The Last of the Great Fall Regattas: Hooch 2023

The Head of the Hooch is well known for being the "Last of the Great Fall Regattas."  It's a huge rowing event with teams from all over the US, and even some international teams, coming to compete.  It's the highlight of my team's fall racing season, and an honestly super fun regatta to attend!  For me, personally, it would also be really busy.  I would be competing in 4 events over the weekend, including my first single, and being a team captain, I'd also have to be ready to assist if anyone needed my help! 

Following the two other regattas that I'd competed in this past fall, my team, as usual, unloaded the trailer and had a team meeting to discuss plans and expectations for the Hooch.  That was when my coach told us that she had two singles registered: a U17 and a U19 single.  For the U19 boat, there were two of us that she was considering, but I wanted to row it and my other teammate didn't, so it went to me! 

I'd only ever been in this type of boat 3 times before.  Once was just an easy practice as the first time in a single, another time was at the summer ODP camp that I attended, and then a semi-private lesson with my coach once I returned.  Nevertheless, all 3 times were easy practices at a slow pace just to get a feel of the boat.  I was nervous about actually racing at the higher ratings. 

So, with very little practice in a single, I arrived at the regatta venue the Friday before the race to get some extra practice on the racecourse.  Once I arrived, I rigged my boat and my Coach let me go out for a while. 

That was a new experience!  It was my 4th time in a single, and I was out on the water by myself.  Of course, there were officials out on the water for safety, but no coach in the launch next to me, and no other rower in the boat.  It was just me.  The row up to the starting line was really slow and I was convinced that I was going to flip several times!  It doesn't help that the rigger was a little loose (I didn't rig it properly, but fortunately it was fixed before the actual race), so with every stroke I thought that it was going to pop off and I'd go swimming!  Anyways, I got to the starting line, waited a few minutes, and started rowing back down the river.  It was tough, but I managed to make it back safe and dry, and I got to spend some time at higher ratings, so I felt more prepared for the actual race.     

After getting everything set for a weekend of racing, my family and I had dinner at Cashew, a great vegan restaurant in Chattanooga, and then went to our hotel room to rest before the regatta! 

Me rigging with my sister keeping me company

There have been some regattas where's we'd have to wake up extremely early to get ready.  For most of them, we'd get there while it's still dark! Fortunately, the first event for my team wasn't until after 10am, so it wasn't too early when we had to get there.  That event would be the women's U19 doubles... the first of my races. 

It's also the race that I was looking forward to the most.  Our double had been doing well that season, both at practice and at the previous regattas, and we'd both been working really hard to become stronger and faster! 

I was happy that this lineup would be the first one out, since it would be a great way to start the regatta and would allow us to give it 100% without being tired. 

It's been a while since the regatta (November 4th and 5th), so I don't quite remember all of the details, but I do remember that this was definitely our best race yet together! 

Since the wind wasn't against us the entire time, like it had been all through the earlier part of the season, we were able to really drive!  We also swapped positions in the boat, so I would stroke, and my double partner would be bow, a position that she prefers and could get extra power in!  Our oars did hit two buoys, but we recovered quickly and took a "power 10" immediately afterwards and kept going!  I also don't think that any boats were able to pass us, so that's always good! 

And the results of that race had us placing 40th of 69!  The Hooch is always a tough race, so I was quite happy with our results! 

I'm stroke-seat (blue visor)

Back on dry land, we had a few hours to rest, have lunch, help out with the other boats, and simply enjoy the regatta.  My next event of the day was the women's U19 four.  Both my double partner and I would be competing in it, and I'd be stroking this boat as well. 

Fours are "sweep boats," where each rower is either on the "starboard" or "port" side, and they're one of the hardest boats to balance.  I'm usually a starboard rower, but this time I'd be port.  At practice, our boat did best when I was stroking and my double partner was in the middle pair, where she could really get some power in.  It was a bit of an adjustment for me, but I wanted a fast boat, even if it meant working harder, so I accepted my spot on the port side.   

There were some obstacles though, as we hadn't had much practice, but we still came out 46th of 53. 

After that event, I helped out at the trailer with putting away equipment and getting everything set for the night.  The next day of racing would start earlier, and for me, it started with my single race, which I was both nervous and excited for!

That next day, Sunday, November 5th, my race would be just before 9am, but I'd have to set out an hour earlier and arrive at the venue before then to get ready and warm up. 

I was already really anxious, so I truly needed that extra bit of time to get set!

It was pretty chilly too and being my first time racing a double and with me having so little experience even being in one, my Mami and I thought that it would be best to have layers that would be easy to remove out on the water.  So, I borrowed my dad's jacket since it had a zipper rather than my hoodie.  So that the oars wouldn't get stuck in the pockets, as has happened at practice, I turned the jacket so that the back faced the front.  Fortunately, Mami noticed that that would make it harder to take off, considering that the zipper was now on my back.  So, I had to turn it inside out, so that neither of those two factors would be an issue!

I'm not lying when I said that I was nervous heading out.  Walking my boat down to the dock I actually started crying a bit and felt like throwing up.  I've rowed in a lot of races since I picked up the sport in 2021 and raced at my first regatta at Music City, but the single felt really intimidating.  But I don't want to be considered a quitter, and I didn't want to regret anything later on, so I went out anyways, and I was determined to do my best!   

I quickly realized that even being inside-out, the jacket would still be a problem.  The oars weren't getting stuck in pockets or anything, but it was just too long!  The bottom part of the jacket would continuously get stuck in the tracks underneath the seat and that was a major issue!  To fix that, I had to take the jacket off while out on the water, and I was terrified that I was going to flip trying!  It was a tricky balancing act, but I survived, and with that over with, I continued my row upstream.  

My goals for that race:
DON'T FLIP!
Finish the race
Don't finish last

They sound like easy goals, but it was my first time ever racing a single, so I wasn't even sure whether I'd get past the first one!  

I'm thrilled to say that I did!  I gave it my all the whole way, and though I was constantly getting passed by other boats, I didn't let that discourage me.  Instead, I powered through the entire time.  But did I accomplish all of my goals?  I'd have to wait and see...

I didn't know the answer to that question until after I had docked and put my boat away, but I'm thrilled that it was a "yes"!  I would have loved to have medaled, but with the very limited practice that I'd had, I happily accepted my ranking as 35th of 37. 

And with what I considered to be a personal success, I docked my boat...

...gathered my equipment...

...and carried it back to the team trailer.

That's when I was told the results of the race and I was able to celebrate having beat not only one boat like I'd wanted, but two!  

And my little sister, Ariana, came to this regatta and was able to watch the events. 

Another great thing for me was that one of my coaches recorded my race, which I'm happy about! 

Regardless, racing wasn't done just yet!  There was still one more event for me that weekend.  The women's U19 quad would conclude my time at the Head of the Hooch. 

It would be the exact same line-up as the previous day's four, but in a different style of rowing; sculling, not sweeping. 

I think that we work better in this type of boat, so I was certain that the results would reflect this. 

I do think that we did better this time down the river, but it still wasn't quite what I was expecting.  We did manage to get to the higher ratings that coach wanted, and we worked better together, but we still came out 43rd of 47. 

Our team's U17 quad came down right after us and they beat us by 30 seconds.  It's a little embarassing, but motivation to keep working harder! 

Row Huntsville's U17 quad

All in all, it was an amazing weekend with a ton of great racing and a fun time with family and friends!  It's the last of the great fall regattas, and possibly my last time competing at the Hooch, but it's definitely one that I'll always remember!