Head Of The Charles Regatta Launches New Website in Advance of 2018 Race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact
Mike Sherry |msherry@oneillandassoc.com | 617-646-1026

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (July 5, 2018) – The Head Of The Charles Regatta (HOCR) today announced the launch of its new website, which provides an enhanced online experience and the latest race information for fans, spectators, and rowers. The website, which can be viewed at www.hocr.org, is the culmination of the organization’s efforts to make the annual Regatta more accessible, better showcase its sponsors, and provide rowing enthusiasts with new ways of keeping up with the event.

“We’re so pleased with this new website that is a crucial resource for rowers and spectators throughout the year and on race day,” said Frederick Schoch, Executive Director of the Regatta. “We’ve increased the site functionality, and it captures the beauty, passion, and excitement of the regatta weekend in a way that we’re very proud to share.”

Better functionality was a key goal of the website redesign team, which included HOCR staff and Boston-based integrated marketing agency Connelly Partners. As a result, the site is easier to navigate, more mobile-friendly, and simpler to update than its previous incarnation. The team wanted to make it easy for fans to get live event updates and access archived race results and records, and the new site provides this information in an enhanced, more intuitive way. Tailoring the site to mobile devices was another priority. While the regatta supports an official app, the site is still the go-to resource for hundreds of thousands of phone-toting fans lining the banks of the Charles River on regatta weekend.

At the same time, the redesign team wanted the new site to reflect the visual beauty and historic pedigree of the world-famous regatta. To that end, the site prominently features large, high-resolution photos of the sights that make the event so distinctive: the winding Charles River, historic bridges, classical Cambridge and Boston architecture, and the sleek boats that fly past them all. Special attention was paid to respecting the event’s unique history, down to little touches like making the countdown timer to race day resemble the old bow cards used in rowing scorekeeping.

“We’re proud of the site, and are grateful to have heard from so many fans, participants, and sponsors who have given us tremendously positive feedback,” said Schoch. “The Head of the Charles Regatta is a special event that’s unlike anything else in rowing. We are glad we have created a site that reflects its importance to so many athletes and enthusiasts around the world.”

The Head of the Charles Regatta is one of the world’s most renowned rowing competitions, hosting a variety of events for local and international rowers. The Regatta engages rowers of diverse experience, including Juniors, Olympians, Para and Masters athletes and has become a signature sporting event in New England. It is free to the public and accessible to view from any bridge or shoreline along the three-mile Charles River course. For more information about the event, visit www.hocr.org.

ABOUT HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA

Since its origin in 1965, the Head Of The Charles® Regatta has welcomed the world’s best crew teams to the banks of the Charles River for the ultimate two-day rowing competition. Preparing for an event that attracts over 11,000 athletes and thousands of spectators requires a great deal of preparation. The HOCR consists of a 15 member Board of Directors, six of which are in charge of race management and overseeing an eleven-member race committee (including two race co-chairs). The race committee meets year-round to discuss the operational and logistical details of the event. They are assisted by 115 leading volunteers on 30 separate committees that begin meeting weekly in the fall. A full-time, professional staff of four, headquartered in the Cambridge Boat Club, works year-round to plan the event, obtain sponsorship and communicate with the rowing community. Head Of The Charles® is a registered trademark of the Cambridge Boat Club, 2 Gerry’s Landing Road, Cambridge, MA. For more information, call Head Of The Charles at (617) 868-6200, email regatta@hocr.org