SARATOGA SPRINGS — In 1997, the Tail of the Fish regatta had just a handful of rowing teams competing. This Saturday, the event is scheduled to have 22 teams and 296 boats racing.
“Back then it was a way to have local teams come together,” said Saratoga Rowing Association Regatta Director Chris Chase, whose first hosted regatta was the ’97 Tail of the Fish. “The best thing that we have here is the water. It stays flat and you get your money’s worth.
In just the last year, the numbers have increased from the 201 entries in 2012, as more teams from all over the Northeast (New England, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut) are eyeing Saratoga Springs.
“There’s been a significant growth,” said Chase, who also said there were two other teams that originally planned to come but had to back out. That would have made the event close to 350 entries.
Chase compared Saturday’s head race schedule to that of a track meet, with teams racing against the clock, as opposed to the Saratoga Invitational that has, on average, a seven-lane race running every eight minutes.
But that’s about where the comparisons to running end. With a month’s practice under most team’s belts, a lot of squads are still looking for their cohesiveness.
“With running, if individually you are ready to go, you’re ready to go,” Chase said. “With rowing, it’s eight people individually physically ready to go but collectively need to be on the same page. At the same split moment in time the oars (12.5 feet long) are in the water and you’re pushing, so there’s a lot of rhythm and timing that goes with it and with only a month’s practice you’re constantly working at it.”
Last weekend on the Hudson River in Albany, a regatta had to be cancelled because of high winds and white caps. Being in an area known for calm waters, the Saratoga Rowing Association has benefited, as the sport is severely weather dependent.
“If someone’s going to invest a lot of money and they’re going to bring a team up here and get hotel rooms for the night and the whole bit, you want to know it’s legit,” Chase said. “It’s a huge investment of money, time and energy. You don’t want to go somewhere that’s joke.”
In the fall season, entries are paid per boat. Unlike a dual meet, where you’re competing because of being part of a league or because of tradition, a regatta is a choice. It’s choosing to compete against specific teams, and most want to compete against the area’s upper echelon.
“You really want to go where you can see great competition,” Chase said. “It’s one of those things where you look around and say, ‘OK who else is going to go?’ Saratoga in ’97 wasn’t good. We were a brand new team. It took a couple leaps of faith and the water helped. I think now it’s worth coming in because you’re going to have some good competition. Even if you just came and raced against us you would at least be pushed.”
Aside from Saratoga Springs, there will also be top-rowing teams like the representatives from Chaminade (all-boys school in Mineola) and Manhasset.
The weekend will be somewhat of a tune-up for the upcoming Head of the Fish, which currently has 176 teams registered to compete, including a lot of Canadian entries, on October 26–27.
As for this Saturday, 9 a.m. will be one of the main times to keep a look out for, said Chase, as the Big 8 features all the teams representing crews of eight, along with the coxswain.
“You’ll see all the big monster boats that we race out around that time,” Chase said, who is now in his 89th regatta. “It’s supposed to be a great weekend—beautiful weather wise and anybody who loves being outdoors and seeing competition, it’s going to be a good weekend, so come on down.”
The regatta is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. and wrap up around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
