Tag Archives: University of Virginia

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.

Championship Sunday at the 129th Royal Canadian Henley

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Some love on Rowing News: http://rowingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=432:championship-sunday-olympians-finish-out-finals-at-129th-royal-canadian-henley&catid=34

The "A" Team: (Left to Right: Carli Goldberg, Anna Kobayashi, Meghan O'Leary, Cara Linnenkohl)
Championship Podium for the Senior Women's 4x

Ohh Canada!

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It’s Wednesday of the 129th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in St. Catharine’s, Ontario and I’ve just finished “Breakfast for Dinner” with my teammates for the week. We’re resting and hanging out tonight, looking forward to sleeping in past 530am, as our first race isn’t until nearly 1pm tomorrow. A treat.

After Club National Championships a few weeks ago, a group of University of Virginia rowers-2 of them being the double that put my composite double in 2nd place in Indy-and I decided to put some boats together and see what we could bring to Canada. Under the Sarasota Crew lineup, we’ve put together a Senior Women’s 2x, a Senior Women’s 4x, and I entered the Senior Women 1x and Championship 1x.

I raced my Senior 1x Heat yesterday. Managed to pull out a 2nd place finish by less than a second off first. Truly, I should have had the “1″ spot but as I have a few times this year already, decided to make things “interesting” at the end. I had been battling with the left (starboard) buoy line the entire race. Coming into the last 300 or so meters, I was in the lead by close to a boat length but after hitting a couple buoys with my starboard oar, the Buenos Aires woman in lane 3 next to me had nearly caught up to me. It wasn’t until I hit that final buoy that sent my starboard oar handle sailing out of my hands that I realized I may have given up more than just the lead. In this particular race, the top 3 advance to semis, so I just needed to remain in the top 3…but flipping my boat would most certainly make that difficult.

It was a surreal moment feeling the handle slip out of my fingers, looking down and literally saying to myself, “that shouldn’t be there” as I watched the oar fly further out of my reach. Calmly, I slid back up to the catch and grabbed hold of the handle and continued to row toward the finish line. By this time, the Buenos Aires rower had a boat length on me. I was still in 2nd and unless I truly flipped my boat, had secured a top 3 spot. I just needed to finish the race. Being the persistent (some say stubborn) competitor that I am, I worked my way up and finished just inches-less than a second-behind her. What a way to start the regatta.

Going into today’s Senior 1x Semifinal in which only top 2 advance to the Final, I knew my chances were slim. I had a strong field and what I predict will be the 1st and 2nd place finishes in the Final tomorrow afternoon. I decided to stay conservative on my start, coming out 2nd to last off the start but fought my way back, walking through two boats by the 1000-meter line. Realizing that the 1 and 2 spots were going to be nearly impossible for me to catch, I had a gut check moment. I could take it down and just finish the race, “saving my energy” for the remaining races I had in the week, or I could fight for 3rd and put myself in the position to take advantage of any mistakes the 1 and 2 boats made (probably not as drastic as I had the day before, but you never know). So, I fought. It is interesting the conversations you have with yourself while racing. I imagine it’s much like the distance runner or sprinter. There comes a point when you are faced with that all important decision: to go or not to go? You’re tired, you may not be feeling 100 percent, you’re starting to cramp, you won’t win, etc. The reasons could go on and on. Just Go. I started a boat length behind and within 300 meters had walked on the woman in 3rd to put myself two boat lengths now ahead of her. Of course finishing 3rd wasn’t as great as advancing to the Finals, but it felt a lot better knowing I put everything I had into that race. I raced my race.

Now on to the Senior Women’s 2x tomorrow…

28 hours and 1544 miles in the car, 4 medals later…

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When I really should have been making last minute preparations for two full days of meetings and presentations for my “day job”, I procrastinated a little bit longer and mapquested just how far I drove and how long I had been in the car for the past 10 days. The sum: well over 28 hours and somewhere in the 1500 miles range. From my apartment in Farmington, Connecticut to a weekend training on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, to the USRowing Club National Championships in Indianapolis, and finally to Charlotte, NC for two days of ESPN meetings, it has been quite the roadtrip.

While in “windy Indy” I managed to snag 2 Bronze and 2 Silver in the 4 events I competed in (Bronze in Intermediate 4x and Intermediate 1x, Silver in Intermediate 2x and Senior 1x). I am most proud of that Silver in the Senior 1x — managed to beat out one of the women who put me in 3rd for the Intermediate 1x the day before (and technically, Senior 1x is the better race). Redemption. It was a great week — lots of racing (11 2Ks total), some races better than others. But the goal was to get my strokes in and try and come away in the top 3 in as many races as I could. Goal(s) achieved. The roadtrip continues.

Besser jeden tag.

Women's 1x and fellow Virginia Wahoos!

“Click Here to Register for Rowing”

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That is literally how this all began. I Googled “rowing+Hartford” and came across Riverfront Recapture. Therein began a journey that quickly turned my life upside down-or right-side up-depending on your perspective.

To be fair, my interest in rowing was born quite sometime earlier, 4-5 years to be more exact. I attended the wonderful and prestigious University of Virginia where I was a dual-sport athlete in Volleyball and Softball for a couple of years. After injury and realizing I also wanted time to experience some of the other enriching things college had to offer, I chose to finish the rest of my athletic career in just one sport, continuing in softball. As a tall (I’m about 6’0), athletic female wandering around on Grounds, it’s no surprise that the Women’s Varsity Rowing Coach, Kevin Sauer had always given me a hard time that I should quit playing around in the dirt and come try out the water. Perhaps part of me regrets not listening to him at the time, but the seed was planted.

After a short year and half stint working as a production assistant at the ESPNU production hub in Charlotte, North Carolina I found myself taking a promotion and change over to ESPN Programming, moving to the ESPN headquarters in Connecticut. As far as I knew, New England was the Rowing Mecca.

After a depressing winter of cold snow and ice, I was craving the outdoors, fierce competition and the camaraderie of the team environment I had come to know as a way of life…thus, the Google search. Prior to utilizing the powers of Google, I had begun screwing around on the ERG at the gym and realized 1. I liked it (weird, who likes the erg?) and 2. in my own humble, yet slightly egotistical way, felt that I could possibly “be good” at this rowing thing if I gave it a fair try.

So in July 2010, I ventured down to the Riverfront Recapture Boathouse and began my dance with sculling and the Connecticut River. After taking two 3-4 week sessions of sculling and then sweep rowing lessons, by late August I was recruited to the Riverfront Women’s Master’s Racing Team. After winning my first race in a quad-okay I admit it, I “crabbed” (when the oar catches the water funny or your hands slip…as if you “caught a crab” with your oar) a couple of times-I was hooked. It was the perfect formula: adrenaline, competition, an unbelievable workout (pulling a 2K is possibly the worst pain induced by physical exertion I’ve ever felt) and despite what some people may think, it is arguably “the team sport” of sports. Rowing quickly became an addiction, and in a short few months has become a large part of my everyday life.