HANOVER — Hanover High School’s girls crew team left Sunday for England to compete against 25 other teams from the United States, the United Kingdom and other international teams.

This is the first time a Hanover rowing team has made the trip to the Henley Women’s Regatta, which is held on the River Thames annually in Henley, England, and dates back to 1988.

“It’s very surreal to have this opportunity, especially through a public high school crew program, and there are so many people we have to thank that allowed us to be able to go on this trip,” graduating senior Hannah Boone said at practice last Friday.

Hanover High crew coach and Principal Julie Stevenson, who competed in the Henley during her sophomore year at Dartmouth College in 1992, said Friday she was looking forward to traveling with the 11-member team, eight of whom graduated on Friday evening before leaving for England.

“Just to have that experience and open that world to them and to realize all the rowing that’s happening everywhere,” Stevenson said.

The team has this week to practice and prepare for the Henley-specific style race. The way the race is conducted is different from what the team is typically accustomed to.

Teams will compete in time trials to qualify for the Henley. The time trials are done by starting at speed and racing for 1,500 meters with a new crew beginning every 30 seconds. This is different from the way the girls are accustomed to rowing, which is with all boats racing side by side and starting together from a stop.

Another difference at The Henley is that coaches don’t have the ability to be on the water with the crew. Instead, coaches often bike along the river bank and communicate from land.

If the girls make it through the time trials by placing in the top eight, they will continue on in the competition.

“You want to feel like they’ll at least be competitive enough to make it to the next round, versus stop at the time trial. And we feel like their times were fast this year, so we feel like they have potential to move on,” Stevenson said.

At New Englands this year, the team had three boats competing. The Bears’ first boat placed seventh, the second boat came in eighth and the third boat placed third.

The team also had a successful season last year but didn’t make plans to travel.

Last year at New Englands, the team finished higher than ever in the history of Hanover crew, placing second and qualifying for nationals that were to be held in Sarasota, Fla., just a couple weeks later, coinciding with graduation weekend.

“Last year the girls had their best finish at New England’s (that) they ever had,” Stevenson said. “The top three boats, they all medaled. … We hadn’t even thought that was possible and so we hadn’t made any plans, and it was right at graduation weekend, and we just decided … it’s too crazy.”

Stevenson and her co-coach, Fred Chessman, of Thetford, didn’t want the team, who were mostly juniors at the time, to miss out on the opportunity of competing in a higher level regatta.

“We said, ‘We would rather take you to have an experience internationally or just a different type of experience.’ So we said, ‘Maybe if you guys are doing well next year, we can consider doing Henley,’ ” Stevenson said.

This week, the girls will be aiming to hit a time of under five minutes for a 1,500-meter race, Cressman explained on Friday before a practice. The record held at Henley is 4:46.

As the race is held on River Thames, a natural body of water, teams are up against elements like wind, current and even water temperature.

But the girls are looking forward to the challenge.

“I know I’m really fired up along with every other girl in the boat, and I just think everyone is so deserving of this, and I really am excited to race hard,” Boone said.

The Henley Women’s Regatta takes place Friday through Sunday.

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Laura Koes can be reached at Laurakoesjournalism@gmail.com.