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row2k Coverage of The 2001 Head Of The Charles® Brought to you in part by:
2001 Head Of The Charles® News October 23: Belarus Olympian wins women's sprint Karsten Takes Home Head of the Charles Cash Singles Meet in Boston U.S. Eights Sweep Head of the Charles Skricki and Free win Singles at Head of Charles Canadian pair win at rowing competition A head start helped regatta A head start helped regatta Athlete of the Week: Men's Heavyweight Crew Overheard (likely a father to his daughter, likely a first-year rower:) "So Abby, tell me what I'm seeing here. I think I'm seeing a crew that rows a lot of strokes, but doesn't work very hard. Is that what I'm seeing? Okay, what can we say about this crew? I would want to know, why are their oars dragging on the water? Can you tell me Abby? Abby? Abby, wouldn't that slow them down? (pause) Alright Abby, how does this crew look to you? Tell me what you see, tell me what you think. Tell me what I'm seeing here. I think I'm seeing..." Daughter Abby was very patient and informative, handling Pop with kid gloves, very well done. Winning a women's national championship doesn't seem to bode well for the Charles the following year; in fact, if the past two years are accepted as a reliable sample, it means you'll finish the course rowing by sixes. The Brown women were national champs in 2000, and broke equipment at the Charles a few months later and rowed by six for most of the course. This year, the Princeton LW women had an injury during the race, and rowed to the finish by six. At least in Brown's case, it doesn't seem to hurt come spring; Brown's crew won Sprints and placed second at Nationals the following spring. October 22: Amid an absurd amount of stellar racing, a few efforts stand out. To wit: Linda Kennett's 1:05 second victory in the Grand Masters Single put her so far in front of the next fastest sculler that no other scullers made it under the 5% margin for a guaranteed entry next year. Contrast this with the 25 crews that made it under 5% to earn guaranteed entries in the women's club eight, and you can understand the magnitude of Linda's dominance on Sunday. US men inspired by NY heroes U.S. Rowing reclaims eights titles Records tumble on calm river Rowing is a family affair for Burgards Charles River reggataway Duncan Free photo in the Globe sport section (today only) The Globe also had photos of the US men's eight, the Harvard men, the Princeton women's eight, and a few others. Karsten Wins at Head of Charles After tragedy, Read finds relief on river Deutschland-Achter trotz defektem Steuer Zweiter 2001 Charles records - a tailwind in the powerhouse stretch helped the following crews to new course records: Men's senior veteran singles: Richard Kendall, 20:31.75 Men's veteran singles: Christopher Collins, 19:24.32 Women's grand masters singles: Linda Kennett, 21:50.01 Women's senior masters singles: Judy Geer, 20:33.60 Men's masters eight: Leander Boat Club, 15:16.14 women's master eights: Long Beach, 17:14.17 Women's youth four: Princeton, 18:58.4 October 21: Gwadz and Bax earn passing grade in master doubles Dramatic twists Security tightened at regatta opening Skricki's day is single best Free, Skricki post wins in qualifying at regatta October 20: Saturday PM update: US single scullers represented this afternoon- Carol Skricki won the women's single over world and olympic champ Ekaterina Karsten; and Steve Tucker lost to Aussie open weight sculler Duncan Free by only three seconds, and beat Marcel Hacker, who could outweight Tucker by 50%. Each time Free would pressure Tucker, Tucker would lay into his oars and exploit his intimate knowledge of the Charles river, offering a master class in steering the Charles. The smart take from the strong... Comment of the day, as dozens of crews headed toward the starting line through the Weeks Bridge: "Their colors are red, right? This must be them, they're wearing red." The club eight sported some hard rowing, but if you were looking for some hard collisions, the event disappointed. "What's with that?" one Weeks spectator said. "No crashes in the club eight?!? What's the point? Ah well, there's always the Youth Eight tomorrow." Talk about a tight pack - fully 25 crews made it under the 5% margin-from-the-winner required to get a guaranteed entry for next year's Regatta. The last crew, the Fat Cats, contains many friends of row2k, as I've rowed as a Fat Cat in countless races over the past few years; congrats to our feline sisters. Head of the Charles staff members raced today - regatta director Fred Schoch rowed in the Master's Double, and Mike Callahan rowed the Champ single. Callahan looked like he was having a good row, but broke a foot stretcher with his crushing leg drive. row2k took a ride on the course tonight in prep for rowing with Mother Vesper in the master's eight tomorrow. I expected a bit of a zoo on the water, as everyone is trying to practice at the same time, but it wasn't too bad, and we were hitting the ratings, so tomorrow's run should be okay. Give us a yell as we go by; we may need it if this headwind strengthens at all. Travel concerns leave few ripples Peterson testing waters Stroke it! Riverside rowers are headed for the Charles Head's up on the Charles: Crew event has special meaning A Crowded River for Head of the Charles Lots of obstructed-view seats Head of Charles begins on Elk Lake If you're traveling, we've heard of some fairly serious out-of-the-blue restrictions on trailers on the New York Thruway. Be aware and be prepared. Some favorite past Charles photos: The 1997 Crash Series Don't let this happen to you... Impending collision Clash and crash PAIN WHAM! CRAB! A pair of stunning Charles River morning shots from Bret Hekking: Great Even better. October 19: Grandfather and Grandson Steer The Charles This Year Weekend get-together for Cipollones Water clogged - getting there is half the battle Where to watch What to look for The Globe's Charles coverage Flanders pulls hard for a cause Dr. Rowing is proud to announce the publication of The Compleat Dr. Rowing, a collection of his best pieces from the past six years of his column. He will be launching the book at the Head of the Charles and doing signings at Alden from 8:30-11:00 and Potomac from 11:00-4:00 on both Saturday and Sunday. October 18: German Men's Eight Seen Training on the Charles Rescue crew - Aiding efforts in New York Sept. 11, rower Read has tragedy in his wake See also the photo on the main Sports page (likely today only) Shrewsbury schools ready to row in regatta The Days Inn at 1234 Soldier's Field Rd. (right at Weeks Bridge, I believe) has 2-3 rooms still available at the Head of the Charles room rate of $195/night. Call 617 254 1234 and ask for Gail, director of sales. October 17: Hacker, Free and Karsten Arrive in Boston If your team or college rowed in the World Cup at Mercer Lake last year - copies of Pulling For Gold, the video of the 2000 Princeton World Cup regatta, will available for sale from the Princeton International Regatta Association in the USRowing tent on Magazine Beach. U.S. National Team Members Compete at the Head of the Charles Late start, fast finishes - Elite rower Carol Skricki hitting stride at 39 October 16: At the Charles, you never know who is going to come out blazing fast for the Youth Eight race. There are always grudge matches; way back in the day, my brother and I went at it in two different crews in the Youth Eight; we both won medals, placing 2-3. My crew got a half-page photo in Monday morning's Boston Globe Sports section page 1, but I won't say who had the better finish. International crews especially go under the radar until the results are posted, but this year, the St. Benedict's College crew from Johannesburg, South Africa, came over a couple weeks early despite everything to test their speed (and show their hand) at the New Hampshire Championships. Their first place finish by a margin of over 15 seconds would seem to be a sign that they're moving well. The crew is now training on the Charles, I believe, and looks very slick according to knowledgeable spectators. October 15: 2001 Master Rowers' Reception - Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., presenting sponsor of the Head Of The Charles® Regatta, invites all Master Rowers to a reception at the University Park Hotel @ MIT, Friday, October 19th, 4:00-7:00 pm. Please join your fellow rowers for drinks, hors d'oeures and information on the latest rowing technology. Staff from Resolute Racing Shells will be on hand to share advances in boat design and rigging. Visit WWW.hotelatmit.com for directions. Audi Joins Head Of The Charles(R) Regatta as an Associate Sponsor Update: Logan Airport Security According to the folks at The Head of the Charles, recent rumors that the Charles is in danger of being canceled are untrue. We received this note from horse's mouth On Oct. 3: "The Head Of The Charles regatta, its board of directors and the Race Operations Committee are fully committed to hosting the best possible rowing event in the nation on October 20-21st. The Regatta has been developing, with the full support and cooperation of State and local officials, additional security measures to enhance public safety. Every precaution is being taken and comprehensive contingency plans will be in effect to address any security issue that may arise. We look forward to seeing our many friends in the rowing community on Race Weekend."