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Seven Ivy Teams Gearing Up for Henley Regatta
Created: 6/25/2009 11:27:18 AM
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Seven crews with ties to the Ivy League will soon be in action at the Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames. The regatta starts on July 1st, 2009 and lasts for five days. Races are head-to-head knockout competitions, raced over a 1-mile course by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England.
Organized by the Stewards, the regatta pre-dates any national or international rowing organisation, and therefore has its own rules and organization. The competition is recognized by both the Amateur Rowing Association (the governing body of rowing in England and Wales) and FISA (the International Federation of Rowing Associations) and is often frequented by teams from American universities and other international entities.
Ivies in Henley Competitions
The Ladies' Plate — a Men's 8 event — was first competed for in 1845, initially as the New Challenge Cup. The following year, it became the Ladies' Challenge Plate, and it has been competed for every year since, except for years which were affected by the two World Wars. Three of the 12 teams in the 2009 field have affiliations to Brown University. Bruno will have two active teams, an "A" and a "B" squad comprised of current student-athletes, and an alumni squad that has a joint team with the New York Athletic Club. All three of squads will have to navigate a difficult stretch of water on the Henley-on-Thames as the powerful Leander Club returns to defend the 2008 championship.
The Temple Challenge Cup, first staged in 1990, is also a Men's 8 event that is open to male crews from universities, colleges or schools only. Two of the 58 entries in the 2009 version (down from 75 in '08) will have direct Ivy ties. Brown once again is represented with a team and, along with a boat from Princeton University, attempt to outlast a smaller, yet stronger field from a year ago. In a wide open field, a new champion will surely be crowned in 2009, as the defending champions from the University of Western Ontario did not make the trip.
The Remenham Challenge Cup is a Women's 8 event open to all-female crews from eligible rowing clubs. Yale University will have a team in the field in the 2009 version of the race that has six of the final eight teams from a year ago, including the defending champions, Leander Club & Wallingford Rowing Club.
Finally, Yale is the only League representative in the Prince Albert Cup (formerly the Brittania Challenge Cup). The BCC was originally presented in 1969 as an event for four-oars with coxswain (Coxed Fours). The event was open to both club and student crews, and contested by an entry of 32 crews, racing over 5 days. In 2004, it was decided that the BCC should be split into two competitions: one for clubs, and one for student crews. The BCC remained as the club competition, while the Prince Albert Cup — a new competition the 'Men's Student Coxed Fours' — was created and entry restricted to clubs of University, College or School level only. The format of the race is in the same mold as the BCC. The total entries in 2009 stands at 35, with the defending champions — Newcastle University — in the field.
To keep up with all things associated with the historic race, head to the Henley Royal Regatta website.
Henley Royal Regatta History
The Henley Regatta was first held in 1839 and has been held annually ever since, except during the two World Wars. Originally staged by the Mayor and people of Henley as a public attraction with a fair and other amusements, the emphasis rapidly changed so that competitive amateur rowing became its main purpose.
The 1839 Regatta took place on a single afternoon but proved so popular with oarsmen that the racing lasted for two days from 1840. In 1886 the Regatta was extended to three days and to four in 1906. Since 1928 its increased popularity meant entries exceeded the permitted numbers in several events, and so Qualifying Races are now held in the week before the Regatta to reduce the number of entries to the permitted maximum. In 1986 the Regatta was extended to five days, with an increase in the maximum entry for certain events.
As the Regatta was instituted long before national or international rowing federations were established, it occupies a unique position in the world of rowing. It has its own rules and is not subject to the jurisdiction either of the governing body of rowing in England (the Amateur Rowing Association) or of the International Rowing Federation (F.I.S.A.), but is proud of the distinction of being officially recognised by both these bodies.
Unlike multi-lane international regattas, Henley still operates a knock-out draw with only two boats racing in each heat. This entails the organisation of up to 100 races on some of the five days. To complete the programme by a reasonable hour, races are started at 5-minute intervals.
The length of the Course is 1 mile 550 yards, which is 112 metres longer than the standard international distance of 2,000 metres. It takes approximately seven minutes to cover, so that there are often two races at once on the Course for much of the day. The number of races is, of course, reduced on each successive day, leaving only the Finals to be rowed on the last day.
There are 19 events in total: 6 classes of race for Eights, 5 for Fours (3 coxless and 2 coxed), 4 for Quadruple Sculls, and races for Coxless Pairs and Double Sculls. In addition there are single sculling races for both men and women.
Recent years have seen entries of international quality from Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Poland, the Netherlands, the U.S.A., Germany, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, Slovenia, Greece, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Great Britain. Every year Henley is visited by many crews from abroad and last year 98 crews were from overseas.
There is a magnificent array of Challenge Trophies, the most prized being the Grand Challenge Cup for Eights which dates from the first year of the Regatta. In 2006 Imperial College London donated a new trophy for the Men's Student Coxed Fours event. This trophy has been named the Prince Albert Challenge Cup, after the Regatta's first Royal Patron. In 2008 there was a new trophy for the Men's Quadruple Sculls event - The Prince of Wales Challenge Cup. The trophy has been donated by Mr. V. G. Saunders and was the prize awarded to the winner of the 1931 King's Cup Aero Race - E. C. T. Edwards, the brother of H. R. A. (Jumbo) Edwards, the famous Oxford Coach.
- A.S.
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Related Schools: Brown, Princeton, Yale
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Related Sports: Rowing
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*This Article has been archived.*
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