Along a treacherously twisting and narrow three-mile course in the heart of Boston, the women’s crew team finished 43rd at the Head of the Charles Regatta Sunday, clocking in at 19:01.69.
Racing at the Charles for the first time in two years, the Cardinals’ varsity collegiate eight competed against 58 other teams at an event that included everyone from high school squads to adult master rowers to teams from Cambridge to Beijing.
“It was really great; a really strong race,” coxswain and co-captain Amy Nebenhaus ’07 said. “When we stepped off the water, a lot of people said that it was one of the most fun races they’ve ever been in.”
The Cardinals were consistently powerful through the first two miles of the course, picking up power and passing another crew with one mile to go, a highlight of the race.
“That was definitely nice motivation,” said Linnea Damer ’10, one of two freshmen who rowed Sunday.
Staying close to the Cardinals the entire time was the team from the University of Michigan; however, the Wolverines were held off each time they made a push to pass Wes.
“In a race like that you can’t always worry about what other teams are doing,” said co-captain Deirdre Salsich ’07. “You’re going against the clock, so you don’t know [how you’re doing] during the race; you just have to concentrate.”
Other crews did pass the Cards over the course, but they never seemed to impact team morale.
“No one was able to walk through the boat very easily,” Nebenhaus said. “And no one really let that affect them.”
The sinuous Charles course proved to be as much of a challenge as the other crews. With tight turns, several bridges, and tons of other teams, Nebenhaus’s maneuvering and steering was crucial.
“Amy steered a really great course,” Salsich said.
Though the team did not finish in the top half, as is often its goal, the overall standings were not indicative of the strong performance that the boat members felt they delivered.
“The competition was really deep, and we feel we were up there with some of the strongest teams,” Salsich said. “I felt like we kept the focus in our boat and moved the boat as best we know how.”
Racing at a world-class regatta like the Charles was worth it for some, no matter the overall finish of the race.
“It’s a big honor just to be invited to the Head of the Charles,” Salsich said.
With over 7,500 athletes competing in 26 events, according to the official website, the Head of the Charles was completely new to all but three members of Sunday’s boat.
“It was incredible—we went out to practice and the river was just full of boats,” Damer said.
The team will close out the fall season this Saturday at the Head of the Fish in Saratoga, New York. Salsich and Nebenhaus hope to keep up the kind of success the team has had thus far in preparation for both the upcoming training season and beyond.
“I think so far we’ve had a really successful fall season. We wanted to improve technically and get some good racing in, and I feel we’re doing that,” Salsich said.
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