Tag Archives: Boston

50th Head of the Charles

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2014 University of Virginia Alumni Women's 8+. Photo credit: Mary Nilan
2014 University of Virginia Alumni Women’s 8+. Photo credit: Mary Nilan

A couple of weekends ago (October 18-19th) marked the 50th Anniversary of the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR). Like thousands of other loyal, devoted rowers I made the pilgrimage with my partner, Ellen Tomek to Boston to take part in this annual celebration. The Head of the Charles is the world’s largest two-day rowing event. Attracting over 11,000 athletes and nearly half a million spectators, this regatta is basically the Super Bowl of rowing.

This year I raced the Women’s Alumni 8+ on Saturday and the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Quad event on Sunday. These events are very much fun races for me and a great way to enjoy the weekend away from the pressures of everyday training for the women’s double. Just because they are “fun” does not mean they aren’t competitive. The Women’s Alumni 8+ has become especially fierce with several former and current National Teamers returning to race the Charles with their respective alumni boats.

For the past two years I have been fortunate enough to have an honorary seat in the University of Virginia Women’s Alumni boat, even though I was not a rower at UVA (I was a volleyball and softball athlete). Since the inception of the alumni races in 2009, UVA has won three Head of the Charles gold medals. Last year we beat the reigning champs, the University of Michigan, in addition to crushing their course record set the previous year. It was an awesome race, but I knew the Blue would be out for blood this year…and they got it.

UVA Alumni 8+ lineup (L-R): Meghan O'Leary, Molly Baker, Chrissie Monaghan, Kelsie Chaudoin, Sidney Thorsten, Christine O'Brien, Keziah Beall, Libby McCann, Melanie Kok.
UVA Alumni 8+ lineup (L-R): Meghan O’Leary, Molly Baker, Chrissie Monaghan, Kelsie Chaudoin, Sidney Thorsten, Christine O’Brien, Keziah Beall, Libby McCann, Melanie Kok.

Michigan stacked their boat full of National Team athletes, including my partner Ellen (which makes this ongoing rivalry all the more interesting). I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we had our share of former and current National Team athletes in the Virginia boat as well. Their coxswain steered a flawless course and they crushed us (and our 2013 course record) by a solid 18 seconds. We had to settle for second place out of 42 entries. Not too shabby, although I might still be a little bitter about the smack talking that went down as Michigan passed us in the last few meters before the finish line….

This year was also the second year I raced with Beat Cancer Boat Club in the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Quad event. My teammates and friends Brian Tryon, Mike Sivigny, and Michelle Nielsen came together last year to race in honor of all who have faced cancer and most especially for Brian’s wife, Pam Besteman, breast cancer survivor and founder of BCBC. Sunday was a blustery day with a prevailing headwind which made conditions slower and more difficult. We had a decent race, putting up the second fastest overall time and placing 4th with the age handicap-those dang handicaps.

Beat Cancer Boat Club in the Directors' Challenge Mixed Quad.
Beat Cancer Boat Club in the Directors’ Challenge Mixed Quad. Photo credit: Robert Best

On top of being the largest two-day regatta, the Charles weekend has become the ultimate rowing reunion. For a few days, the city is literally overrun by giant, athletic men and women. As this was my fifth Head of the Charles to attend and fourth to race, the weekend has become an annual tradition and staple in my schedule. In my four short years of rowing, I’ve been lucky to have made friends and met so many great people from all over the country and world. I love heading to Boston, knowing I’ll get to see some old faces and probably make a new friend or two.

The Monday following HOCR, Ellen and I caught a 6am flight all the way back to Oklahoma City in time to get in two training sessions. Just like that, the “row-cation” was over. While I was utterly exhausted from the weekend and travel, I couldn’t help but feel rejuvenated in a way. While in Boston, I had the chance to reconnect with several of the people who played a big part in getting me to where I am today: from the Master’s women who I first rowed with at Riverfront Recapture, to Pam and Brian who literally taught me how to carry my first single, to the UVA coaches who continue to support me in so many ways even though I was never one of their athletes, and to my fellow National Team athletes scattered around the country who continue to inspire me to work harder every day. The good lucks, hugs of support, and congratulatory pats on the back really do go a long way, and I left the weekend revived and recharged, ready to take on a long, tough winter of training to prepare for next summer’s Olympic qualification.

Every Day Counts.

49th Head of the Charles Recap

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Eliot Bridge, Charles River

Ah, the Head of the Charles. The world’s largest regatta brings together nearly 10,000 athletes from 37 different states and 23 countries and over 400,000 spectators across two days of competition. People from all over the world converge on the city of Boston to watch over 2,000 boats in 55 different events make the winding 3-mile trek through seven bridges on the Charles River, hopefully finishing in one piece and a little bit faster than all of the other boats. To put it in layman’s terms to the non-rower, it’s the Super Bowl of rowing.

The 49th Head of the Charles Regatta (Oct. 19-20) marked my fourth time attending and third time racing the regatta. My first HOCR race was the fall of 2010 when I had just picked up rowing. I barreled down the course in a coxed four (4+) competing in the Women’s Club Fours division as a member of the Riverfront Recapture rowing club, based out of Hartford, Conn. That’s a long ways away from the 2013 World Championships I competed in this year as a member of the United States National Team. Humble beginnings.

As I have become a more experienced HOCR racer and attendee, I quickly found that returning to Boston for the Head of the Charles is like having a high school or college reunion every year. The rowing world is small and feels very much like a tight-knit family; but for one weekend, we take over the city of Boston and make rowing feel like a pretty big deal. There are actually spectators! And lots of them! Outside of the World Cups or World Championships, this is the biggest race and for many it is the biggest race. From pre-teens to veteran rowers well into their 80s, the Head of the Charles is the ultimate regatta. The fact that Olympians, junior rowers and master’s rowers share the same race course for a weekend is part of what makes the weekend so special.

DCM4x Beat Cancer Boat Club (L-R: Michelle Nielsen, Mike Sivigny, Meghan O'Leary, Brian Tryon)
DCM4x Beat Cancer Boat Club (L-R: Michelle Nielsen, Mike Sivigny, Meghan O’Leary, Brian Tryon)

This year I competed with the University of Virginia in the alumnae 8+ event on Saturday, and with “Beat Cancer Boat Club” in the Director’s Challenge mixed quad (DCM4x) event on Sunday afternoon. Going into the weekend, I thought racing two events would be awesome. And then you race in your first event and realize how much it’s going to hurt the next time. Nevertheless, it still ended up being pretty awesome. UVa won the alumnae 8+ and we managed to set a new course record, I might add. This was an especially cool experience for me since I didn’t actually row for Virginia (I played softball and volleyball at UVa). Beat Cancer Boat Club placed 2nd in the DCM4x, but posted the fastest raw time in the event. Age handicapping put another boat ahead of us by three seconds. It was a blast racing for a good cause and with some of my good friends I don’t get to see all too often.

Outside of my personal experience, this year’s Head of the Charles saw some fast times and great races. Twenty new course records were set on Saturday with racers taking advantage of the fast conditions. The women’s championship eight event saw a tight race between the 2013 world champion U.S. Women’s Eight and the Great Eight filled with some of the world’s top scullers, stroked by U.S. single sculler, Eleanor Logan. The Great Eight came out on top, edging the U.S. Women’s Eight by 1.2 seconds. In the men’s championship eight event, the Dutch national team finished 1.48 seconds ahead of the U.S. Men’s National Team eight to win their first HOCR title in history.

University of Virginia Alumni 8+ HOCR Champions and new course record holder.
University of Virginia Alumni 8+ HOCR Champions and new course record holder.

In the women’s championship single event, Kate Bertko crossed the line 2.5 seconds ahead of 2012 U.S. Olympic single sculler and 4-time HOCR winner Gevvie Stone, to set a new course record of 18:33.015. In the men’s championship single event, Norwegian Double Sculls 2013 World Champion, Kjetil Borch won in a blazing time of 17:12.313, also setting a new course record.

The weather was beautiful all weekend and aside from the windy and less than fast conditions on Sunday, it was perfect weather for fall rowing. It was great to see friends-old and new-and come together with thousands of other people who share the same passion for a sport so foreign to others. I know I can speak for thousands of other rowers around the world when I say that I’m already looking forward to next year’s annual pilgrimage to Boston for the Head of the Charles.

Every Day Counts.

RACE DAY: The Waiting Game

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There is something torturing about having a midafternoon race. As a rower, you’re used to the early morning routine. Wakeup. Eat. Train. Eat. All well before 10am. On a race day that involves a 3:17pm race time, this disrupts the schedule of both the body and mind.

I woke up early, stared at the ceiling for a while. Fixed some oatmeal, began hydrating, and sat quietly on the air mattress I’ve been sleeping on the past couple of nights trying not to disturb the other house guests. I’ve come to learn that the Head of the Charles serves as a reunion weekend for many high school, college, and club teammates all making the trek to the Rowing Mecca that is Boston on Head of the Charles weekend, whether it is for competition or just to revisit the memories of when they were an oarsman/woman. My doubles partner graduated from Boston University and lives in Boston, so is hosting a few of her college teammates. It is also customary for doubles partners to stay together the week/weekend of a race. Not having been a part of the college rowing scene, I’ve enjoyed getting a glimpse of the reunion experience through her and her friends.

I now find myself fidgeting, surfing the Internet watching inspirational sports videos, and mentally running through the Charles course-the build into the start of the race, every stroke, nailing the turn at the Weeks Bridge, passing boats, and the sprint at the end, finishing strong. I’ve glanced down at my watch a hundred times, unpacked and repacked my racing gear in my backpack, and checked the Head of the Charles website a dozen times even though I’ve memorized the lineup for the Women’s Champ Double.

I’m antsy from tapering the past few days and ready to empty it all out over the 3-mile course. I welcome the pain that I know I’ll feel in just a few hours…

47th Head of the Charles

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Working for ESPN does have its perks…check out this feature put together for ESPNBoston.com promoting the 47th Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA this weekend. I had a lot of fun working with the producer, Stacy Gitlin who also rows in the Hartford, CT area. Kudos to her for braving the rain and early morning to shoot the footage…

http://espn.go.com/boston/video/clip?id=7130375&categoryid=4410351

This will be my second time to race the Head of the Charles, one of-if not the-largest regattas in the world. I think it’s where I was first “hooked” into racing (last year I was in a Club Four with Riverfront).

This year, I’m racing in the Women’s Champ Double on Saturday (3:17pm, Bow #8) with Frederique Garnier out of Union Boat Club. It’s our first time in a boat together, but should be a good race. On Sunday, I’ve been thrown into the Director’s Challenge Women’s Quad (10:03am, Bow #5) with three other women hailing from Connecticut and Washington, D.C. The weather forecast looks solid, and there’s something wonderful about Boston in the fall. It’s going to be a great weekend.

Check out live coverage of select races on Saturday and Sunday at www.espnboston.com