Highlights: Regarding Regattas

Last Saturday, Dave and Toby and I took advantage of one of Belfast’s few days consisting of both sun and warmth and watched the Queen’s Boat Race. Teams from Queen’s, University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and University of Limerick competed, and four grammar schools also competed. The four universities competed in the afternoon after the grammar schools rowed in the morning. It really reminded Dave and me of our old high school track meets, with school pop-up tents scattered about and groups of student athletes huddled in the shade waiting for their turn on the water. However, instead of track spikes and relay batons lying around, boats and boats and more boats were neatly laid out or stacked upon each other waiting to skim across the water or resting in the sun after a close race. Because there is so much water throughout not only Northern Ireland but the entire island of Ireland, rowing is a big sport here. For example, the gym where we workout has several rowing machines available to simulate the experience on the water. However, I always feel like a slacker as I row at what feels like a strenuous pace for me and then a native N. Irish sits at the machine next to me who obviously has far more rowing training than myself and rows so fast and hard the machine looks like it may fall apart. We found out on Saturday exactly how big crew is here when we observed the “Ramada Plaza Luncheon” taking place adjacent to the finish line under a fancy tent for big wigs who wanted to wine and dine their clients while also taking part in the regatta viewing. Having never watched a proper crew regatta before, there was a lot of information for us to soak in. One of our friends back home is on the Grand Valley State University crew team and he gave us a brief primer of rowing terminology so we could pretend to be in the know while watching the boats with one oar per person (“sweep boats”) and the boats with two oars per person (“sculls”) fly by us down the River Lagan during the race. On an ordinary day, the river would host half a dozen or so scattered boats rowing down or upstream throughout the day and the banks of the river would have people rushing from destination to destination. On Saturday, though, the river drew so many rowers it could be described as drawing flies to a flame. The Lagan not only had a clogged river of sweep and scull boats (there was almost a collision at the finish line when one boat trying to turn around got in the way of two boats speeding to the end of their race) but also throngs of people loitering along the river on both sides on the banks. It was exciting to be part of that crowd that watched the teams put everything on the line for that final moment of glory.