The 55th annual Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston is the world’s largest two-day rowing competition. With thousands of athletes representing crew programs from throughout the world, roughly 300,000 spectators are expected along the banks of the Charles River.

Saint Ignatius High School Crew gets the honor of racing in the Men’s Youth Eights on Sunday, October 20. With the program’s first eight-man national championship coming this past May, the team has been hard at work preparing for the elite competition they will race against this weekend.

“Coming off of a National Championship victory in the Junior 8+ last summer, it would have been easy for us to sit back and bask in our success,” said Varsity Coach Mike Hess ’07. “Our top athletes instead chose to get back in the saddle early in the summer, and have maintained a high level of intensity and focus. After many months of training, they are excited to finally have an opportunity to take on the fastest crews in the world and showcase their ability on the biggest stage in rowing.”

The athletes selected for this year’s entry are: coxswain Duncan Fraser ’20, stroke Matthew Skubas ’21, Logan Burns ’20, Eamon Coyne ’20, Connor Snyder ’20, David Lampman ’20, Nathan Taylor ’21, Peter Turk ’21, and bow Victor Yavornitzky ’20. Patrick Miklus ’22 is attending as a spare.

Hess and Head Coach Connor Walters ’09 are making the trip with the athletes. Assistant coaches Dominic Santora ’14 and Russ Eckles will also be racing at the Head of the Charles with Western Reserve Rowing Association. Walters will race in a Marietta College alumni boat.

Saint Ignatius starts with bow number 30, meaning it will be the 30th boat to start the race, which begins at 1:09 p.m. on Sunday. A live stream will provide coverage of all competing crews.

For the crews back home in Cleveland, former Head Coach Pat Connor ’94 has set up a fun scrimmage race with most of the other Cleveland high school teams, taking place Saturday morning.

Be sure to tune in to the live stream and follow @SIHSrowing for updates!

Let’s Go Cats!