Man drag buoy at Head of Charles

The Head of the Charles Regatta last weekend transformed the normally quiet town of Cambridge into a Mecca for crew enthusiasts worldwide who make a pilgrimage here every October to participate in or observe the largest two day regatta the sport offers. The Head of the Charles represents the culmination of all the preparation and grueling training up to this point in the season.

It is as much a social and cultural event as it is a competition. The thousands of eager spectators that peer over bridges and line the banks of the river create a charged atmosphere that seems to galvanize every stroke of the oars. The collection of hundreds of rowers from around the world into one small city in New England speaks to the enthusiasm for a sport that doesn't fill coliseums or rely on multi-billion dollar television contracts.

For the Tufts men's crew team, the event was its biggest competition of the year and its final one as a team. The squad entered one boat in the prestigious ordeal and finished in twenty-sixth place out of forty-one teams in the Collegiate Eight Man division. However, in the first 1000 meters of the race, one of the buoy markers that lines the coarse became entangled with an oar, and the Tufts crew dragged it for a substantial portion of the race, adding about 15 to 20 seconds to their total time.

"I feel we were fifteen seconds faster than we placed," captain Max Bernstein said. "After we overcame that setback, I felt the rowing was smooth."

Without the added time, the men would have finished in the top fifteen boats among some tough competition, as the five mile race was composed of Division I college teams such as Harvard, Colorado, Minnesota, and Boston College as well as competitive local rowing associations. These teams mark somewhat of a higher caliber opponent than those the Jumbos will face in the NESCAC conference this spring.

"We showed what we will be able to do against other college teams," Bernstein said.

The conditions of the race, including strong winds that threatened to blow boats off course under tunnels, proved to be a formidable obstacle for all of the crews. But freshman coxswain Will Dunn weathered the harsh conditions and steered readily through the entire race.

"Will steered an exceptionally straight course," Bernstein said. "He used the Head of the Charles to make a name for himself."

In the short fall season, the men have had the opportunity to measure up against other crews and to set the tone for the upcoming season.

"We're exactly on pace for where we want to be," coach Ben Foster said. "I'm excited by the prospects for the spring."

With the fall season's race schedule concluded, the team now plans to focus on an arduous training program in which individual team members will focus on weaknesses and improve upon strength. The team will practice on the water for another month before freezing winter conditions take hold. Winter training, although not exciting, molds the team for the spring season and is imperative for maintaining peak physical condition.

"Spring races are won and lost in winter training," Bernstein said. "We have one of the hardest winter training programs in the league."

"During winter training, individuals start to do what they need to improve physically and technically," Foster said.

It seems that the crew season has come to an end, for now. But, the team will continue to work until the spring season's inception next semester. The Head of the Charles race was truly a test for the men's crew team, and it confirmed its ability to perform well in important events. The coaches and team look towards the spring optimistically as the fall season proved the team's intense work ethic translates into impressive rowing.