Crews Ready for the Charles

The Varsity Women's 4+ will become the first Illini crew to race the prestigious Head of the Charles in Boston, MA. The nearly 3 mile race brings together crews from around the world. The massive two-day regatta brings is host to over 2000 crews from over 50 countries.The Varsity Women's 4+, who won ACRA Gold as the Novice Women's 4+ last May, will become the first crew from the University of Illinois to row in the regatta. Selection for the regatta is difficult, with new crews needing to be selected through an entry lottery. A good showing guarantees an invitation in subsequent years, however competition is fierce.An hour later, Illini coaches Erik Kroeker and Samantha Polak will row in the Director's Challenge Mixed Double - a charity event for the regatta. Samantha, an Alumni of MIT, will be bringing a homefield advantage to the boat while they race mixed male/female crews from around the country and world.Results for the regatta will be posted up on the Head of the Charles website (hocr.org) as well as coverage on row2k.com. A full breakdown of the Illini performance this weekend will be up on this site after the race Saturday.