UVA Opens Fall Season at the Head of the Charles
| 53rd Head of the Charles | |
| Date/Time | Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 21-22, 2017 |
| Location | Boston, Mass. | Charles River |
| Multimedia/Game Info | Head of the Charles Website | Live Webcast |
| Additional Information | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
Oct. 20, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia rowing team opens its fall season at the world’s largest regatta, the Head of the Charles, in Boston on Sunday (Oct. 22).
The 53rd edition of the Head of the Charles will feature 2,281 crews and 10,551 athletes representing 28 countries in 62 events. The HOCR drew more than 400,000 spectators over two days last year.
The Cavaliers will have two boats competing in the Championship Eights race, which is scheduled to begin at 2:22 p.m.
Virginia’s Varsity Eight finished fourth among collegiate boats in the Championships Eights at last year’s HOCR. The Cavaliers were the top collegiate boat in the event for four consecutive years from 2011-14.
The Head of the Charles course is 5,000 meters along the Charles River, featuring seven bridges, multiple turns and passing in a head-race format. In head races, each crew starts single file about 10-15 seconds apart and the results are based on time. All three of the Cavaliers’ fall regattas follow this format, which differs from the spring season, where boats line up side-by-side and race down a straight 2,000-meter course.
On Saturday, 18 Cavalier alums, including Christine Roper (2011), Susanne Grainger (2013), Kristine O’Brien (2013), Erin Briggs (2017), Georgia Ratcliff (2017), Sam Casto (2016) and Colette Lucas-Conwell (2017), will comprise two boats that will compete in the Women’s Alumni Eights.
The Cavaliers continue their fall season at the Princeton Chase in Princeton, N.J., on Sunday, Oct. 29.