Conestoga Crew Earns First-Ever Spot at the Prestigious Head of the Charles in Boston

Conestoga Crew is Boston-bound and making history. This fall marks the first time in the program’s 25-year history that Stoga boats will compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the world’s largest three-day rowing event.

First held in 1965 and modeled after the “head of the river” races in England, the regatta began as a single-day event with just a few dozen entries. In its debut year, only about 100 boats lined up.

Since then, the regatta has grown into a world-renowned competition. Today, it attracts more than 11,000 athletes from across the globe, racing in 74 different events and cheered on by 400,000 spectators along the Charles River. Its distinctive three-mile upstream course, complete with bridges, sharp turns, and headwinds, has made it one of the most challenging and prestigious head races in the sport.

Conestoga boats will race among the best youth programs in the nation and is one of the few public high schools to earn a bid in the following events:

• Men’s Youth 4x+ – Kaden Murray, Ethan Borst, Jack Sauder, Hudson Dunkle, Coxswain Will Simon
• Women’s Youth 2x – Emma Reiter and Toscane Franchet
• Women’s Youth 1x – Maizy Jacobson

The Head of the Charles is unlike any other regatta. Boats begin sequentially, racing both the clock and the course itself, with winners earning the coveted title of “Head of the Charles.” Over the decades, the race has drawn Olympic champions, world-class rowers, and the strongest scholastic and collegiate programs in the country. To line up on the Charles is to be part of rowing history.

This October, Conestoga Crew is excited to join that tradition, carrying Stoga pride to Boston and adding its name to the story of one of rowing’s most iconic events.