Head of the Charles 2023

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES PREVIEW 2023

The HOCR TURNING BLUE RIVERS GOLD. In classic Harvard fashion, the historic Head of the Charles honors one of the school’s earliest oragnized sports, drawing in worldrenowned athletes, alumni, and thousands of spectators.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

“HOW TO: HOCR” - 3

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WALK-ONS - 10 |

NEW WELD BOATHOUSE - 12 |

UKRAINIAN ROWERS - 14

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

PREVIEW

ON THE COVER

HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Front Cover Designed by Toby R. Ma Photo by Julian J. Giordano

STAFF SPORTS CHAIRS Mairead B. Baker ’24 Aaron B. Shuchman ’25 STAFF WRITERS Katharine Forst ’25 Caroline G. Gage ‘25 Thomas G. Harris ‘25 Aurora Lin ‘25 Corey M. Becker ‘26 Miller Y. MacDonald ‘26 Lauren K. Choy ‘27 DESIGN EDITORS Toby R. Ma ’24 Sami E. Turner ’25 Laurinne P. Eugenio ’26 PHOTO EDITORS Julian J. Giordano ’25 Dylan J. Goodman ’25 Cory K. Gorczycki ’25 Joey Huang ’24

FROM THE EDITORS

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

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THE CRIMSON’S GUIDE TO ROWING AND THE HEAD OF THE CHARLES

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HEAD COACH CLAIRE OCHAL

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ROWERS IN THE OLYMPICS

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THE STORY OF WALK-ONS

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THE NEW WELD BOATHOUSE

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UKRAINIAN ROWERS

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A PUMPKIN ON THE RIVER

PRESIDENT Cara J. Chang ’24 MANAGING EDITOR Brandon L. Kingdollar ’24 BUSINESS MANAGER Cynthia V. Lu ’24

Read our “How To” to learn about all things Head of the Charles to keep up with Harvard’s oldest sport. We dive into rowing lingo, Harvard teams, and the regatta schedule.

Replacing head coach Liz O’Leary, Claire Ochal has since taken the helm of Harvard heavyweight crew.

Few teams encourage athletes to join a sport they’ve never played before sports — rowing is not one of them.

Ukrainian Olympic gold-medalists and National Team members are set to compete in the Regatta.

Junior rower Jack Dorney takes a leave of absence to train for something bigger: The 2024 Paris Olympics.

After more than a year of construction, the Weld Boathouse will be showcased in its first Head of the Charles.

A Harvard student made his dream a reality: to sail an 1,500-lb. pumpkin across the Charles River.

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he Head of the Charles Regatta represents one of Harvard’s oldest sports: rowing.

The largest two-day rowing event in the world, it attracts international competition, alongside alumni and tens of thousands of spectators who plant their feet on the river banks to cheer on Olympians and top-level collegiate athletes.

Originally founded in 1965 by D’Arcy MacMahon, Howard McIntyre, and Jack Vincent, this historic race sits in the heart of Cambridge tradition and culture. Across these two days, the normally peaceful Charles River is broken by thousands of oars and pierced by the radiating voices of coxswain calls.

Whether you’re a Cambridge local, a rowing aficionado — or didn’t know crew existed till you came to Harvard — this quintessentially Crimson tradition has something for everyone. Our writers have captured everything, from the history, to the lingo, to the incredible global impact this regatta has on athletes and all those who watch, in an attempt to encapsulate something so very Harvard.

It could be the crisp fall air, the foliage that frames each bend of the river, the cheers of proud alumni who return home to Cambridge to support new generations of Harvard rowers, or the infectious victory cries a the end of the race — whatever it may be, the Head of the Charles has something special about it.

In this special Head of the Charles supplement from The Crimson, we try to catch just that through these stories of Harvard athletes and beyond.

- MBB & ABS

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Guide to Rowing and the Head of the Charles

By KATHARINE FORST

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CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

he Head of the Charles (HOCR) is a unique race that occurs once a year, bringing together tens of thousands of people to Harvard Square to witness a spectacle of some of the most talented rowers in the world. Even though the actual crew season takes place in the spring, every athlete regards this race as being the second most important of the season, behind only Nationals. Because of the hype around the event, a lot of preparation goes into making the race competitive and successful.

Despite the hype around the race, and the crowd that descends on Harvard Square to watch the events, there is still an unfamiliarity with the sport. Senior Lightweight Women’s Crew CaptainCalliste Skouras, a Crimson Business Associate, helped to create a glossary of crew-specific and HOCR-specific terminology.

To her, the race is the most important of the fall because of the talent that comes to compete, and the responsibility that comes with racing in such an important event: “Head of the Charles is by far the most exciting race to compete in for all four Harvard and Radcliffe teams. There is something so special about rowers flocking from

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RACE SCHEDULE SATURDAY

all corners of the country and overseas to this one 4.8km stretch of the Charles River, which Harvard’s campus sits directly in the middle of,” Skouras noted. “It’s also a race that a lot of Harvard students––no matter how unfamiliar they are with rowing–– come out to see, which makes it really fun to give my non-rowing friends a taste of what I spend so many hours of my day doing.”

In an effort to make the weekend more accessible for viewers unfamiliar with the sport, and to ensure that they can participate in the event, Skouras outlined some general terms to know when watching any crew race. The first being the different types of teams.

On each team, there are several types of boats that race at HOCR. There are boats of

HARVARD CREW TEAMS MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING Harvard University Boat Club (HUBC) MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING Harvard Varsity Lightweights (HVL) WOMEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING Radcliffe Varsity Heavyweights (RVH) WOMEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING Radcliffe Varsity Lightweights (RVL)

10:59 AM Men’s Alumni 8+: Bow 7 Evergreen (Coach Ian Accomando) 11:40 AM Men’s Masters 4+, 40+: Bow 1 Ex Nemo (Coach Pat Lapage) 12:43 PM Men’s Club 4+: Bow 15 HVL A; Bow 19 HVL B 1:04 PM Women’s Club 4+: Bow 3 RVH 1:29 PM Men’s Club 8+: Bow 1 HUBC A; Bow 3 HUBC B 1:43 PM Women’s Club 8+: Bow 2 RVH 2:21 PM Women’s Champ 2X: Bow 10 RVL

SUNDAY 1:28 PM Men’s Lightweight 4+: Bow 4 HVL A; Bow 9 HVL B 1:44 PM Women’s Lightweight 4+: Bow 4 RVL 1:57 PM Men’s Champ 8+: Bow 4 HUBC A; Bow 10 HUBC B 2:09 PM Men’s Lightweight 8+: Bow 1 HVL 2:32 PM Women’s Champ 8+: Bow 12 RVH 2:45 PM Women’s Lightweight 8+: Bow 1 RVL

1V HUBC LINEUP Ben Ray

Tyler Horler

Thomas Horncastle

Alexander Grundy

Cameron Beyki

Leo Bessler

Alexander Sullivan

Ben Scott

Josh Brangan

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

HARVARD BOATS SINGLE (1X): Like its name, a single is a sculling boat with only a single rower DOUBLE (2X): The double boat is controlled by two rowers, each of whom utilize two oars. There is no coxswain in the boat, and the rower in the bow of the boat either with a rudder or by pressure steering which is essentially a concerted effort to pull the boat into a turn.

PAIR (2-): The Pair (2-) is rowed as a sweeping boat with two rowers and no coxswain QUAD (4X): Rowed in what is known as a sculling boat that holds four rowers. Raced with or without a coxswain

COXLESS FOUR (4-): Similar to the above, with four rowers each using one oar. The only difference is that there is no coxswain. In this case, the boat is steered by a rower in the bow of the boat by controlling a rudder with his foot COXED FOUR (4+): Coxed Four boats, like the name suggests, house four rowers who each hold one oar, and the boat typically has a coxswain EIGHT (8+): These boats boast eight rowers, each with one oar, as well as a coxswain

eight rowers, four rowers, pairs and singles.

They are further broken down into coxed versus un-coxed boats. Skouras says that “the number represents the number of rowers in the boat, the x signifies a sculling boat (two oars per person, often without a coxswain), the + signifies a sweeping boat with a coxswain, and the - signifies a sweeping boat without a coxswain.”

There are 75 events that row at the HOCR that are split based on boat class, as defined above. They are further divided into age divisions and weight-class. This is a HOCR-specific distinction. The age groups include youth, collegiate, master, and senior.

Further breaking down the distinctions within the boats, there are positions held by each rower that correspond to specific seats within the boats. Skouras outlined the breakdown within an 8+ boat, but these distinctions are logically applied to other boat classes as well, with the stern seats being rhythm-setters, the middle seats being the power rowers, the front seats being pace setters, and –if applicable– the Coxswain sitting at the front steering and keeping pace.

Skouras offered some interesting insight into how to make the most of the race. The

course is much longer than a typical collegiate course, clocking in at 4.8km versus the usual 2km that the teams race in the spring season. Because of this, there are a few things to note while watching. Firstly, there are HOCR-specific events like alumni boats, youth boats, and professional boats.

There are also a few important landmarks to note. Skouras suggested two prime spots to view the races: Eliot Bridge and Weeks Bridge, both of which happen to be right on Harvard’s campus.

The first landmark to look for is the DeWolfe Boathouse, which serves as the BU crew team’s headquarters. This is located right next to the BU Bridge.

The next point of interest is Weeks Bridge, which is the location of the first major turn of the race. This is an especially exciting vantage point as the bridge sits on a sharp 90 degree turn that is difficult for the Coxswain to navigate with only a few strokes. Skouras joked that “this is a great place to watch––chances are you’ll see a few collisions in the youth rowing events.”

The next point of excitement comes on Eliot Bridge, which is the ending point of a long and treacherous 180-degree turn. It also marks the thrilling final 800m sprint, a dash to the final landmark of the course.

The finish line is marked by two metal stakes on either side of the river. Watching here, the viewer is privy to the emotional toll of the long course, and the exhaustion, joy, devastation, pride, and heartbreak.

This landmark allows the viewer to appreciate the dedication and effort each rower put into the race.

The HOCR is also atypical because it does not follow the usual race pattern. The race is a time trial race, which causes the boats to stagger in the water.

In a typical race, boats begin their dash to the finish at the same time. However, due the narrow and windy nature of this particular course, boats are spaced apart by about fifteen seconds. The boats are ordered based on performances from the previous year’s race, and in order to keep track of the boats on the course, they are emblazoned with a large number on the bow. Because of this, the fastest boats typically have the lowest numbers. Even so, it is typical for boats to race neck-in-neck, and to pass one another. If this happens, the passing boat is given the right of way, and the lower-numbered boat must deviate from its course. katharine.forst@thecrimson.com

2V HUBC LINEUP Sreetej Digumarthi

Apostolos Lykomitros

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Marco Gandola

Oscar Olsen

Gabriel Obholzer

Simon Nunayon

James Patton

Jordan Dykema

Marty Kulesza

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

PORT VS. STARBOARD The terms port and starboard are indicative of the left and right sides of the boat. Port means left, and starboard means right. In a sweeping boat, in which each rower wields one oar, a rower either sits on the port or the starboard side. Rowers tend to favor one side of the boat. Skouras says: “Usually in a boat, the rowers will sit in an order with alternating port and starboard sides, but this isn’t always the case — in my boat, for example, the 7 seat and 6 seat are both portside.”

BOAT POSITIONS

SEATS 8 AND 7 (“STERN PAIR”): The stern pair sets the rhythm of the boat. They sit in the stern, or the back, of the boat. However, they are in a sense leading the other rowers, because they all face backwards in the boat. This position is held by rowers with the best technique.

SEATS 6, 5, 4, 3 (“MIDDLE PAIRS”): The “engine room,” or the middle pairs of rowers are seated in the middle of the boat. This part of the vessel is wider and more stable, which allows these rowers to generate power. The fastest and strongest rowers often sit here.

SEATS 2 AND 1 (“BOW PAIR”): The bow pair, or the first and second seat, are given to rowers with “good boat feel.” This is an important seat because these rowers balance the boat. These rowers are often the lightest of the eight since an ideal rowing shell has its bow slightly raised out of the water.

COXSWAIN: The role of the coxswain is incredibly important. The coxswain is responsible for steering the boat through the course, which is especially difficult due to the 90 degree turn, 180 degree turn, and six bridges” the rowers must navigate on The Charles. The Coxswain also motivates the boat by directing the rowers through a microphone, maintaining the goal pace and rhythm, and keeping morale high through the finish line.

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

3V HUBC LINEUP Cate Engles

Benny Zeisberg

Liam Downing

Owen Finnerty

Fergus Ritchie

Charles Richards

Lachlan Roach

Ryan Link

Ryan Cornelius

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Meet HarvardRadcliffe’s Newest Recruit: Head Coach Claire Ochal

By LAUREN K. CHOY CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

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s Harvard women’s heavyweight rowing enters its 2023 season and the historic Head of the Charles Regatta approaches, Claire Ochal begins her first year as head coach of the team.

Ochal replaces previous head coach Liz O’Leary, who had an incredible 37-year impact on Crimson heavyweight rowing. “I feel extremely lucky to have inherited this team that was built and the program that she’s built over the last 37 years,” Ochal said.

When asked why she decided to travel to Weld Boathouse and coach at Harvard this year, Ochal explained, “Why wouldn’t you want to come coach at Harvard Radcliffe? These women are amazing.”

Despite only beginning practices six weeks ago, it is overwhelmingly clear that Ochal and the rest of the Crimson are already getting along well and excited for the upcoming season. “It’s astounding to me that we’ve really only been together for about

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six weeks,” the head coach remarked.

Having coached at Syracuse University for the past five seasons, Ochal has lots of experience and success.

As the Orange’s associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, Ochal guided Syracuse to third place at the 2019 and 2021 ACC Championships. At the 2021 NCAA Championships, one of Ochal’s crews placed 10th nationally, setting a school record for best performance.

Even before coaching at Syracuse, Ochal had an obvious talent for coaching. In her first coaching position as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Temple University in 2015, Ochal’s freshman eight boat placed first at the 2015 Navy Day Regatta.

Now, as a part of the Crimson, she is ready to bring all of her previous experiences to the team to have the most successful season possible.

“What I want to bring to this team is just that high-performance environment, setting them up for success in every way we can and helping them navigate the challenges that rowing at this level throws at you,” Ochal said.

Ochal also acknowledges that success comes not only from facilitating a high-performance environment but a supportive atmosphere as well.

“Trying to bring that supportive atmosphere, while also creating a high-performance environment, is what I’m looking to [to] help these women

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

have and achieve in,” she explained.

Nevertheless, this balance between support and high performance is not simple. “Trying to be able to get to know the women on the team and support them in such a short amount of time, that’s a challenge, right? Trust isn’t built overnight,” Ochal admitted.

Ochal takes the role of getting to know each of her athletes very seriously.

As the n e w

coach on a team that has previously had the same head coach for 37 years, there are going to be a lot

COURTESY OF SYRACUSE ATHLETICS

of things that both Ochal and the athletes have to learn from one another.

“We’ve done some things that they’re like, ‘We’ve never done this before,’” Ochal explained. “And I’m just having people who are willing to not only do that but do that with their best effort and a smile on their face — that’s a huge, huge thing to have.”

Ochal’s deliberate focus on creating a supportive environment does not go unnoticed. “[Ochal] has really fostered a sense of [community where] you can come to her with anything,” senior captain Heidi Jacobson explains. “I think that’s really helped, at least me, coming into this year, being able to talk to her about how things were run in the past and any challenges that might come up. We can just talk through it.”

Ochal clearly understands what makes a team so special. It is about more than winning every race and setting new records but also about creating a strong community that will leave a life-long impact on each athlete.

Ochal felt this happen with her own past experiences rowing at Boston University. “Being involved in teams and being on teams has been probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me as a person,” Ochal reflected.

With the Head of the Charles approaching rapidly, Ochal and the rest of the team are excited and ready to bring it their all.

“Having rowed at BU and been the starting line to head at the Charles, I remember how much fun it is to be a crew that’s on the river,” Ochal said. “It’s your home river, it’s the place that you row every single day, and then all these crews from around the world come in and take over the scene.”

Spanning the entire weekend from October 20-22, the Head of the Charles draws in rowers from all over the world to compete in the historic regatta.

“A lot of the time, we’re out there and no

one knows we’re out there because they’re still sleeping in the morning,” Ochal pointed out. “They don’t see all the work that these women put in.”

This coming weekend, however, all of Harvard rowing’s hard work will be put on

display as they race down their river with local and international teams alike.

Ochal and the Crimson are prepared and excited for the big weekend — knowing also that it’s just the beginning. After all, the team is excited to dominate not only at Head of the Charles but throughout the rest of this season’s races as well.

“The main thing that I’ve noticed coming in is that everybody wants to be the best at what they do. Everybody wants to work really hard and they bring a lot of fun to it,” Ochal noted. “Having a group of women who are just extremely excited about the future is something that’s really, really special. I do not take that for granted at all.”

lauren.choy@thecrimson.com

THC Read more at THECRIMSON.COM

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Junior Jack Dorney Prepares for 2024 Paris Olympics

By MILLER Y. MACDONALD

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CONTRIBUTING WRITER

hile most of the Harvard men’s heavyweight crew team is preparing for the Head of the Charles Regatta, one of the Crimson’s oarsmen will be watching from across the Pond as he trains for another race, one almost a year away –– the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Junior rower Jack Dorney is no stranger to international competition. A native of Monkstown, Ireland, he has competed under the Irish flag at two World Championships, rowing in the coxless four-man boat.

The team came into the 2023 World Championships this past September with high hopes, as a good result would net them a place in Paris. Unfortunately, food poisoning within the team resulted in a last-place result for the Irish squad in the opening

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heats.

“It’s very frustrating when something goes wrong that is outside our control,” said Dorney in a written statement.

However, Dorney and the team quickly shrugged off the misfortune and set their sights on the Final Qualification Regatta in May 2024, hosted in Lucerne, Switzerland.

This will be their last chance to qualify for the Olympics.

Currently training at the Irish National Rowing Center in Cork, rowing is currently his primary focus. “It’s been very enjoyable so far,” Dorney said.“It is much easier to train and recover at the highest level when you don’t have to worry about classes or exams.”

“On the surface it’s a very simple process; train, trail, qualify, race,” Dorney added. However, he emphasized the importance of staying focused mentally. “It has to be emphasized how crucial it is to stay calm and use the nerves to help you.”.

Dorney’s Olympic bid comes at a high point for Irish rowing. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Irish lightweight pair Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan won a silver medal in the double sculls event, establishing their presence in the sport with a gold medal in the same event at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

“It is a great privilege to train alongside [Fintan and Paul]. There is definitely pressure to perform,” said Dorney, who’s called O’Donovan his hero in the past. He added that the “high standard” set by such competition “is beneficial when it comes to race day knowing that you’re in a good place based on comparisons from within the Irish set-up.”

Dorney doesn’t lack for role models within the Crimson crew team, either.

“The recently graduated senior class along with the captain from the year before had a huge impact on my development while at Harvard,” he reflected, highlighting

the team has “very impressive individual achievements with their respective national teams.”

He mentioned that he is keeping in touch with the team and coaching staff while abroad, and is excited to experience the new team atmosphere when he returns next fall.

If Dorney qualifies for the 2024 Olympics, he will not only be adding to a storied Irish rowing history — but to a Harvard one as well. The Crimson sent its first rowing team to the Olympics in 1924, in the men’s coxed 4 event. In the near-100 years since, Harvard has sent a total of 128 rowers to the Games, with many contributing to medal-winning teams.

Prominent Harvard Olympian rowers include the 1968 Crimson men’s eight, who attracted widespread attention for their early support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights. Harvard legend Harry Parker, the heavyweight men’s crew

3V HUBC LINEUP Iris Henin

Josh Gordon

Kalu Jay Varney

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George Burney

Max John Shakespeare Mark Ozaeta

Sean Zehnder

Jack Weldon

Leyth Sousou

coach from 1963-2013, also coached three medal-winning teams during his tenure.

The most recently decorated Harvard alumni are Esther Lofgren ’07-’09 and Caryn Davies ’04-’05, who won gold in the women’s eight event at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Their legacy sits alongside Malcolm Howard ’05, who bagged silver with his Canadian eight-man squad that same year.

Surrounded by so much history, Dorney tries to focus on the task at hand. “It’s very easy to get caught up in things,” said Jack, “but sometimes you just have to put your head down and get the work done.”

Representing Ireland at the Olympics “would mark the completion of a dream I’ve had for years,” he said. However, when asked how this competition would be different from previous national team appearances, he emphasized the similarities to previous international competitions.

“It will be the same athletes from [the World Championships] that will compete at the Olympic Games,” Dorney concluded. “As the Olympians on the team tell the up and coming, it’s important to take in and appreciate the gravity of the atmosphere as it’s a unique and amazing experience but more importantly that you can use that to your advantage.”

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

from

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Walking Onto the Harvard Crew Team

By THOMAS HARRIS

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CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

ne of the most unique parts of Harvard crew is a culture of walk ons. There are very few sports where athletes are encouraged to start anew in college, and join a varsity team in a sport they’ve never played before. Rowing is one of those sports. Many of the first-year class are encouraged to join the “novice” program, and commit to weeks of grueling workouts with the hopes of joining the team.

For the strongest and grittiest of them all, the reward is waking up for early morning practice day in and day out, all to race around eleven times a year.

“I have to admit sometimes after killing your body for six days in a row, eleven times a week, sometimes you just don’t want to be there,” said Toby Nwafor, a junior on the men’s heavyweight rowing team.

Given the enormous time commitment and the physical dedication required, why would anyone want to walk on to rowing?

For Calliste Skouras, the senior captain of the women’s lightweight team and a Crimson Business associate, being on a varsity team was always the goal.

“I originally started my freshman fall thinking that I was going to walk onto the lacrosse team. And then when I got here, I practiced with the team, the first few days of school and the coach said she didn’t see a fit for me on the team. And I knew that I wanted to be a varsity athlete here. I had seen flyers around and people were talking that there’s a novice rowing program, so I thought I’d try it out,” Skouras said.

For junior coxswain Cate Engles, it was

a completely different story.

“My freshman year there were a ton of guys in my math class who were walking on the rowing team. There was enough to fill in an entire boat — they just needed a coxswain,” Engles recounted. “They reached out to me and I thought, ‘You know what, I’ll give it a try, it’s college!’ So I just started trying to learn from day one more about coxswaining.”

Regardless of how they came to the team, every athlete felt two forces that kept them coming back to the program: the challenge and the family.

Men’s heavyweight senior Jack Weldon, who had previous rowing experience, said “What struck me most was the community. I could tell it was really special from the jump. It’s an incredibly historic team. It’s the oldest collegiate sports team in the United States, the Harvard-Yale regatta is the oldest intercollegiate competition in the United States, and the team does a lot to carry on that legacy. It was just an environment in which I knew I could progress as an athlete, but also help carry on this great tradition with guys who are now my best friends.”

“I love being an athlete, I love pushing my body to the max and seeing improvements as I work harder. And then two are the team and the family,” Skouras said. “The familial feeling that I get by being a part of a team.

My teammates are all my best friends. And they make it so much fun to come to practice every day.”

“After my first season just being on the novice team I loved that high energy environment. I decided that this would be good for me to keep working on and master throughout college,” Engles said. “I love the

team and I love the energy. It’s what keeps bringing me back.”

Nwafor, who started on the team his first year, said “the Harvard Varsity Club’s motto is ‘your team for life,’ and I don’t really believe in cliches, but you truly do forge a team, a family for life. Also, being on the water we get to experience Boston unlike anybody else on this campus or in this city. We notice landmarks people don’t notice. The sound of each stroke is entrancing. The [woosh] of all of us pulling at once — it is a majestic feeling.”

Nwafor did admit above that sometimes daily practices can be a grind, but he is quick to say that the benefit outweighs the work.

“The water, the brotherhood, and the family — they all make [the long practice hours] worth it.”

Skouras also says that her walk-on status was actually an asset to her captaincy. “A lot of athletes want to see themselves as their captain. They want a captain who’s the ‘people’s captain,’ one who isn’t perfect, isn’t automatically the coach’s favorite and doesn’t just have everything handed to them. They want a captain who’s experienced what it’s like to be at the bottom of the team and what it’s like to work their way up.”

Skouras and Engles are both very excited to race this weekend. But for the women’s lightweight team, this year’s regatta is all about defending the HOCR championship.

“Last year in the eights, our top boat, we won. We set the standards very high for what we’re trying to accomplish this year.

And that is 100% our goal for this year,” Skouras said.

For the men’s heavyweight team, coming off of a third place performance, it’s all about continuing the positive momentum

with a younger crowd.

“I’m rowing in the club event on Saturday, where we had a medal performance last year. So trying to replicate that would be amazing. We’ve had some injuries so it’s been a little inconsistent. But we can pull it off with the right race.” Weldon said “For our top varsity boat we have a really young but really talented group of guys who have been working on putting it together. We graduated a lot of our mainstay guys that had been in that boat for the last few years last year but our goal is always to win, as it is every year. Last year, we got third, and the year before it was fifth. So hopefully we can continue that trajectory. This is not as high stakes as the spring but we’re going to compete and hopefully win. And we’re gonna keep moving towards that goal in spring.

So that’s, I think, where the team would be,” Weldon continued.

But for Weldon, Skouras, and many other rowers, it is also about soaking in his last Head of the Charles.

“Head of the Charles is awesome. I always joke that it’s the one time in rowing where you feel like a professional athlete, because there’s just thousands of people in the bank cheering as you come down.

Our real racing season is in the spring, that’s when the stakes are super high. So definitely racing to compete as always, but definitely try to soak it in a bit more than I have in years past. And that’s my last one run for Harvard, running with the Harvard colors, Harvard blades. So I am just trying to enjoy that,” Weldon said. thomas.harris@thecrimson.com

CHAMP 8 LINEUP COXSWAIN

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7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Alex Cherf

Alexia Fayd’herbe

Bridget Galloway

Lindsey Brail

Sophie Barr

Isabelle Llabres-Diaz

Kathryn Serra

Aurelia Elliott

Alex Smits

de Maudave

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

CLUB 8 LINEUP COXSWAIN

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7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Gillian Selig

Orla Harvey

Jenna

Aidan Wrenn-Walz

Cate Van Stone

Heidi Jacobson

Sarah Averill

Francesca Gardella

Alex Lange

Kempster-Taylor

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Renovated Weld Boathouse Ready for Spotlight at HOCR

By CAROLINE G. GAGE

race, which is unique for its rolling start time, marks a different format of racing for the Crimson. “[The] Head of the Charles is a different style of racing than we see in the spring,” senior co-captain Sarah Averill explained.

“It’s not side-by-side, so it can be more internal in that way, and you can rely a lot more on your coxswain, so that’s why it’s even more exciting when you get to pass Weld Boathouse and get that extra boost of speed when you hear all your fans cheering for you.”

The transformation of the Charles landmark was completed in April. Principally funded by donations, Weld’s renovation included a revamp of its locker rooms, offices, training spaces, and improvements in accessibility and sustainability. The project renewed the boathouse’s stucco, replaced its well-known terracotta roof, as well as the windows and doors. It also improved the electrical, plumbing, and mechanical systems.

“I’ll say one of the most exciting parts about the renovation is our locker room,” senior co-captain Heidi Jacobson remarked.

“We got completely renovated lockers and a whole new space in there, and it’s just been really good for our team culture and just being able to spend time in there with each other before and after practice.”

The renovation marked the most construction on the boathouse since it was built. As other historic Harvard buildings strive to maintain tradition and personal-

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fter more than a year of construction, this fall marks Harvard-Radcliffe’s first season in the newly-renovated Weld Boathouse.

Originally constructed in 1906 by George Walker Weld to encourage “university-wide-rowing” — for varsity, club, and intramurals — the boathouse is also a famous Cambridge landmark and favored by tourists, artists, and photographers. Weld is home to the Harvard-Radcliffe women’s crew teams, intramural rowing, and recreational programs.

Beyond its role as a training facility, Weld’s position as the midpoint of the Head of the Charles Regatta makes it a central part of the largest two-day rowing event in the world.

“I think that’s a really special thing for our athletes, is the fact that not only are they racing on their home course, but they row right past our dock,” explained Heavyweight Women’s Crew Head Coach Claire Ochal. “So having as many people out there supporting and cheering on Harvard-Radcliffe is such a big thing for these athletes.”

The world-renowned regatta draws tens of thousands of spectators to the banks of the Charles each year. For Harvard-Radcliffe rowers, the Head of the Charles is the only race of the year which gives them the chance to pass by their own boathouse. The

ity, architecture firms Peterson Architects and Bruner/Cott worked alongside Consigli Construction to preserve the boathouse’s history and character.

“I don’t think the atmosphere in Weld, at its root, has changed very much, it’s just [that] the renovation has elevated it,” Averill added.

Since the completion of Weld’s renovation, construction has begun on Newell Boathouse, which houses the Crimson’s men’s rowing teams. Newell Boathouse, constructed in 1900 as a gift from the Harvard Club of New York, mirrors Weld on the other side of the river, closer to Harvard’s athletic facilities. Amidst the Newell renovations, all four varsity teams currently share Weld’s new facilities.

“I think it’s kind of fun just to have that camaraderie, and have all the crews come together amongst all four teams for Harvard-Radcliffe, just supporting one another and getting excited for what we can do right now and in the future of the season,” Ochal said.

The Head of the Charles, which draws a number of alumni back to Cambridge to race and cheer, will give former rowers an opportunity to visit the refurbished boathouse.

“I would just say I’m excited for all the Radcliffe alums to get to come see the boathouse, because I think it’s really beautiful and I think they’re going to be very excited to see it,” Jacobson added. caroline.gage@thecrimson.com

COLLEGE CHAMP DOUBLE LINEUP

CLUB 4 LINEUP COXSWAIN

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Bridget Kondrat

Millie Clark

Grace De Vita

Piper Cyterski

Leah Bailey

Meredith Kent

Monah Javidan-Nejad

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Construction on the Weld Boathouse took more than a y

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

year, refurbishing the locker rooms, training spaces, and offices, alongside other sustainability improvements. COURTESY OF HARVARD ATHLETICS

JULIAN J. GIORDANO — CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

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THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

‘Heart on Fire,’ Ukrainian Rowers Compete in HOCR

By MAIREAD B. BAKER

“M CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

y heart is on fire.”

T h a t ’s what 2012 Oly mpic gold-medalist and European champion Natliia Dovgodko described when asked how she feels heading into the 2023 Head of the Charles Regatta to represent her home country, Ukraine.

The historic Head of the Charles Regatta — the world’s largest two-day rowing event — has made a name for itself by drawing in talented athletes from every corner of the globe. It doesn’t discriminate against collegiate, club, Olympic, or youth teams alike, giving a chance to all rowers to break water with the best of the best.

Dovgodko, an experienced rower in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls Race, is not new to top-level international competition. At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, she, alongside Ukrainian rowers Kateryna Tarasenko, Anastasiia Kozhenkova, and Yana Dementieva, made history by claiming the country’s first gold medal in rowing. The same year, she raced in a women’s Ukrainian boat of four in the European Championships to take first place with an impressive time of 6:26.04.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, her team took fourth place in the women’s coxless four race behind Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. Most recently, the National Team traveled to North Carolina for the High Point Autumn Rowing Festival on Oct. 8, facing Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams like Duke and Clemson. For some members, it was their first time traveling to the United States.

“For most of us, it’s the first time we have come to America, we feel how deeply Americans support our country,” Dovgodko reflected. “We want to say thank you to all the people of America, it’s great — we see how you gathered and want to help us, and we feel it, we feel it too in your eyes and your doings.”

For her and her team, the world-renowned race is not just about the competition, but an opportunity to wear their

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of loved ones’ wellbeing does not fade, feeling the support of those who watch on the banks of the crowd gives the rowers a sense of hope.

“It’s hard to be not in country, everybody worried about our people, our families, but we want to go to different competitions,” Dovgodko said. “We want to train and speak with other people and say thank you because all of the world now is helping us, and it’s really important for us.”

At the 2012 London Summer Olympics, pictured from left to right, Kateryna Tarasenko, NaAt last year’s regatta, the Head of the taliia Dovgodko, Anastasiia Kozhenkova and Yana Dementieva celebrate their gold-medal win.

Charles worked with Simmons UniversiCOURTESY OF MIKE FAY/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ty head crew coach and former Ukrainian National Team member Andrii Ivanchuk country’s name with pride and thank to sponsor the 28 National Team rowers those who have helped them along the way to compete in Cambridge. The men’s and in what Dovgodko called “the city of rowwomen’s rowers competed in the Chaming,” where, “there are a lot of masters” and pionship Eights, taking twelfth and ninth “rowing is their heart.” place, respectively.

“It’s important to race here because “Last year we were in shock because we your city, Boston, is the city of rowing. saw a lot of people who were cheering and We’re happy to see so many people rowing, The Ukraine National Team has rowing praccome to see this competition,” Dovgodko you have a lot of clubs, it’s great to see this tice on the ergs. COURTESY OF NATALIIA DOVGODKO remembered. “There are a lot of rowers because in Ukraine now, so little children who want to row, a lot of or masters come to train,” the Olympian competition, a lot of difreported. “Some where have no boats, beferent types of ages of cause of the damages of Russian soldiers – rowers.” it’s hard… it’s different.”

The team traveled to “I want to see our country like your Boston following its trip country, like in Boston — all people happy, to High Point Universithere are sports, they do their hobbies, they ty and has been training can work, they can learn, it’s great, it’s realfor the regatta for over ly great,” she added. a week. They will comTraining in Ukraine amid the war with pete on both days of the Russia has been painstakingly difficult. It race in the Women’s Four, caused the team to be displaced into nearthe Men’s Championship by countries like Bulgaria and Italy to preEight, the Women’s Sinpare for the summer competition. In late gle, and both a Men’s and 2022, Russian officials intensified their atYouth’s Pair. tacks on the Ukrainian energy grid, forcing More than 600 days many to live without power for days — all after Russia’s invasion of while in the dead of the winter.

Ukraine, there’s no doubt “This winter was so hard because of that this year’s race will Russian aggression,” Dovgodko explained. Dovgodko and her husband heat their food with candles due to make for another oppor“They bump our electric stations, and Russian officials cutting off power and energy sources in Ukraine. tunity to represent Ukraisometimes we have for two days no elec- COURTESY OF NATALIIA DOVGODKO nians near and far and tricity in our apartments.” renew hope in Dovgodko “My flat apartment in the building on “We don’t cook but we warm our meal and her team once again. the 25th floor, so I had training after train- by candles, sometimes with my husband.

Dovgodko concluded tearfully, “I’m ing,” she joked.

We had no electricity so we do what we proud to row for the Ukrainian National Dovgodko and other Ukrainians were can,” Dovgodko recounted.

Team.” in crisis when it came to basic necessities For the team, the Head of the Charles is mairead.baker@thecrimson.com like food, heat, and medical care in clinics. all the more bittersweet. While the worry

THE HARVARD CRIMSON HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2023

Sailing Down the Charles in a 1,500-lb. Pumpkin

By COREY M. BECKER AND AURORA YIN CRIMSON STAFF WRITER

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ust days before the Charles River opened up to the bevy of boats participating in this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta, a very different sort of watercraft sailed across it.

Early one day this fall, Benjamin Chang ’23-’24, joined by a group of friends, starts the day by, picking up a 1,500 lb. pumpkin from the fields of a renowned giant pumpkin farmer in New Hampshire. The group carts their prize back to campus — no small feat. Chang has long had the dream to sail a giant pumpkin down the Charles. And soon, his long-time dream would become a reality.

Chang, a former Crimson editor, used the giant pumpkin boat as a fundraiser for the Harvard College OpenBio Laboratory, a student-run makerspace for biological research that he is the co-president of. Chang says the pumpkin project, which is an exemplar of selective breeding, is “all about spreading a sense of wonder about biology, and helping people reimagine what is possible with biology,” a sentiment h e reiterates often. Offering rides in the pumpkin

MARINA QU—CRIMSON PHOTOGRAPHER

for just $20, Chang estimated the day’s activities brought in $500 for OpenBio. The group receives several hundred more dollars in donations in the following days.

Izzy M. Goodchild-Michelman ’23, co-president of OpenBio and co-organizer of the pumpkin team, notes that since she met him two years ago, she “can’t really remember a time when Ben wasn’t like, ‘I’m getting a pumpkin onto the river.’”

To his credit, Chang has been persistent. Last year, he applied for funding from Adams House. According to Goodchild-Michelman, Adams usually funds projects for up to $300. The pumpkin would cost at least $500.

Over the last year, Chang slowly raised funds to realize his dream, finally raising enough money after a professor also chipped in. The pumpkin was planted in April, flowered in June, and grew up to 50 lbs. per day.

But about two weeks ago, Chang’s plans were thrown into limbo — getting the pumpkin to Harvard would be doable, but there would be no way to set sail if he couldn’t remove it from the truck bed. He needed a forklift. In a plea for help on Reddit, Chang sought assistance.

This call-to-arms was heard loud and clear, as local

residents (and new friends) Tim Myra and Matt Medeiros enthusiastically enlisted, volunteering a forklift.

With the pumpkin sitting imposingly on the bank of the Charles, Chang and his team descended upon their mammoth with knives and shovels, hollowing out nearly 200 lbs. of pulp. Filling bags with the pumpkin’s innards, they collected every seed to return to the pumpkin’s farmer, to safeguard the seeds the farmer has bred over many years.

But soon, disaster struck: a huge crack opened up near the bottom of what would be the hull. It did not break through the pumpkin’s skin, but suddenly the future of the long-awaited voyage was thrown into question. Still determined to set sail, Chang’s team pushed on.

With the pumpkin hollowed, it was time to bring it to the river. The next challenge was how to move the humongous gourd, which clocked in at the weight of a grand piano or an American bison, 30 odd ft. into the water.

We waited with bated breath. In a moment of exasperation, Chang suggested hacking the pumpkin in half. But eventually the team landed on a surprisingly effective technique: running around the pumpkin, they spun it in clock-

wise and counterclockwise circles, inching it towards the water, being careful not to widen the crack in the hull.

As growing crowd of spectators gathered, Chang and his crew inched his prized squash into the waters of the Charles. Wading through the rocky enclave of the riverbank up to their knees in water, Chang pushed onwards. Smiling wearily, he says, “I didn’t know this was going to be so tiring.” By now a second crowd had gathered on Weeks Bridge, and as the pumpkin floated out to deeper water, the pumpkin team smiled: the crack had held. The pumpkin was floating.

Chang prepared for his voyage. Matt Shearer, a reporter from WBZ News, who helped with the transport of the pumpkin, handed Chang a captain’s hat.

Also a certified lifeguard, Shearer joined alongside Chang in a kayak. Chang crawled into the pumpkin, careful not to capsize his vessel or widen the crack beneath his feet. Finding his bearings, he grabed a paddle and took his boat for a test ride.

Chang emphasizes that “it truly took a village” to help bring his dream into reality. Friends, enthusiastic strangers, and an extraordinarily helpful news reporter came together to make this happen.

After handing it off to the next rider, he reflected on his first journey. Referencing “Cinderella,” he jokes: “Now we don’t need magic to make pumpkins into these creatures, we can use human ingenuity.”

He notes that in the last 20 years, the biggest pumpkins have grown to almost twice the size of what they used to be, all thanks to biological engineering. “If in 20 years we can make the pumpkin twice the size, imagine what we can do with biology in the next 20 years,” he says.

As the afternoon gives way to the evening, Chang takes over one last time. Paddling over to Allston, he marks one item off his bucket list. Shivering but beaming with delight, he remarks: “It was like being baptized by a pumpkin.” bridget.sands@thecrimson.com

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The Harvard Crimson COMMENCEMENT 2023

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