Races & Regattas

What to Expect on Race Day

All races (Home or Away)

Home races are held at Lake Quonnipaug on Wednesday afternoons or Saturday mornings. There are a balance of home and away races each spring season. The final race is the CPSRA (Connecticut Public Schools Rowing Association) State Championship held at Lake Waramaug the third Sunday in May.

Day Before: Usually a Tuesday or Friday practice will be used to prepare the boats for racing. Rowers will de-rig boats and load the trailer if preparing for an away race.

Race Day Attire: Wear a uniform for races, but wear clothes to keep warm until your actual race! Uniforms include a jersey and trou, or unis. Please remember athletes are representing Guilford High School Crew and the town of Guilford.

Races usually include V1, V2, and V3 8+, and V1 4+ boats for girls and boys on the varsity level, and N1 and N2  8+ for novices. The schedule for different boats varies depending on the individual race. After school races usually last until roughly 6 or 7 o'clock, and weekend races vary between 4 hours for regular season races and all-day for championship races.

For parents and rowers, hand warmers, hats, sunscreen, and water are highly suggested. Parent and spectators might want an umbrella, a folding chair, a blanket, sunscreen.

There is a novice-only race for rowers in their first year, which is a lot of fun! The Novice Regatta is held in Middletown on Mother’s Day (the second Sunday in May). 

Home Races

On the day of home races, rowers take a designated bus from GHS to Lake Quonnipaug directly after school.  Athletes need to be dressed to row before getting on the bus.

At home races, the food tent is set up at Lake Quonnipaug (see Food Tent).

Lake Quonnipaug can host up to two outside teams.  The parking lot does get crowded! 

Away Races

Away races are either on Wednesday afternoons or a weekend.  Buses are provided from GHS to away races.

For away races, bus transportation chaperoned by coaches is available for the rowers to and from the races and high school. Specific times vary based on the race. Rowers are required to take the bus unless an alternate transportation form has been filled out and approved in advance.

Parent volunteers set up a tent and have food and drink for the rowers at the race (see Food Tent).

At practice the following day, rowers will rig the boats.

Uniforms and attire

Race Uniform

Rowers are provided with a team jersey (to be returned at end of the season).  The jersey is worn with (preferably) trou or compression shorts and a pair of socks.

Practice Attire

The best clothing for rowing is soft, stretchy, breathable, and fairly form-fitting. Loose shorts can get caught in the slides under the moving seats, so basketball style shorts or warm-ups are not ideal. Loose tops can get caught in the oar handles, so avoid bulky jackets or sweatshirts. In general, athletes should dress as though they are going running in the elements, depending on the weather.  Leggings, athletic tops, hats are all staples in a rower's closet.

Dry Clothes on Land 

On especially wet days, athletes should have dry clothes to change into when they get back on land. Crew is an all-weather sport, and rain alone will not cancel practices. It helps to have dry socks or a hoodie when you get back to the barn, and a beach towel in the car!

Feet

Many athletes choose to have a pair of rubber sandals (Crocs, etc.) for on-the-water practices. Keep in mind that these shoes will need to be put on and taken off very quickly, and be left on the dock where they will most likely get wet. On dry land days, or any day the weather makes water practice unsafe, rowers should have running shoes handy. Sneakers are worn when erging, which takes the place of on-the-water practices on certain days.

Hands

Hands can get cold while rowing. However, you will not see athletes rowing with gloves. The reason for this is that rowing requires a tactile feel of the handle.

Food Tent 

Friends of Guilford Rowing (FoGR) manages a food tent for all races. This is not a fundraiser, but a way to ensure we have food and drink for the rowers throughout the long and exciting days of racing. We will ask parents to contribute to the food tent via a sign-up Genius as needed.