More crews raced on the first day of the 2013 Head of the Hooch than on any day of any other fall regatta in the United States. Unfortunately the Hoos did not win any gold, but by the end of the second day, 32 VRA athletes had secured medals (23 silver, 9 bronze).
The first crews to race for Virginia on Saturday were the novice 4 and novice 8s. Both crews rowed well, even with several pure novices in the shells. Both crews finished 2nd (N4 out of 29 crews, N8 out of 36 crews), and had a great experience.
The Championship 8 event was far more competitive this year than last, and Virginia’s varsity 8, whose lineup was not fully stacked, was a bit disappointed with their 3rd place finish. It was an indication that the Hooch regatta is growing rapidly both in size and in competitiveness.
Sunday’s premier event was the Open 8, with UVa’s stacked varsity 8 taking on FIT’s varsity 8, as well as 10 other crews. The Hoos finished 6 seconds behind FIT’s V8 and 47 seconds ahead of FIT’s 2V8 crew. It was an encouraging result, and provided plenty of motivation for winter training.