Christ Church Regatta is a boat race in the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

 which is held annually during seventh week of Michaelmas term

Michaelmas term

Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic years of the following British and Irish universities:*University of Cambridge*University of Oxford*University of St...

, in which novice crews (of eight rowers with a cox) representing each college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

, compete against each other. There are separate men's and women's races, with many colleges entering more than one crew.

Course

The regatta is held on the Isis

The Isis

The Isis is the name given to the part of the River Thames above Iffley Lock which flows through the city of Oxford. The name is especially used in the context of rowing at the University of Oxford...

, the stretch of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

 running through Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, in Christ Church Meadow (the park in Oxford belonging to Christ Church

Christ Church, Oxford

Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...

). The stretch of the river that is used is generally familiar to novice crews as the stretch where they train. The course is only between about 500 and 750 metres long, from a part of the river between "Longbridges" and the start of the boathouse island to a finish line near the Head of the River pub.

Racing

The competition is run over about four days in total, usually from Wednesday of 7th Week in Michaelmas to Saturday of 7th Week. Races are head-on-head between two teams that are chosen at random. The winner of the race will progress to the next round of races. The loser may be knocked out so that they no longer race. However, the loser of a first round race will enter the repechage

Repechage

Repechage is a practice amongst ladder competitions that allows participants that failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round.- Types of repechage :...

, meaning that they have the chance to stay in the competition. The knock-out rounds of the competition proceed until two teams are left to race against each other in the Final.

Problems

A regatta of novice crews clearly has potential problems. During the course of the regatta, several races have to be stopped once they have started due to novice crews becoming stranded within the racing lanes. Also, at this time in Michaelmas, weather is often not especially agreeable. It is generally quite cold and often raining, with the result that the river can be higher and faster than is perhaps ideal. The regatta in 2006 had to be cancelled two days in because of the river's condition.
The entire regatta was cancelled in 2000 and 2007 for the same reason.