Big field for Head of the Hooch regatta, if weather cooperates

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 11/5/15. Bob Snow with Concept 2 out of Morrisville, Vermont, center, removes sleeves while repairing oars in preparation for this weekends Head of the Hooch regatta in downtown Chattanooga on November 5, 2015.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 11/5/15. Bob Snow with Concept 2 out of Morrisville, Vermont, center, removes sleeves while repairing oars in preparation for this weekends Head of the Hooch regatta in downtown Chattanooga on November 5, 2015.

Dennis Hendrickson stood on Ross's Landing Thursday morning as volunteers and delivery trucks hummed around the riverfront preparing for this weekend's Head of the Hooch.

As the volunteers coordinator for the event and a rowing enthusiast who has been attending the Head of the Hooch since before it moved here in 2005, he felt confident predicting the future.

"This will all be filled with people this weekend," Hendrickson said, arm outstretched toward the sloping hillside that leads to the Hooch's finish line in the Tennessee River.

More than 2,200 boats, filled by nearly 7,000 competitors from 27 states and four countries are flooding downtown this weekend for what is known as the last of the great fall regattas.

photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 11/5/15. John Stuermer helps a truck transporting racing shells park in preparation for this weekends Head of the Hooch regatta in downtown Chattanooga on November 5, 2015.

Hooch by the numbers

› Average competitor age: 24› Competitor age range: 15-85› States with the most entries› Florida 554› Georgia 202› Texas 182› Tennessee 169› North Carolina 160Countries represented› United States› Canada› Peru› South Africa

photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 11/5/15. Workers install a floating dock in preparation for this weekends Head of the Hooch regatta in downtown Chattanooga on November 5, 2015.

Road closures

› Riverfront Parkway between Molly Lane and the Hunter Museum of Art› The ramp from Veterans Bridge to Riverfront Parkway› Chestnut Street between Aquarium Way and Riverfront Parkway› Power Alley between Aquarium Way and Riverfront Parkway

photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 11/5/15. Christy Charman, Mary Vassar Hitchings, Jim Santo and Julie Fisher set up boat racks on the riverfront in preparation for this weekends Head of the Hooch regatta in downtown Chattanooga on November 5, 2015.

The event is attracting an estimated 16,000 people, packing hotels and creating an estimated economic impact of $5.6 million.

In its 11th year in Chattanooga, the Hooch is a staple of the city's outdoor identity that seemingly only weather is capable of disrupting.

It has more than doubled in number of competitors since moving to the Scenic City from Gainesville, Ga.

"It's a great venue for holding a large regatta," Hendrickson said. "There's lots of room for everyone, for all the people who come in, all the vendors. There is plenty of room for all the shells, too."

If all the boats that will be used in the Hooch were lined up end-to-end, the line would stretch 17.5 miles, or nearly six times the 3.1-mile course that rowers will complete.

Volunteers from the Atlanta Rowing Club, which Hendrickson is a part of, and the local Lookout Rowing Club assembled storage stands for the shells on the grass just across Riverfront Parkway on Thursday.

They were just a sampling of the 700-plus volunteers who are helping make the event happen.

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Mother Nature may have other plans.

Strong winds forced the cancellation of Saturday races last year, and forecasts look bleak for this Saturday. Winds are again the concern. Rowing can continue in the rain.

Winds were around 15 mph on the first day of the Hooch last year with gusts up to 38 mph.

WRCB-TV chief meteorologist Paul Barys said Thursday that winds are expected to be around 10-15 mph on Saturday, with a steady blanket of rain.

"It's not going to be a pretty day," Barys said. "That's for sure."

If lightning occurs, the course will be cleared and racing delayed 30 minutes from the most recent strike, but Barys said the biggest chance for thunderstorms is tonight.

"And Sunday looks better," Barys said.

Any weather-related delays or cancellations will be decided by race officials.

"A little bit of rain might even help calm the wind down," University of Alabama rowing coach Larry Davis said. "It's a little trade-off there, but as long as it's not a downpour or lightning, we should be OK."

***

Rain or shine, the weekend will be special for one of Davis' rowers.

Alabama freshman Maggie Ward is nearing the end of her first college semester and will return to her hometown to experience her favorite rowing event as a collegiate competitor for the first time.

College athletes represent about 30 percent of the Hooch field, and for most of them of the college teams, Saturday is the last chance this fall to see how they stack up against their peers.

"My entire family is from Chattanooga, so they're really excited I'm coming home, and they'll get to see me race," said Ward, a Chattanooga Christian School graduate. "Since we practice on the weekends, I don't get to go home a lot."

Ward rowed for the Chattanooga Junior Rowers for two years while in high school and will row past her old boathouse during the Hooch for the second time this season. Alabama also competed in October's Chattanooga Head Race.

It was the first time many of her teammates had been to Chattanooga, and as the only Scenic City native on the team, she has embraced the role of tour guide.

"A lot of my teammates don't know what Rock/Creek is," Ward said of the local outdoor recreation store chain. "So if we get some free time this weekend, I'm going to take some of my friends there because they all love that kind of stuff."

Foremost, it's a competition weekend. The 3.1-mile course is so grueling that many say rowers are "brain dead" by the time they reach the finish line.

"For us," Davis said, "it's the closest venue we have to go out and compete against a wide variety of upper-level crews."

And a great venue to enjoy yourself in once you're done.

"It's a real advantage for Chattanooga," Hendrickson said, peering out across the waterfront. "They did a nice job of developing this."

Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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