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7,000 Expected To Compete In 'Head Of The Schuylkill' Regatta

By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Nearly 7,000 rowers are expected this weekend for the 44th "Head of the Schuylkill" Regatta. It's the largest and one of the most diverse regattas that Philadelphia hosts.

The Philadelphia Boys Choir opened the fall classic, which looks a lot different than the spring sprints.

regatta choir
The Philadelphia Boys Choir at the "Head of the Schuylkill" regatta. (Credit: Pat Loeb)

 

Boats go out in single file, racing the clock, not each other. Ahna Huss of Philadelphia University says that presents a special challenge.

"When you don't have someone rowing right next to you, it's really just you against your mind and that is your toughest competitor," she said. "You want to stop, you absolutely want to stop but you just have to keep going regardless of how much it hurts."

Regatta Villanova
Out early at the "Head of the Schuylkill" regatta! (Credit: Pat Loeb)

It also presents an opportunity for rowers who may shy away from sprints, according to vending director Lynn Zeitlin.

"We have racers from the adaptive rowing community as well as racers that are rowing into their eighties. We cover the waterfront, as they say," she said.

The nation's top rowers are there, too, drawn by the $10,000 prize in the Gold Cup challenge.

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