Head of the Grand Showcases MSU Rowing
10/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State's rowing program will participate in this weekend's Head of the Grand Regatta, held on the Grand River in Lansing, Mich.
With a favorable weather forecast on the horizon and the Spartans now six weeks into fall training, MSU head coach Matt Weise is looking to the Regatta as a strong measuring stick of the progress his team has made since being back on campus. The Spartans will participate with 11 entries total. In addition to a pair of eights and four entries in the fours, MSU will also field five small boats - four double sculls, and a single scull. Eight schools will field more than 90 total men's and women's entries for Sunday's collegiate racing, including the MSU men's club team.
"We will certainly have a lot of different things going on," said Weise, who is now in his 12th season at the head of the Spartan rowing program. "I think these events are good for our team, because they get to be a part of the bigger rowing world. There's Division II teams, there's men's teams, there's small boats. In the spring, it gets pretty insular, racing only Division I women's programs in eights and fours. This experience will benefit us in a lot of ways."
Head racing is different than the dual races that the Spartans see in the spring championship season. Head races which are typically between three and six kilometers. In the US, head races are primarily held in the fall and are part of the foundation for the spring season, building the rower's endurance and mental toughness. They are a time-trial competition in which boats start in set intervals and race against the clock in their boat-class category, and the boat with the fastest time is deemed the winner.
Spring is the primary season for US college rowing, and the majority of the spring schedule is composed of dual races. These 2,000-meter races take place between two or three schools, racing head-to-head. MSU frequently participates in large multi-school events that feature racing across six lanes against some of the top schools in the country.
In addition, this week's head racing will give MSU's varsity eight some extra preparation for next weekend, when it participates in the Head of the Charles Regatta, perhaps the world's most famous and prominent head race. Held in Cambridge, Mass., the Head of the Charles includes rowers of all ages, abilities, and affiliations and features the best college crews in competition with Olympic-level athletes from the United States and other countries.
The MSU novices get their first taste of dual racing competition on Oct. 25 when they host Michigan, and will entertain the novices from Eastern Michigan on Halloween. MSU's final fall racing will come Nov. 7 at Ohio State, when MSU will line up with the Buckeyes, Indiana, and Notre Dame.
Head of the Grand
Racing Schedule - Sunday, Oct. 11
9 a.m.- Women's Varsity 4+ (Four MSU entries)
9:15 a.m. - Men's Varsity 4+
9:30 a.m. - Women's 1X/2X (Five MSU entries)
9:40 a.m. - Men's 1X/2-
10 a.m. - Men's Novice 8+
10:30 a.m. - Women's Novice 8+
11:30-1 p.m. - Lunch Break
1 p.m. - Alumni 8+
1:10 p,m. - Men's Novice 4+
1:30 p.m.- Women's Novice 4+
1:45 p.m. - Women's Varsity 8+ (Two MSU entries)
1:50 p.m. - Men's Varsity 8+
2:45 p.m. - Head of the Grand Cup Presentation