The Milwaukee River Challenge Is a Thrilling Downtown Rowing Race
Photo courtesy of Milwaukee River Challenge
On Oct. 5, the Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers will see a little more traffic than usual. That Saturday, over 100 high school, club and collegiate teams will row the waters through Downtown during the Milwaukee River Challenge. Spectators can cheer them on from many vantage points along the 3-mile course, and experts will run commentary in Schlitz Park.
The annual event includes a spectacular feat: a 90-degree turn that the rowers make going east on the Menomonee to head north on the Milwaukee. The turn is one feature that, according to race director Alyssa Remington, makes these races particularly enticing.
“There are all of these turns, and then you make that big, sharp turn,” says Remington, who participated in the inaugural race in 2001. “Hopefully, you don’t collide with boats that are near you, or with the docks or any other potential obstructions. You make your way up through all the bridges back up to Schlitz Park, and then cross the finish line.”
That sharp turn is accomplished with on-the-spot strategic decisions made by the coxswain, who’s the person responsible for steering and setting pace.
According to Remington, teams make the wide turn by hugging the right side of the shore as they approach it. They angle the bow (front of the boat) right. At the call of the coxswain, the starboards (the right-side rowers when facing the bow) crank it as hard as they can. The ports (the left-side rowers) back off for a couple of strokes.
“Unlike most other rowing events, you can hear and see exactly what these boats are doing,” Remington says. “You can hear what the coxswain is saying to motivate them. … It’s very engaging.”
After this movement, which can take only a few seconds, the bow should point in the direction they need to move. The coxswain calls for the other rowers to go full power in the fewest strokes possible. But in a race, when many teams are vying for the same position, coxswains have to plan for collision and work around obstructions.
“You may be right next to another boat at that point, and you don’t have the flexibility to take the turn the way you want to,” Remington says. “It’s a very strategic event for coxswains, and it’s very important to know when it is safe to try to push to pass, or if you have enough speed to pass someone before you get to a bridge, or you’re going to have to back off because there’s not enough room for two boats to go through.”
The Milwaukee River Challenge is a head race, which means teams have a staggered start of five or so seconds. This format helps save space along the narrow rivers, but it also means that you can’t identify the winner just based on who crosses the finish line first.
Judges must calculate the time at the end of the race to determine who places, which leaves viewers and participants waiting in anticipation for the results.
For more info about race times, visit Milwaukee River Challenge’s website.
