2008-09 Crew Blog - Week 5

by Elissa Center - Thursday, October 16, 2008

We just got back from dropping our boat off at Smith College so that it can begin its journey to Boston for the Head of the Charles, the largest two-day rowing event in the world! In the past, we’ve only had one boat invited to race, but we were fortunate enough to have two entries accepted this year - the collegiate eight and the club four. Our team’s four is going out to Boston for its race on Saturday, and we’re racing on Sunday in the eight.

The Head of the Charles always brings back great memories for me; I love that crazy river and the crazy rowing-loving Boston environment. There are about ten thousand bridges and twists and turns all along the race course, which makes navigation difficult and crashes common (at least a few of the fans just come to watch collisions under a few of the trickier bridges). I learned to scull there, almost hitting a few bridges myself. I ran into shore and hit sandbars, miraculously emerging with a Charles River obsession. The landmarks along the river, from the bridges to the historic boathouses to that building with the blue pointy top, bring back a flood of great memories from summer training.

Weeks Footbridge in Boston - Site of many of the Chales River Regatta’s collisions, as all of the crews try to get the best course through the center arch.

Speaking of bringing back memories. Tonight/tomorrow is Focus on Athletics, an event for prospective student-athletes that first introduced me to Mount Holyoke and Mount Holyoke Athletics four years ago! I still remember coming here, meeting rowers and getting a glimpse of what Mount Holyoke is like. I went home knowing that this was the place for me; the students were friendly and welcoming, the team was enthusiastic, and the professors seemed great. I’m glad to say that my thoughts on the matter have remained unchanged, and I’m even happier here than I had originally hoped. Having a prospective rower stay with me for Focus on Athletics is a great way to be able to share that experience with someone else and help introduce others to the world I’ve come to know and love.