Head of the Hooch

Head of the Hooch participants

It’s 6 a.m., the sun is still an hour from rising, but 20-plus UTC students are already awake and huddled by a locked gate on the Tennessee Riverwalk. It’s not long until rowing coach Robert Espeseth unlocks the gate, and the group quietly pads down a metal ramp to a dock facing Maclellan Island. After a short meeting, the still bleary-eyed students heft 60-foot-long boats onto their shoulders-nine students to one boat-and carefully place them in the Tennessee River.

The early wake-up time takes its toll, but the water’s as smooth as glass, the river has little traffic and the heat of the day is still hours away. Not to mention, they get to catch the sunrise. Each rower grabs an unwieldy oar and a water bottle, kicks off their shoes and steps into the boat. The senior coxswain, Marissa Weiss, settles into position at the head, and then they’re off. The slim boat cuts through the black water like it’s butter as the rowers work to synchronize their oars. It’s a full-body workout, with the legs taking the brunt of the work in the sliding seats as the boat gathers speed.

This is the typical weekday routine for the UTC Rowing Team, and likely is for hundreds of other rowers training to head to Chattanooga the first weekend in November for Head of the Hooch. Though the number of head races and regattas is growing in the southeast region, the UTC team has its eye on the prize for one in particular. “The Head of the Hooch is THE big race in the South,” says Espeseth.

“There’s so much that goes into it,” agrees Weiss. “There are so many people here from so many parts of the country, and out of the country. It’s amazing to see and meet … so many people who get involved in rowing.” Not only do high schools and colleges compete, but a myriad of clubs representing all types of divisions and ages join in as well. Though HOTH has a legacy that dates back to the early 1980s, this year’s event in Chattanooga is a special one, says race director Daniel Wolff. It’s the 10th year in a row the huge race has been held in the Scenic City, and HOTH officials plan to celebrate the milestone.

Head of the Hooch rowers

The regatta is also known as the Head of the Chattahoochie. The Atlanta Rowing Club organized the race in Roswell, Georgia in 1981 on the Chattahoochie River.