Photo by Janit Stahl
by Janit Stahl
On October 11, The Head of the Connecticut 2009 was what is has been in the past three years: nice weather, a plethora of high school crews, attentive race management...and almost a complete absence of collegiate crews. Overall registrations were up 25%, there was a skilled referee team, safety boats everywhere (Rowing News was a guest on the United States Coast Guard boat), and the HarborPark of Middletown, CT provided a pleasant landside venue.
To Collegiate Crew Coaches
The fact is it may take a long time to forgive what happened in 2005. Let’s just get it out there: it was a mess.
Many rowers ended up in the water: (One boat due to poor judgment, others due to poor weather and water conditions); the ones who did not end up in the water were close to hypothermic when they were waiting for their race to start in the cold wind and spray; the races times were dreadfully slow. It was an endurance test of spirit and body, and everyone, particularly the current regatta committee, still wince they talk about it.
Here are some facts that may help folks understand what happened, as the fallout from that day has been a cloak over their otherwise sunny event.
First: the rain from the week prior to the race had been near-record. Water from a heavy rain takes a few days to hit peak levels in bodies of water. Guess what day that ended up to be? “The water did something we didn’t previously see it do, which was rise 5 feet during the day,” said Jeremy Sholovitz, regatta director of the Head of the Connecticut. “There was a normal water level but higher flow rates earlier in the day, but it rose progressively during the day.”
Second: they did not have a lot of rowers helping to run a regatta. “With enough experience, weather related events can be mitigated with marshals and proper preparation,” adds Sholovitz. So the regatta committee prepared. With the 2006 race off the calendar, the regatta committee, which was at the time made up mostly of members of the Middletown Lions Club (a local community service group) went back to the basics for 2007. They enlisted the help of the Norwalk River Rowing Club (folks like Jim Cooper and Charles Huthmaker) and the Head of the Connecticut was on course again--including changing the course for safe passing of boats rowing to the start, and cabled buoy lines.
Now, with a few successful years in the books the regatta committee feels there is one missing piece, and that is the presence of collegiate crews. But collegiate crew coaches must be like elephants, as they have not forgotten, and have not shown up.
History
The Head of the Connecticut started in 1974 by a random group of local rowers, unincorporated but deeply involved in the sport. Within a few years, the Head of the Connecticut was one of the “big three” of the fall: Head of the Connecticut, Head of the Charles, and Head of the Schuylkill. In the late eighties and early nineties, the race used the Cromwell launch area as back up. Truthfully, there is only so much traffic that can move on the docks in front of the current Wesleyan boathouse. Regatta materials used to be picked up at the Wesleyan campus, and that crew was involved in supporting the event (and is again). There is more to the history than this, but the 2009 regatta is what we are getting at, and the fact is: It was an established regatta with a dedicated following, but everyone knew the water could act up. And it did.
Fr. Mike Siconolfi (AKA "Father Mike"), chief refereee since 2007,says "it takes about 8 years to recover from a disaster," and so they are waiting and putting on the regatta, improving it every year and listening to the rowing public (this witnessed by Rowing News, as Fr.Sinconolfi listened to complaints about volunteers not staging boats for launch access in proper order--this was fixed). To decrease the chance of problems with boats in rough water, they eliminated novice categories, leaving the decision to coaches if they think their novices can handle the conditions while racing as a JV team.
Racing Sunday
The day went fast, with the Masters Men's single as one of the most competitive races of the day. Phillip Brackett, a Wesleyan Alum, came out on top in raw time and with the handicap, with Thomas Lowe from Riverside close behind and Tom Sanford of Stonington Sculls, digging the handicap, at third. In fact, fourth place finisher Steve Gurney from New Haven Rowing Club also benefited from the masters handicap.( Steve is 76) Youngster Thomas Stottleyer from Mystic River Rowing, 42, did not have a chance with the veterans in his race. With the third-fastest raw time time, he ended up 8th.
The fastest time down the course on the day honors went to East Lyme Rowing in the Men's Varsity High School Eight, they were followed by Chaminade HS and Brunswick School, 15.05 and 15.12 respectively. Twenty-three crews competed in this event, the first 10 within 30 seconds of each other, making some of the racing close as they entered the final 750 meters, close the the HarborPark viewing area, numerous team tents, and the restaurant that served as regatta control center.
In the Women's HS varsity 8, the field was more spread out, with Simsbury High School and Manhassett High School one-two with just 10 seconds apart, Greenwich Crew and St. Anthony's Crew 20 seconds back. Simsbury is in warm-up mode for the Charles; good to follow these races, as the best of the many crews Rowing News has seen in recent weeks funnel into chutes on the Charles.
In the HS fours, the Men's win went to the Gunnery School with Choate Rosemary Hall and Riverfront Recapture within seconds behind them--this could have been anyone's race. The Gunnery... do they practice in fours? The women's four came up with a third place, within seconds of Greenwich Academy and Convent of the Sacred Heart, who were within three-tenths of a second of each other. Very tight racing for a head race, and all three teams should have left there feeling like they rowed a great race--their times were competitive with several of the eights.
There is more racing, and more pictures to come on facebook, twitter and of course rowingnews.com. Thanks to all at the Head of the Connecticut. Collegiate coaches...time to give this race a try?
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