
On Sunday, October 9, the Berkeley High School Crew Team started their 2011-2012 season, participating in the “Head of the Port” event in Sacramento. The start time was delayed by a bit of fog, but that didn’t mean it was disappointing. We’ll get to that in a moment!

This race was unique in a couple of ways. For our rowers, normal season races consist of mass starts, where the first boat across the line is the winner. But in a “head” race (often held in the Fall), the boats race against the clock. Boats in each category rowed to the start line and did a rolling start, crossing the line at 10 second intervals. At the end of the 5K course, the time for each boat was recorded.

The other unique thing about this race was that it was not limited to Juniors. In fact, we were able to cheer on boats with BHS parents, coaches, former coaches and collegiate level rowers (including recent BHS grads!) who were out there participating as well. It was a great day for a reunion as well!
So, what about the Berkeley High team, you ask??? After an hour delay waiting for the “cotton candy” fog to dissipate (as one person put it), racing commenced. Limited to varsity rowers, BHS entered 3 races on the day, two boats in the Mens Jr. 8+ race, three boats in the Womens Jr. 8+ race, and one boat in the Mens Jr. 4+ boat.