In the women’s Lightweight Eight, University of Wisconsin, the event’s defending champion, will have the first start, followed by Cambridge’s Riverside Boat Club and Princeton. The Radcliffe boat holds fourth in the starting list. The Black and White lightweights also have a boat racing in the Lightweight Four event, where it will start 10th.
On the men’s end, Yale and Princeton will lead off the race of 20 boats. One Harvard boat will start 10th while another Harvard boat will start fifth under the name of the Charles River Rowing Association.
“Yale will be stiff competition,” Todd said. “Traditionally, we’re not too fast in the fall, but hopefully we’ll be able to change that.”
The championship eight events will cap off the weekend on Sunday afternoon. There is an extraordinary line-up in both the men’s and women’s events.
The U.S. national men’s eight, rowing under USRowing, is the six-time defending champion and has earned the first bow number. Deutscher Ruderverband, the German national team, has the second start. Another top competitor in this event is the Croatian Rowing Federation, the silver medallists in this year’s World Championships.
In the midst of these international gems, Harvard and a few familiar foes will try to hold their own. Northeastern, Brown, Princeton and the University of Wisconsin are all high on the starting list. Harvard has two entries: the heavyweight boat that won the George M. Angle Cup last weekend will start fifth, while another boat composed of sophomores will start 39th under the name of the Charles River Rowing Association.
“It’s going to be a matter of staying ahead of Northeastern, Wisconsin and Princeton,” said Harvard heavyweight captain Wayne Pommen. “There’s going to be a lot of national teams in the event as well, and they’re going to be hard to beat.”
There are 51 entries in the women’s event, with Princeton leading off as last year’s winner over two international crews. Syracuse, Yale, Southern Cal, B.U., Brown and Northeastern will all start near the top of the list and will have to compete with a few international presences. The USRowing boat and the Canadian National Team, under the name of London Training Center, will start 16th and 17th respectively. The Dutch National Team was scheduled to compete but chose not to attend due to travel considerations.
“This weekend is a completely different ball game,” O’Leary said. “And it’s a really fun regatta. You’re racing so many different crews: national teams, club eights, collegiate eights; it’s a very broad spectrum of competitors, which is what makes it fun, but it’s not necessarily about winning. You look at how you do against competitors you race in the spring, but you don’t really expect to beat the Dutch National Team eight. It’s fun to race them because you don’t get to race them any other time.”
Radcliffe has two entries in the event, with the first boat starting 13th and a second boat in 15th.
“It’s really anybody’s race,” captain Michelle Guerette said. “You don’t even know where you stand until you’re done with the race. We’re definitely starting in the back of the pack because of last year and that gives us the opportunity to walk through some boats. Passing boats will [get us fired up], and it should prove to be dramatic under some bridges.”
Renowned Harvard heavyweight coach Harry Parker will be doing more than coaching his crew at this regatta. He is also an entry in the Veteran Singles event. Parker won fourth last year and is eighth in the starting order this year. John Landon, an unaffiliated competitor rowing in this event for the first time, has the first bow number.
A regatta so early in the year gives Radcliffe and Harvard an opportunity to gage themselves against some of the rivals they will face again.
“It’s the first test of the year to see where we measure up in long distance races,” said Harvard lightweight co-captain Joe Finelli. “It’s been a long summer. It’s impossible not to look forward to it.”