 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2013) |
| Head of the Charles Regatta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | Penultimate Weekend of October |
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Event type | Head race |
| Distance | 3 miles |
| Primary sponsor | BNY Mellon |
| Established | 1965 |
| Official site | www.hocr.org |
| Participants | 2,271 entries; 790 clubs [1] |
The Head of the Charles Regatta, also known as HOCR, is a rowing head race held on the penultimate complete weekend of October (i.e., on the Friday that falls between the 16th and the 22nd of the month, and on the Saturday and Sunday immediately afterwards) each year on the Charles River, which separates Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts United States. It is the largest 3-day regatta in the world, with 11,000 athletes rowing in over 2,500 boats in 73 events. According to the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, the three-day event brings 225,000 people to the Greater Boston area and $72 million to the local economy.[2]
The last races of the Regatta are generally the most prestigious: Championship 4s, and Championship 8s (both men and women). Championship sculling events (1x/single and 2x/double) race on Saturday afternoon. The Championship events usually include U.S. National Team athletes, as well as national team athletes from other top rowing nations.
The competitive field includes individual and team competitors from colleges, high schools, and clubs from nearly all American states and various countries. The 2006 field included rowers from China, South Africa, Croatia, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The age of athletes spans from 14 to 85 years old with experience levels from novice to Olympic. In 2007, approximately 10% of the field was international.
Regattas such as the Head of the Charles in Boston and the Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia are to the rowing world what the New York City Marathon and the Boston Marathon are to running.
— Susan Saint Sing, The Eight: A Season in the Tradition of Harvard Crew[3]
- ^ "53rd Head of the Charles". Regatta Central. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
- ^ Stendahl, Max (October 11, 2018). "Head of the Charles could give record boost to Boston economy". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ Saint Sing, Susan (2010). The Eight: A Season in the Tradition of Harvard Crew. New York, N.Y.: St. Martin's Press. p. 24. ISBN 9780312539238. Retrieved November 10, 2013.