowers are getting back into shape, and there are only a few regattas or races. The two main regattas that take place every fall are Head of the Hooch, and Fall Fira. In rowing, they refer to many regattas as Head of the (river name). Head of the Hooch was in Chattanooga, Tennessee and hosted schools from all over the country. This race is more of a mini-nationals, proceeding the major race in Chattanooga that takes place in spring. Fall Fira was held in Fellsmere, Florida and there were only 5 schools participating, all from Florida. These two races are head races, which means that there is a staggered start, and each boat is timed separately. At the end of the races, the boats with the fastest times win. These races aren't as competitive because the rowers are can never be sure how they're doing unless a boat passes them, or they pass another boat. During fall, the races are longer and focus more on endurance. They are usually 3k or 5k long, which takes anywhere 12-15 minutes for the 3k, and 20-30 for the 5k.

The spring season is a whole new atmosphere for rowers. There are more races, shorter races, and less time to train for competition. In comparison with fall, there are 4 regattas instead of just 2. The Mayors Cup in Tampa, (Spring) Fira in Fellsmere, SIRA in Tennessee, and Stetson Sprints in Deland. Each regatta is 2k long, categorized as a sprint race. The boats are all lined up next to each other at the starting line, and all begin the race at the same time. These regattas are exceedingly more competitive and thrilling for the rowers. All of the boats are neck and neck until the finish line, and the schools know exactly how well they performed as soon as the race is over. The sprint races only take around 8 minutes each.