Carrying the torch of tradition, the organisers of this year’s Regatta are ready to trade months of work for one day of festivities

For most students, Regatta is a one-day event, where you can party hard from morning until late afternoon. Some people party so hard they don't even have time to follow the race itself. The toughest students keep it going at unofficial after-parties in the kitchens of the University Park dorms. This year, the sailors will compete for the coveted Golden Bedpan and nothing less but the honour of the entire university on Friday 25 April.

For the members of the university’s party committees and especially the two organisers, Alex Umbi Bolding Loesch and Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen, months of preparation go into this one day. The two medical students became acquainted in the autumn of 2023 when they joined the Umbilicus board. Just 1.5 years later, they practically live together in Umbilicus' basement meeting room at Medicinerhuset on Ole Worms Allé, where Regatta planning runs non-stop.

The pair didn't start the planning from scratch all by themselves. The first official Regatta was held in 1991, so a huge amount of practical knowledge, routines and traditions are already in place.

“Each year, the delivery of information has improved, so there's a guide for the most challenging tasks," says Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen.

Not only former members of the Umbilicus Executive Committee and the many other party committees are helpful.

"The electricians, building managers and gardeners know the Regatta very well and they help us a lot," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen says.

"We're doing it for the first time. They might be doing it for the tenth year, so it's a huge help to have them," he says.

Despite fixed agreements and templates, organisers have room to put their own stamp on the event. They personally select the hosts and musical artists.

"We look ourselves and each other in the eye and ask what we want to bring to the event," says Alex Umbi Bolding Loesch.

However, we get no closer to knowing what the mirror on the wall has revealed to the duo. They look secretively at each other when asked what new initiatives they bring to the table.

Last year's Regatta featured a new initiative with pre-ordered drinks for collection in the University Park, so students didn't have to commute between the supermarket and the Regatta.

The organisers select this year's sailors and judges based on both official and unofficial applications. How the unofficial applications are executed is difficult for the two organisers to explain to an outsider.

"It's a bit like an overgrown pub crawl," says Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen.

Everything from videos, songs and homemade escape rooms has been thrown their way.

But only one thing really matters. Commitment.

"It proves to us that the committees really want to do it," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen says.

"Commitment can be a difficult thing to measure. The amount of time invested might be a good marker," he says.

Saturday 1 March marked the date when the associations began their well-known hakke-snurre-sejle training on the lake in the University Park. Once again, the keyword is commitment. Spending two months downing lukewarm Ceres beers on an ice-cold lake requires just that.

"The Regatta is a tribute to the volunteer efforts and social life at Aarhus University," says Alex Umbi Bolding Loesch.

"We've taken seven months out of our lives to do this," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen adds.

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EXPLAINER: Hakke-snurre-sejle is a training method used by teams preparing for the Regatta at Aarhus University. The name refers to the three stages of the race:

Hakke (Chug) – Drinking the beer as quickly as possible.
Snurre (Spin) – Spinning around a bottle.
Sejle (Sail) – Canoeing back to shore.

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Alex Umbi Bolding Loesch understands commitment to his organisation. As the sharp-eyed reader might have noticed, he has changed his middle name to Umbi. And yes, that's his government name now. However, he would not recommend it to others.

“It's expensive," he says.

Can we expect you, Bjarke, to change your last name? For example, to Bedpan?

"I'm just Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen as always," he says.

Most students look at party committee members and figure they must be wired differently to train for the Regatta, organise parties and Friday bars, and still be up for after-parties until the early hours.

"It's no secret that our alcohol consumption is probably slightly above average. We'll have a few beers here and there," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen says.

But at the Regatta, the party committees are usually the ones who keep their hands off the beer crate.

"All party committees provide sober monitors to help on the day," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen says. 

"On this day, the roles are a bit reversed," he adds.

For the two organisers, the day is a bit like throwing your own party. It’s difficult to kick back and relax. Already, the nervousness is starting to show in the pair.  

"I really hope we can enjoy the day," Bjarke Bruun Lauritzen says.

“What if something goes wrong? There won’t be! But what if something does?", Alex Umbi Bolding Loesch says.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Cecillia Jensen.