Over the fall break, members of both the men’s and women’s crew teams headed to Boston, Mass., to compete in the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR).
“The Head of the Charles marks the height of fall racing,” said Ava Miller-Lewis ’17.
The HOCR, which began in 1965, is one of the world’s largest two-day regattas, attracting people from all over the world to come watch and compete.
The men’s team had a total of three boats racing. The men’s Club Four boat had a solid performance, placing 17th out of 52. While in the past the Cards have not typically raced in this event, their successful finish in the top half of competitors guarantees them a place in the club four for next year’s HOCR.
“In the Collegiate Four, the results were about on par with how the [team] has done in the past,” said Captain Ethan Currie ’15.
The boat started with a bow number of 14 and placed 20th out of 44. Since they also finished in the top half, the team will have a place in this race next year as well.
The final men’s boat racing was in the Collegiate Eight. Last year the Cards took 5th place, earning them the bow number of five for this year. This year, however, the boat only came in 20th out of 44.
“We had one of our better pieces, but we were fairly disappointed to find out we got 20th place, especially having done so well last year,”’ Currie said.
Regardless, the boat still pre-qualified for next year.
Despite this disheartening finish, the team walked away from the HOCR with an understanding of the hard work they will need to put in to succeed in the future.
“This is a good starting point for the winter season, showing us the task that lays ahead and informing the new guys the level of competition we race at,” said Captain Ben Record ’15.
In addition, the men’s team is still having issues with injuries, which they hope to overcome before the spring season starts.
“Because of some injuries in my boat, we only had about three practices with the actual lineup for our race,” said Teddy Shadek ’18, who rowed in the men’s club four. “Hopefully by the spring everyone will be a lot more settled, and each boat will be much more prepared to compete.”
The women’s team only brought one boat to the regatta, racing in the women’s Collegiate Eight. The women’s boat actually did as expected. With a bow number of 13, the boat placed 13th out of 30. This qualifies them for the event next year.
This coming Saturday, both the men’s and women’s teams will head to Saratoga, N.Y., to compete in the Head of the Fish, before heading indoors for the winter to prepare for the spring season.