"It sounded like a beach party," recalled sophomore coxswain Felicia "Fish" Howard.

"I heard it was this big, preppy, elite gathering of people partying," said senior Vicky Keane, a six-time Head of the Charles, competitor.

"I didn't know what it was," admitted men's lightweight crew Captain James Himes.

But tomorrow these Harvard rowers are in for more sore muscles than sunbathing, and they say they are looking forward to it.

"I went to high school in New Hampshire, and we knew it was the premier rowing event of the fall and a big party event. The first time I went to see it, it was fun. We sat on the banks and had a picnic," recalled Juliet Thompson, a junior who said she was drawn to the sport as well as the revels. "Unlike most of the spectators, we actually watched the races."

When asked what she remembered most about her first Head of the Charles, sophomore Jillian Buriak responded, "All the people. It was packed--the bridges were covered with people."

"Ever since the summer, I've been scared of it," said freshman Jim Stovell. "Now I'm psyched for it."

Everyone did agree on the fact that the regatta meant something different--and more relaxing--to non-rowers.

"It's a family reunion for the crew community, but it's a party for everyone else. I've talked to friends who watched the race, and they've never even seen me go by. It's a very different thing for rowers and spectators," said Himes.

"For the rest of the campus, it's a big social event," said junior Kris Baird. "For us, it's just another race." In fact, several oarsmen said they will be missing tonight's parties to rest up for the race.

But rowing has advantages over drinking, they said. "No matter who you are, there's always people cheering for you. You feel like someone special," Keane said.

Thompson said, "The best thing about racing in it is that in the spring races, you hear the crowd for about one minute, while here there's 20 minutes of solid cheering."

"It's amazing how much people cheering for you pulls you through. It puts chills through my body," Keane said. "Everyone knows it's the world's biggest regatta, and there's so much tradition here," said Buriak.

"Some people have talked about cancelling it, but cancelling the Head of the Charles would be like cancelling the Boston Marathon. You just can't do that," Thompson contended.

So what makes the regatta so special? Junior Eric Terman paused, then said. "It's the Head."