Men's crew strokes ahead at Head of the Charles

Lightweights were outstanding and heavyweights were mediocre against top collegiate crews

By David Lisson

PATRICK MCGARVEY/YH The lightweight eight captured top collegiate honors at the HEad of the Charles on Sun., Oct 23.

As the lightweight crew team entered the Head of the Charles race last weekend, its expectations were simple—the team wanted to be the top college crew. "We hire the bus and pay for the meals, so of course we prefer to win," Coach Andy Card said. This was a lofty goal for a team entering three boats in three different categories, but each crew came ready to race and ended the day satisfied with its results.

The varsity eight put in a time of 15:08, good for third place overall—behind the U.S. and Canadian national teams—and top collegiate honors. The varsity four finished eighth overall but came in second among colleges, with only Rutgers putting in a faster time. The freshmen eight captured a silver medal in the Youth Eight category against other teams' heavyweight freshmen. More important than the finishing positions, however, was the fact that each boat secured entries into next year's race by finishing within five percent of the winner's time.

Before the Head of the Charles, the varsity eight had already captured first place both at the Head of the Housatonic on Sat., Oct. 9, and at the Princeton Chase on Sun., Oct. 17, where they defeated league rivals Rutgers, Cornell, and Princeton. "Beating Princeton is good now, but there are many areas we can improve," captain Thaddeus Pollock, ES '00, said. "This was a good indicator that we're moving fast, but there's a lot of work to do this winter." It is the winter training that will determine how the Bulldogs fare in the spring. As the Elis enter their final fall race and prepare for the long winter training season, they know they can't be overconfident. Now, Pollock said, it's time to "put our noses to the grindstone."

In the fall, there are four races, four entry fees, and four possible victories. Next weekend, the Elis will travel to Philadelphia to compete in the Head of the Schuylkill. As they enter this final regatta of the fall season, Card stressed efficiency. "You have to touch all four bases to hit a home run," he said. "Right now we're on third."

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