Baylor Crew hosts Head of the Brazos rowing competition

Baylor Crew competed at the Head of the Oklahoma regatta in Oklahoma City this past weekend. Pictured are the novice men’s rowers, who received silver at the competition. This weekend, they will host the Head of the Brazos competition in Waco. Photo credit: Courtesy Photo

Baylor Crew will be hosting their annual Head of the Brazos rowing regatta from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8. The races will take place along the Brazos River with spectator seating available from the pedestrian bridge.

Philomath, Ore., junior Annie Luksch, assistant coach, hopes for the pedestrian bridge to be filled with supporters.

“I think [having supporters] really helps the overall attitude of the team in a very positive way,” Luksch said. “Come by and cheer on your Baylor Bears!”

The regatta will consist of various boat races including four-member boats, eight-member boats, doubles and singles. Each boat will row a 5k distance.

Head of the Brazos will be one of the largest student run regattas in the nation. Hundreds of outside teams and clubs have signed up to be a part of the rowing event.

Woodlands senior Nick Fazzino, head coach, is ready for the competition.

“It is our first major regatta for the entire team this semester, so it’s going to show us how we stack up against the competition, which is some of the best collegiate competition in the south,” Fazzino said.

An additional 1k race at 1 p.m. at the Baylor Marina has been added to the regatta this year and is open to all Baylor students. The first three places receive $50 Cricket’s gift cards. There will also be an opportunity for visitors to enter their names for an additional $50 Cricket’s gift card.

Austin sophomore Callie Dick, recruitment chair, is thankful for the teamwork that went into getting ready for the event.

“The whole team has really pulled together to put this on, and it wouldn’t happen without our HOB chairs and without the help of our newest members too,” Dick said.

Select members of Baylor Crew were involved in the Head of the Oklahoma race in Oklahoma City last Saturday, Oct. 1. Two of the three boats received silver medals from the regatta.

Fazzino sees the upcoming race as a demonstration of territory.

“We host this event, and this is our home river, so we are held to an even higher standard,” Fazzino said.