It's all systems go for a great day of racing on the Garavogue
The Junior Quad return to the slip after Saturday morning's training session in preparation for the Sligo Head of the River which will be held on Saturday in Doorly Park. Pictured are Stephen Harty, Caroline Mcgowan, Daniel Hackett and Sandra Mcgowan.
SATURDAY will be a big day on the Garavogue River, providing a great spectacle for those on the riverbanks and for other river users as Sligo Rowing Club holds its annual Head of the River races from Lough Gill to the town end of Doorly Park.
Now well established as an important fixture on the Irish rowing calendar, "Sligo Head" attracts a large number of crews from clubs as far and wide as Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Derry, Athlone and Limerick, as well as from those closer to home, with Carrick-on-shannon and Portora of Enniskillen also being welcome visitors. Categories and ages of athletes will range from junior to masters and ages in between, with men and women in each age group. Clubs will represent schools, universities and 'general' clubs that are open to all, like SRC itself.
Indeed, in the junior category, home crews for Sligo Head will be drawn from pupils of Ursuline College, Summerhill College, Mercy College and Sligo Grammar School. The standard of competition will be high and is likely to include Holly Nixon of Devenish College in Enniskillen, the 2011 junior world championship silver medallist, who rows with Portora.
A head of a river, such as Sligo Head on 21 January, is a race over a fixed course (in Sligo, 3.6km) against the clock, with boats being started in procession and each crew racing to try to catch the crew ahead of it. Every rowing stroke counts! Regatta races are side-by-side sprints over a 2km course, generally straight. Sligo Head will be a stern test of the strength, fitness and skills of every competitor.
The competition will be keen. Some crews will be resuming annual tussles, such as the closely-fought competition between Athlone Boat Club, Belfast Boat Club and Belfast Rowing Club in the Mens Masters 8s, each a likely contender for the Tinsley Cup for the fastest crew of the day. However, every grade, from "single scullers" (one person per boat) to the majestics and speedy 8s, is hotly contested and for any athlete to return home from Sligo Head with a category win is a significant achievement, all the more valuable for having been a member of a crew.
Racing on Saturday will be downstream from the lake, finishing at the town end of Doorly Park. The best vantage points for spectators will be along the footpath at Doorly Park or at SRC itself. Food will also be available at the boatsheds. The first Head will start from the lake at 12:30 (boats will leave from Cleveragh in procession from approx 11:30) and the second of the two Heads will start from the lake at 3:30 (boats will leave from Cleveragh in procession from approx 2:20pm).
Safety for Sligo Head is paramount and SRC would like to thank St John Ambulance, Civil Defence, Sligo Sub-aqua Club and the Garavogue fishing community for tremendous assistance, with SRC coaches and other personnel, in providing safety boats and other cover. SRC is also hugely grateful to the Sligo Sports and Reecreation Partnership and the Borough Council Parks Department for invaluable help and guidance in organising the annual event which will bring so many athletes to Sligo for the weekend.
