Head of the Hooch

​One of the biggest regattas in North America, yesterday was my first time attending the Head of the Hooch!  There were over 2,000 boats competing from all over the US, and even a boat from Serbia! 

​The day started out really early, leaving the house at around 2:30am and making it to Chattanooga before 6.  My mom and I walked around the venue, searching amongst hundreds of boats, until we found our team's trailer.  

​We were the first to arrive, but once more people had arrived, we unloaded and rigged the eight.  Then, after buying a T-shirt, my Mami and I went over to the aquarium to spend some time before my race! 

​One of the first exhibits was the butterfly room, where there were a few different species and a sections with cocoons and recently emerged butterflies too!  

​Here's a really nice picture of a few orchids that my Mami took!  

​And here's one of the smaller butterflies. 

​There were also penguins, and although I'm not happy with how small their enclosure was, it doesn't change the fact that they are adorable!  The jellyfish were also really pretty, and I especially loved when the lights turned bright blue or purple! 

​One of the last animals that we saw at the aquarium were the alligators!  They're really powerful creatures, but when they're relaxed like this, they're also really cute and gentle-looking!  

​When we were done seeing everything at the aquarium, I went to look for Laney over at the benches.  I almost missed her, but luckily I noticed her blue "Row Huntsville" hoodie, so we watched the guys' eight come in together.  After waiting for a few hours, it was time for us to get ready for our race!

This is me...

...and this is Laney! 

​2 of our teammates would also be participating in the race with us; Ally...

...and Hayden.

​The ramp down to the docks was a bit steep, so getting down there with the boat was a bit challenging (for me at least). 

​The dock was really busy too! 

​After getting everything set...

​...we were ready to race! 

​It was an exhausting day, and even though we didn't rank as high as we would have liked, I still think that we did pretty good.  

​Allie and Hayden came in before us.  They did a lot better, and managed to place 26th place out of the 48 boats that actually raced, while Laney and I finished 45th.   

​This was our final race of the season, and I had a lot of fun this past weekend!  Next up is our winter training, so we'll be ready for Spring!