STANFORD, Calif. – A three-week trip to England that included racing at Women’s Henley and the Henley Royal Regatta was the first foreign trip in head coach Yasmin Farooq’s tenure at Stanford.
It is a trip that she plans on taking every chance she gets in the future.
Three extra weeks of training as well as racing with top crews from around the world provided 12 returners and 15 individuals overall with an experience that could not be replicated in any other manner.
Just a few days after arriving at Henley-on-Thames, Stanford women’s rowing was racing at Women’s Henley. Three boats were entered, including a pair, a quad and an eight. All three boats earned at least one victory and the quad ended up taking down Leander to become the Women’s Henley champions.
The team put in a full week of practice following Women’s Henley, which culminated in the time trials for the Henley Royal Regatta. The quad had qualified with its championship the week before and the pair is not an event at the Royal Regatta, but the eight was put in a pool of 13 teams for the time trials, with only the top four advancing.
The eight did not feel strongly about their performance at the time trials, but when all was said and done they had one of the fastest times and had qualified.
Then came one of the more special experiences a rower could have, the Henley Royal Regatta. Five days of competitive racing with crews from around the world. Over 200,000 spectators over a five-day period. A history and tradition that goes back over 175 years. Gentlemen wearing blazers, ties and hats. Ladies with long dresses and extravagant hats. All things that make the Henley Royal Regatta one of the more prestigious events in rowing.
The team had to wait until the third day before competing. The eight suffered a close loss in a really tight first round race. The quad won its first contest and then had one of the more thrilling races of the week in a narrow defeat during the semifinal stage.
It wasn’t just the racing and training that made the trip a memorable one. Bonding with teammates while living with host families, walking through the quaint town of Henley-on-Thames that was first established in the year 1179, sitting as a group around a giant table at the Three Tons for team meals, having high tea in the afternoon, venturing out to London or Oxford on off days, all went in to establishing a bond that will certainly carry into next season and for a lifetime.
The Henley Royal Regatta was unique in so many ways for the team. They would bring long dresses to change into after practice or racing so they could enjoy other races from the Steward’s Enclosure. At times they were even seen derigging boats and carrying them to a trailer while all wearing long dresses.
Now the three-week trip is over and the summer begins. Many of the ladies decided to stay in Europe and travel around to other countries before diving into other summer activities that include studying abroad, internships and other summer work.
