Henley Royal Regatta 2015

"Leander Club and Boating Dock from Henley Bridge"

Henley-On-Thames, UK

Photograph by: Amanda Chain

Henley never ceases to amaze me. Whether it is the fact that the majority of people that attend are more concerned with picnicking, Pimms, and being seen, or the fact that it passes by unnoticed most of the time as it falls at the same time as another major sporting event: Wimbledon; Henley is the unsung subtle hero of British sporting institutions.

"Henley Royal Regatta: Spectators" 2012

Henley-on-Thames, UK

Photograph by: Amanda Chain

As a rower, I find it absolutely incredible how what normally would be considered one race, in actuality becomes a Five-Day event, ranging with participants as young as 15 to ages exhibiting much more maturity. It brings junior and national team representatives into the same realm and inspires young athletes and mesmerizes the older ones.

This Henley was rather meaningful on two respects. The first was that for the Women's Henley which took place two weeks prior, after a grueling year I was able to win the Intermediate Academic 4+ with the University of London Boat Club. I had come over when I was a junior and lost with Mount Saint Joseph Academy and so this was especially poignant as MSJA brought over girls to race again and my old coaches were able to witness the race. It felt like something out of a Disney movie to be honest.

"Intermediate Academic 4+ Winners ULBC 

with The Cathy Cruickshank Trophy"

Henley-on-Thames, UK

Photograph Courtesy of: Beth Welch

The other poignancy comes from the fact that I spent the last three years of my life coaching at Winchester College and this year, I watched the boys from Winchester College compete, the majority of whom I taught to row when they first joined the school. They had an admirable showing but lost to a crew traveling from the States by a little over a length open water. The boys are majority J16 so they have many more races ahead of them, it was so nice to see them compete with "the big boys," and still stack up phenomenally.

"Winchester College racing Boston College High School"

Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup

Henley-on-Thames, UK

Photograph Courtesy of: The Henley Royal Regatta

www.hrr.org

In fact, there were many crews traveling from the States including University of Washington, and the Ivy contingent of Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, and Princeton, with a few representatives in the University Barge Club from my alma mater UPenn. I'm not even going to get into all the various countries represented, of which there were many.

This year was the first expansive effort for live coverage of the racing. Drone cameras made it possible for viewers to watch from all over the race course and video screens set up in the Steward's enclosure made it possible to see the racing from start to finish. For people who are not well-versed in rowing it made it a lot easier for them to understand what was happening with each race in conjunction with the announcers and of course the leader board. To see aerial footage of rowing was breath-taking and unlike anything I had ever seen with the sport. It changed the vantage point, and made me see rowing in a different, more exciting light.

"Live Drone Footage from Racing on Friday Morning"

Henley-on-Thames, UK

Photograph Courtesy of: The Henley Royal Regatta

www.hrr.org

This year being the year before an Olympic year tends to bring a number of athletes from abroad. As England is the birthplace of rowing, it should come as no surprise that the most prestigious event takes place here. Aside from the Olympics, there is no other regatta that commands the same respect and reverence from international rowers. Hence the presence of sporting celebrities like New Zealand's Mahe Drysdale who is an Olympic gold medalist in his own right, and the Czech Republic's Miroslava Knapková who also won gold in the London 2012 Games.

The number of people drawn to the banks of the Thames is an ever increasing figure. Although the event retains is prestige, it is slowly becoming more accessible for competitors from all over the world to take part. It is not so much a British institution as it is an International one these days, and this is seen by the ever increasing numbers of world-class athletes coming over for the opportunity to participate, and the chance to win the renown Little Red Box.