Regattas
When you are watching a race, The crew that’s making it look easy is most likely the one doing the best job. Look for a continuous, fluid motion from the rowers, synchronization in the boat, clean catches (oars entering the water with little splash), and the boat with the most consistent speed.
NEW PARENTS: Get to the regatta early and ask one of the upperclassman parents explain the routine. The more you know about the regatta, the more interesting it will be. This is not an especially spectator-friendly sport.
- Racing categories - Sex, age and weight. Events are offered for men and women, as well as for mixed crews containing an equal number of men and women. There are junior events for rowers 18 or under or who spent the previous year in high school, and there are masters events for rowers 27 and older. There are two weight categories: lightweight and open weight.
- Course - A straight race course for rowers that normally has 4-6 lanes. In high school, the course length is 1500 meters. In college and Olympic events, the course length is 2000 meters/2 kilometers/‘2k’.
- Stakeboat - Boat that holds the shell in a race so all crews on the starting line have same and equal start.
- Betting shirts - Tradition has it that the winning boat of a regatta recieves the shirts of the losing crews. (Applies to college, club and national teams.)