There is no bigger stage for a rower than this weekend's Head of the Charles regatta.
Since its inception in 1965, the regatta has grown into one of the most popular annual events in Boston. This weekend, over 7,500 rowers will compete in the race, and 250,000 spectators are expected to line the shores of the Charles River.
"It's a fun day, a day that everybody looks forward to," coach Jay Britt said. "It's a day that the sport can really shine, and we can bask in that a little bit. It's not every day that we can row in front of a quarter-million people."
"It's the biggest head race regatta in the world," junior co-captain Nahv Etedali said. "There are a bunch of different states and countries represented, and it's amazing to be a part of it. The whole rowing world comes to Boston for a weekend. It's the culmination of our season."
As the fall season draws to a close, the Jumbos will use this weekend as a measuring stick, as they race against some of the world's best rowers.
"We're going to use Head of the Charles as a measurement of where we are as a gauge for the spring season," senior co-captain Matt Diffey said.
The Charles race course will provide some unique challenges for the Jumbos' four and eight boats, which will race on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Perhaps more than any other race, the regatta can be impacted by the course a coxswain steers. Sharp curves and the large number of boats make the coxswain's job particularly difficult, as the Jumbos learned well last year. During its last trip to the Head of the Charles, Tufts' varsity eight fell victim to the course's difficulties when it collided with another crew during its race.
Additionally, the unusually large number of spectators will put a greater pressure on the crew to perform.
"There's a tendency to be shocked when you're out there, because you usually don't have to worry about distractions [on other courses]," Diffey said. "Our focus has to be on the boat.
"On the Charles, there are always things happening," he continued. "You're passing [other crews], going through bridges; there a million things going on. The secret is to stay composed. All the guys in our boat are experienced, and we can handle it if problems do arise."
Though the varsity four's lineup hasn't changed since last weekend's win at Lake Quinsigamond, Britt has switched coxswains between the four and the eight. Freshman Josh Aschheim, who was previously with the four, will move to the eight this weekend.
"Josh did a tremendous job last week, especially with the conditions that we had," Britt said. "He had a bit of an education in racing, but he learned on the fly and did a good job."
Junior Vanessa Garcia, who moved over from the women's team to cox the eight last week, will move into the four. Though the switch was made because of a prearranged rotation, it can't hurt the Jumbo squad to have a more experienced coxswain in the boat.
"She's been doing a great job," Etedali said of Garcia. "[Wednesday] in practice she nailed one of the tough turns. Coxswains have a huge impact on the Head of the Charles."
Despite Tufts' success this season, the team needs a successful showing this weekend to come away from the 2007 season satisfied.
"I want them to row their race as well as they can and come off the water knowing that they've rowed as best they can," Britt said. "I'm looking for them to discover a little bit more about themselves, and how they race. I want them to be satisfied with how they raced."
