MIKE CONNORS

Regatta Director

CHATTANOOGA JUNIORS & LOOKOUT ROWING CLUB

Chattanooga, TN

Rowing in a sense is learning to do lot of hard work to achieve goals; you put in the time and hope you’ll be successful.

How did you get started with rowing and the Hooch?

I started rowing in college in 1977 at the US Merchant Marine Academy. Then went on to row at the New York Athletic Club. My first experience helping to run a regatta was in Florida in 1987, a very small, one-and-done Head Race. I started the Chattanooga Head Race in 1993 and ended up running it for about 25 years, but it being only a few weeks before the Hooch, it was a lot, so we retired the Chattanooga Head Race in 2017.

I competed in the Hooch most years between 1987 and 2004. I moved away for a couple of years in 2004, but advised on the Chattanooga Head Race remotely until I returned in 2007. At that time, I assumed the role of Regatta Safety Coordinator for the Hooch, a position I held through 2019. I enjoyed being the Safety Coordinator, working with the Police & Fire Departments, EMTs, US Coast Guard, county & state officials, first aid, ambulance, water rescue, etc.

I took over as the Regatta Director in 2020, after the passing of Daniel Wolff and just as COVID was starting. That first year, we had to figure out how to do a virtual Hooch – that was interesting and challenging. I’m much more in my element organizing a regatta on the water. While we still host a virtual Hooch each year, we’ve been back on the water ever since.

What does the Regatta Director do?

With the committed group of volunteers we have, it’s primarily making sure everyone has what they need to get their area of responsibility done. We hold Hooch Organize Committee meetings, but honestly not too many of those, we work on an exception basis. We assume everything is going well and focus on what might not be coming together as planned and work to find resources and resolve any issues. With the seasoned team we have there’s no need to do more.

Then on Regatta Weekend, if we’ve done our job, everything flows, and we deal with any issues that arise and troubleshoot accordingly.

What makes a good Regatta?

We couldn’t do what we do without the long-standing support of the City of Chattanooga, Hamilton County and specifically Chattanooga Tourism/Chattanooga Sports and all of our sponsors, especially our new title sponsor The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).  Everyone gets behind the Hooch.

On regatta weekend, the number one thing that makes a great Regatta, is good weather, unfortunately we have no control over that. If there is little current, no wind and a beautiful 70-degree day, then everything else seems to fall in place.  

There are 300-600 boats out on the water at any given time during a Regatta, so being very aware of changing conditions and potentially upcoming weather concerns and how fast that can change is essential. It takes time to get boats off the water and that’s a lot of people to be responsible for.

Favorite part of the Hooch?

Organizing and running this event can be tedious and overwhelming at times, and then it all comes together and you see the delight on the rowers, coaches, parents and volunteer’s faces, and you know it was all worth it. Everyone that works the Hooch has a great attitude, and it helps make a memorable experience for all while they are there.

Any pre or post Hooch rituals?

Unofficially the Thursday before the Head of the Hooch, a group of us get together for dinner, it’s like the calm before the storm that brings us together.

This could be a throwback from my Safety days but my morning ritual during the Hooch is to drive to start line, the boat house near the middle of the course, a couple different points along the river and just check the river conditions and weather to get an idea of if the day is starting good or if I need to get in front of anything. It can be very calming or terrifying!

What has rowing meant to you in your life?

I do it to give back to a sport that gave me so much – a lot of success in my life is due to the experiences I had around rowing. Rowing in a sense is learning to do a lot of hard work to achieve goals; you put in the time and hope you’ll be successful. Working the Hooch gives me an opportunity to continue the tradition of what rowing gave to me, and pass it on to others.

Friendship and comradery are huge with rowing. Rowing has given me my lifelong friends. People that I see only once a year at the Hooch and we are able to just pick up where we left off. True friends with true bonds, the kind of people that I know I could pick up a phone and say I need you here and they’d show up.

Any big changes over the last few years or upcoming changes to look forward to?

Last year we partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – a better sponsor partnership couldn’t exist. TVA is the water authority in Chattanooga and our sport is all about the water. This partnership has given us the opportunity to do more, replace some aging assets and get more involved in the Chattanooga community.