Rowing Teams Race in 52nd Head of the Charles Regatta

CAROLINE FEENEY ’17
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
 
Over the weekend, the Trinity College Men and Women’s Rowing Teams competed in Boston, Mass. at the 52nd Head of the Charles Regatta. The Head of the Charles is often referred to in the quirky world of rowing as “rowing Christmas” with many people exclaiming all weekend “Christmas came early!”
For a rower, the Head of the Charles is a chance to compete with people of all ages from all over the world on one of the most challenging race courses. As a spectator, the weekend is a chance to meet up with old friends in Boston, watch elite rowing, and shop at the food and vendor tents. The regatta attracts more than 11,000 competitors and tens of thousands of spectators every fall. The course is three miles long starting near the Boston University boathouse and ending just after the Eliot Bridge on the Charles River.
The mood on Saturday was quite literally dampened by pouring rain. However, the competition itself was strong for the three Trinity alumni boats. The Women’s Alumni 8+ was composed of recent grads from the classes of 2014, 2015, and 2016 came in 21st place out of 45 boats. The Men’s Alumni 8+ came in 21st and 23rd place out of 50 boats. These boats were comprised of alumni from recent grads to the class of 2005.
The crowd of spectators quadrupled on Sunday to watch the collegiate races. The Head of the Charles is an amazing race because it allows people who might not  normally race each other during the spring racing season to compete. Overall, Trinity had three boats entered in the collegiate races. Trinity faced stiff competition and raced the notoriously windy course with poise, despite wind gusts of over 40 mph.
The Men’s Collegiate 8+ was led by coxswain Claire Hall-Tipping ’20, and the crew members were Jonathan Lemmon ’18, Charles Tuckwell ’18, Will Corban ’17, Luke Taylor ’18, Jack Reid ’20, Timothy McDermott ’18, Paul Swetz ’19, and Daniel Ma ’19. They finished 25th out of 37 boats.
The Women’s Collegiate 4+ was led by coxswain Abigail McNulty ’20, and the crew members were Nadine Taghian ’17, Hillary Vossler ’17, Lisa Hovhannesian ’17, and Erin Murphy ’19. They finished 27th out of 35 boats.
The Women’s Collegiate 8+ was led by coxswain Talia La Schiazza ’19, and the crew members were Kirsten Thiim ’20, Antonia Bowden ’18, Tyler Seckar ’18, Lauren Michaelc ’17, Deane Pless ’17, Olivia Spofford ’19, Catherine Knowlton ’17, and Brigitte Vossler ’20. They finished 15th out of 28 boats.
The women’s team will be competing in their last race of the fall season next weekend at the Head of the Schuylkill in Philadelphia, Pa. The men’s team will be finishing up their season at the Princeton Chase on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J.