WORCESTER, Mass. — It was a busy Saturday at Regatta Point for the 2023 New England Interscholastic Rowing Association championship.

More than 1,500 oarsmen and women competed in the rowing competition out on Lake Quinsigagamond, which featured teams from all over the northeast.

Six boats line up and row one-and-a-half kilometers to determine the winner. 

Organizers describe it as the quintessential team sport, saying all the rowers are a crucial part of making the boat move.

They also say the way Lake Quinsigagamond is set up makes for perfect racing conditions.

“Lake Quinsigamond actually hosts numerous college races,” said Anthony Genna, Regatta director for the competition. “It is, from the Route 9 bridge down to the 290 bridge. It’s a straight shot two kilometers, which is the Olympic length of rowing. If you were to keep going down past the bridge, it would be straight for six kilometers. I actually think at one point it was ranked one of the top natural bodies of water for rowing in the world because it’s so straight.”

“It’s a tough sport,” said St. John’s crew member Christian Angelis. “It’s really a full-body sport. I’d say it’s as tough as football, but maybe without the contact. It’s fun to challenge yourself, and there’s a lot of technique involved, and you have to not only be strong but you have to have your head in the game the whole time.”

“I think it brings us all together,” Thania Anacassus of the Shrewsbury High crew team. “It’s a really fun sport to do because you’re not only relying on yourself, you’re relying on eight other people. It like brings you together as a group.”

The one-day competition got its start in 1947.

There were 58 races this year.