Women's Crew Wraps Up Successful Second Day at Henley Women's Regatta
6/18/2022 5:21:00 PM | Women's Crew
HENLEY-ON-THAMES, ENGLAND – Brown women's crew heads into Sunday's final day of the Henley Women's Regatta with three boats set to compete in semifinal races.
Four boats and 20 Bruno athletes have hit the River Thames for the historic women's regatta that began on Friday, June 17.
All Brown boats compete in the Championship flights of the HWR due to qualifying for the 2022 NCAA Championship.
In Friday's races, Brown's 2-, 8+, and 4- crews went through time trials.
The eight boat then squared off against the University of British Columbia, the three-time defending Canadian National Champions. The Bears clocked a time of 5:04.1 for a 16.1-second victory over the Thunderbirds to advance in the bracket.
The eight boat opened Saturday's races against Leander Club 'B', a rowing club based out of Henley-on-Thames, and finished with a time of 4:31.7 to beat out Leander (4:41.9).
The 4x- crew hit the water against Whitemarsh Boat Club, headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and took a five-second win over the American crew with a time of 5:02.5 to advance.
The 4- crew followed and cruised to victory over Durham University with a time of 4:59.1 to advance to the semifinals.
On Sunday, the 4- boat will race at 12:02 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Championship race at 3:20 p.m.
The 4x- boat takes on West Coast rival Cal in Sunday's semifinal, set for 1:42 p.m. The winner will advance to the Championship race at 4:15 p.m.
The eight boat takes on Thames Rowing Club 'A', based out of London, in the semifinal at 1:54 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Championship race at 4:20 p.m.
Follow @brownwrowing on Instagram for live updates from Sunday's races at the Henley Women's Regatta.
WOMEN'S CREW BLOG: Tales from Across the Pond – Sophomore Molly Lundberg
Sophomore Molly Lundberg recaps the team's experience in England through the first five days of the trip and following the second of three days at the 2022 Henley Women's Regatta.
We landed at Heathrow early on Tuesday morning. After a quick stop for airport coffee to combat the impending jetlag, we boarded a bus to Henley-on-Thames. We wound through the beautiful English countryside and up the narrow village streets where our wonderful host family greeted us. We settled into our new accommodations and then headed to the river for our first practice. We rigged our new boats and launched to get our bearings on a new body of water.
The Henley course is unique compared to many rowing courses– instead of the typical buoy-lined lanes, each side of the course is lined with wooden 'booms' and nothing separates the two racing crews. This adds to the excitement of the match races Henley is known for, but complicates steering, especially for the "blind boats" who have no coxswain. After practice, we returned to our home and cooked a large pasta dinner together. Our host siblings surprised us with a homemade Victoria sponge, a classic British dessert, which we ate together to celebrate our arrival in England. By the end of the night, we were all thoroughly exhausted and collapsed into our bunk beds.
Wednesday was tough. The crews took on two hard practices while fighting jet lag and getting acquainted with the Thames River. At Henley Women's Regatta, the race course is about 1,500 meters, 500 meters shorter than the distance our crews race throughout the regular season. This means that the intensity of the race is even higher. We used these two practices to readjust to the shorter distance and sharpen up our starts, especially crucial for the shorter distance.
Thursday was similar to Wednesday– crews launched for two more practices where we continued focusing on our starting sequence and opening 250 meters. After practice concluded, we headed home to rest and get ready for the International Crews Pasta Supper hosted by the Leander Club, our first opportunity to wear our new Henley Blazers. We all put on our nicest dresses and pantsuits and walked to Leander Club, positioned around the finish line of Henley Royal Regatta. We were allowed to explore the club's interior, learning about the rich history of both Women's Henley Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. After our tour, we socialized with the other international crews. We saw some familiar faces from other American teams like WPI and California and were excited to get to know athletes from Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
Racing began on Friday with time trials for 3 of our 4 boats. The pair, a two-person boat where each person has a single oar, was the first to go down the course. They were followed by our only coxed boat, the eight. Next to come down the course was the straight four, a four-person sweep boat without a coxswain. Both the pair and the straight four advanced directly to the quarter-finals, bypassing the heats Friday afternoon. The eight returned to the course for their first match race of the weekend. They lined up against the University of British Columbia and won with a generous margin.
The quad, a four-person sculling boat where each person has two oars, kicked off Saturday's racing with a time trial in the morning. Later in the day, the eight and the quad returned to race side-by-side with other crews. Both the Eight and the Quad won their dual races by many lengths. The Eight even laid down a course record, clocking in at 4:31.70 and beating the previous record by five seconds. The eight will be moving forward to the semifinals on Sunday. The straight four and pair raced in the evening on Saturday. The straight four won their race against Durham University and will be progressing to the semifinals on Sunday. The pair lost their race against Leander Club, although put up a fantastic, aggressive, and gutsy race.
We are looking forward to seeing how the races turn out tomorrow (Sunday) and will be sure to keep you posted!
Gallery: (6-18-2022) WRow at Henley Women's Regatta (6/18/22)
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the lifeblood of the athletics program, and exists to enhance the student-athlete experience through philanthropic support from alumni, parents, fans and friends. A gift through the Sports Foundation makes an immediate impact on today's Brown Bears and helps them to be their best in the classroom, in competition and most importantly in the community. To learn more about supporting the Bears, please click here.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownAthletics on Twitter, @BrownAthletics on Instagram, like /BrownAthletics on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
Four boats and 20 Bruno athletes have hit the River Thames for the historic women's regatta that began on Friday, June 17.
All Brown boats compete in the Championship flights of the HWR due to qualifying for the 2022 NCAA Championship.
In Friday's races, Brown's 2-, 8+, and 4- crews went through time trials.
The eight boat then squared off against the University of British Columbia, the three-time defending Canadian National Champions. The Bears clocked a time of 5:04.1 for a 16.1-second victory over the Thunderbirds to advance in the bracket.
The eight boat opened Saturday's races against Leander Club 'B', a rowing club based out of Henley-on-Thames, and finished with a time of 4:31.7 to beat out Leander (4:41.9).
The 4x- crew hit the water against Whitemarsh Boat Club, headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and took a five-second win over the American crew with a time of 5:02.5 to advance.
The 4- crew followed and cruised to victory over Durham University with a time of 4:59.1 to advance to the semifinals.
On Sunday, the 4- boat will race at 12:02 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Championship race at 3:20 p.m.
The 4x- boat takes on West Coast rival Cal in Sunday's semifinal, set for 1:42 p.m. The winner will advance to the Championship race at 4:15 p.m.
The eight boat takes on Thames Rowing Club 'A', based out of London, in the semifinal at 1:54 p.m. with the winner advancing to the Championship race at 4:20 p.m.
Follow @brownwrowing on Instagram for live updates from Sunday's races at the Henley Women's Regatta.
WOMEN'S CREW BLOG: Tales from Across the Pond – Sophomore Molly Lundberg
Sophomore Molly Lundberg recaps the team's experience in England through the first five days of the trip and following the second of three days at the 2022 Henley Women's Regatta.
We landed at Heathrow early on Tuesday morning. After a quick stop for airport coffee to combat the impending jetlag, we boarded a bus to Henley-on-Thames. We wound through the beautiful English countryside and up the narrow village streets where our wonderful host family greeted us. We settled into our new accommodations and then headed to the river for our first practice. We rigged our new boats and launched to get our bearings on a new body of water.
The Henley course is unique compared to many rowing courses– instead of the typical buoy-lined lanes, each side of the course is lined with wooden 'booms' and nothing separates the two racing crews. This adds to the excitement of the match races Henley is known for, but complicates steering, especially for the "blind boats" who have no coxswain. After practice, we returned to our home and cooked a large pasta dinner together. Our host siblings surprised us with a homemade Victoria sponge, a classic British dessert, which we ate together to celebrate our arrival in England. By the end of the night, we were all thoroughly exhausted and collapsed into our bunk beds.
Wednesday was tough. The crews took on two hard practices while fighting jet lag and getting acquainted with the Thames River. At Henley Women's Regatta, the race course is about 1,500 meters, 500 meters shorter than the distance our crews race throughout the regular season. This means that the intensity of the race is even higher. We used these two practices to readjust to the shorter distance and sharpen up our starts, especially crucial for the shorter distance.
Thursday was similar to Wednesday– crews launched for two more practices where we continued focusing on our starting sequence and opening 250 meters. After practice concluded, we headed home to rest and get ready for the International Crews Pasta Supper hosted by the Leander Club, our first opportunity to wear our new Henley Blazers. We all put on our nicest dresses and pantsuits and walked to Leander Club, positioned around the finish line of Henley Royal Regatta. We were allowed to explore the club's interior, learning about the rich history of both Women's Henley Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta. After our tour, we socialized with the other international crews. We saw some familiar faces from other American teams like WPI and California and were excited to get to know athletes from Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
Racing began on Friday with time trials for 3 of our 4 boats. The pair, a two-person boat where each person has a single oar, was the first to go down the course. They were followed by our only coxed boat, the eight. Next to come down the course was the straight four, a four-person sweep boat without a coxswain. Both the pair and the straight four advanced directly to the quarter-finals, bypassing the heats Friday afternoon. The eight returned to the course for their first match race of the weekend. They lined up against the University of British Columbia and won with a generous margin.
The quad, a four-person sculling boat where each person has two oars, kicked off Saturday's racing with a time trial in the morning. Later in the day, the eight and the quad returned to race side-by-side with other crews. Both the Eight and the Quad won their dual races by many lengths. The Eight even laid down a course record, clocking in at 4:31.70 and beating the previous record by five seconds. The eight will be moving forward to the semifinals on Sunday. The straight four and pair raced in the evening on Saturday. The straight four won their race against Durham University and will be progressing to the semifinals on Sunday. The pair lost their race against Leander Club, although put up a fantastic, aggressive, and gutsy race.
We are looking forward to seeing how the races turn out tomorrow (Sunday) and will be sure to keep you posted!
BROWN UNIVERSITY SPORTS FOUNDATION
The Brown University Sports Foundation (BUSF) is the lifeblood of the athletics program, and exists to enhance the student-athlete experience through philanthropic support from alumni, parents, fans and friends. A gift through the Sports Foundation makes an immediate impact on today's Brown Bears and helps them to be their best in the classroom, in competition and most importantly in the community. To learn more about supporting the Bears, please click here.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
For the latest on Brown Athletics, please follow @BrownAthletics on Twitter, @BrownAthletics on Instagram, like /BrownAthletics on Facebook and subscribe to the BrownAthletics YouTube channel.
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