The 34th annual Head of the Charles regatta took place this past weekend in Boston, as clear blue skies and calm winds graced the 3.2-mile course. The regatta is the largest two-day rowing event in the world, attracting over 5,400 athletes and more than 300,000 spectators this year alone.
Tufts sent crews to compete in the Youth Eights Men, Club Eights Women, and Lightweight Eights Women. The Jumbos also entered teams in the Lightweight Eights Women and the Club Eights Men divisions under the name of the Mystic Valley Rowing Association. In such an event where seeding is not recorded, and the emphasis is on the opportunity to compete, all five crews gained valuable experience from the weekend's races.
The Club Eights women competed in a field of 73 teams. They started out as the 37th team based on last year's results and finished the event in 54th with a time of 20:52.52. This was a strong finish for the team, as it was only two minutes behind the Riverside Boat Club, the top finisher at 18:20.16.
The Lightweight Eights women started in the 15th position in a field of 23 and finished the event in 17th with a time of 20:16.38.
Although the Lightweight Eights squad finished with a time comparable to the Club Eights women, its time was farther from the lead. The leader of the Lightweight Eight event was ARCO training center from California, finishing with a time of 16:58.49, over three minutes ahead of Tufts. The performance indicated that the Lightweight Eights squad may have a few aspects to sharpen before it begins what is expected to be a solid spring.
Tufts also had entered a Mystic Valley Rowing Association squad in the Lightweight Eights Women race. This crew finished four spots behind the first Tufts team, in 21st place, with a time of 21:20.64.
The Youth Eights men competed in a field of 45 crews. They started in 41st, but improved their ranking, finishing in the 39th slot with a time of 18:05.39. This was a little more than two minutes apart from the Charles River Rowing Association, which won the event with a time of 15:45.49. The men opened up the race strong for the first two miles, but struggled in the final turn. Coming around that turn, Tufts locked oars with Clemson and the situation intensified. With each team trying to maintain its ground, the athletes seemed to be encouraged by the competition and stepped it up to another level. Tufts ultimately surpassed Clemson but, more importantly, the team surpassed its own expectations.
"We learned that we race faster than we thought," coach Ted Benford said. Benford is looking for his team to spend more time in that "second gear" in the future.
In the Club Eights men, the Mystic Valley Rowing Association team finished with a time of 17:24.07, which was good enough to place 32nd out of 78 teams. The time was very impressive, as it was approximately within one minute of the leader, Harvard University. Harvard claimed the event with a time of 16:20.80.
The Head of the Charles is a very tough event to coach because of the inability to communicate with the athletes during the competition. The fact that all three crews had a successful day is therefore indicative of strong teamwork. The seniors and juniors provided the technical capabilities and leadership, but it was the desire and competitive spirit of the sophomores that helped carry the team. As the upper and underclassmen worked together, they fed off each other and became one unit. The experience of the weekend brought the teams closer and was yet another step towards a successful spring.
The men maintained a 20-second differential among league opponents Trinity, Wesleyan, and Bates, a good sign of a competitive spring to come. The team will be looking to set up scrimmages and events along the way to prepare for the challenge.
The next major competition for the team will come in the February indoor rowing championships. The Head of the Charles provided the individual squads with a better perspective of the competition they will face in their rapidly approaching spring season.
