Head of the Charles 2021

By: Michael Yang, Vir Shrestha, Ellie Ana Sperantsas

The boys and girls varsity crew teams competed at the Head of the Charles Regatta, the second-largest rowing event in the United States. Exeter Girls Crew, consisting of senior Charlotte Pulkkinen, upper Matilda Damon, and lowers Edie Fisher and Jamie Reidy, secured Exeter’s first ever medal at the competition by placing second in the youth women’s 4+, 0.5 seconds behind the first place boat. 

“We all worked so hard with our form and improved both our speed off of one another throughout these months,” lower and 4+ rower Edie Fisher expressed. 

Luque, the team’s coxswain, was proud of their progress. “I’m incredibly proud of watching this boat and how much they've grown since the beginning of the season. Being able to grow along with them everyday practice, I really saw how much they put out there. Every day was a new opportunity to get better, to get faster. I felt it right there at that starting line, everyone was really focused in and as soon as we started everything that could go right, went right in that race. It was truly a race to remember,” Luque said.

Reidy attributed the team’s success to their passion and drive for the sport. “Our success was due to our hard work, dedication, and love of the sport,” Reidy said. 

This year, the girl’s 4+ was one of the youngest boats ever from Exeter to go to HOCR, with half the boat being underclassmen. “Given our boat was so young this year, I’m so excited for the future of Exeter Girls Crew,” Pulkkinen said. 

Damon voiced excitement. “I can’t wait to take down every race there is,” Damon said. “We are hungry for the win.”

On the boys side, the 4+ ranked 17th from their original 30th among 80 boats. Upper and coxswain Ryan Kim talked about the atmosphere of the regatta. “It was super exciting. The weather was great, the bridges were packed, and the atmosphere was electric. All along the course there were people cheering boats on,” Kim said.

The support from Exonians, both remotely and in-person, was invigorating. “So many Exonians were cheering us on in person and via the livestream. Knowing that so many eyes were watching us was very motivating. The amount of support and congratulations our boat received was equally awesome,” lower Jamie Reidy said. 

Upper and rower Weiyi Huang added, “On race day, the river buzzes with rowers, coaches, rowing enthusiasts, among local on-watchers and others—you’re practically living in rowing paradise.”

The regatta marks the first opportunity post-pandemic for some students to compete in a regatta. “Due to the pandemic, we had not had the opportunity to have any regattas so it was really fun getting to jump right back into a huge event. The energy of HOCR was infectious so, although I did have nerves at the start, they really went away because of the excitement of everything,” upper and coxswain Veruka Salomone said.

Huang explained the significance of the regatta. “The team gets really excited for it, to not only represent Exeter in front of thousands of people, but also to feel the energy in the air and be a part of something greater,” Huang continued.

The moments after the race were memorable for rowers. “When we crossed the finish line, we knew we did well, and prayed for top ten. Second place was a complete shock, and I’m still processing it. It was the perfect end to an amazing season with my teammates. I feel so lucky to have been able to share that with four incredible people,” Reidy said.

Senior rower Zander Galli commented on the fans. “We felt nervous after cheering on the girls' amazing [second place] performance. The pressure was on from supporters in attendance. All the technique training and hard practices were about to pay off. We had to show our merit and skill representing our beloved school,” Galli said.

Coxswains reflected on the team bonding of grueling practices leading up to the competition. “You don’t spend every day for months working that hard with your best friends without a bond forming. What I will remember most about the experience is not the actual day but the days leading up to it. The training was hard, but really fun. I think the fact that every person put their all in every day really determined how much the team wanted to be on the water and loved crew, because it’s really not an easy sport,” coxswain Gracie Keyt said.

“We have a motto: One Big Boat. It means no matter where you are on the lineups, you’re there cheering on your team because we are one big team. We are a team made up of so many talented rowers, so many impressive coxswains, and incredible coaches. Head of the Charles was the One Big Boat all the way through,” Keyt added.

Coxing the Charles River, which includes steering the river’s many twists, turns and bridges, is considered one of the hardest tasks of any fall regatta. “It was a little intimidating before the start, but once we crossed that starting line all the nerves disappeared,” Kim said. “All the coxswains studied hard for the Charles, visualizing the turns and planning a few calls in advance, so we were all able to trust in that training and execute on race day.” 

Lower Juno Cowans also enjoyed the opportunity to coxswain. “Coxing the race was a thrill and being my first time at a race this size I had to prepare in the weeks preceding that Sunday,” Cowans said.

The chaos and packed river of competing boats generated nervous energy. Huang said, “Our coxswain, Ryan Kim, steered the boat really well and took the racing line that we had wanted to take. We had anticipated a lot of possible things that could’ve gone wrong (i.e. running into another boat, getting chased down, etc.) but none of that happened.” 

The team worked to fight against both a strong wind and sources of pressure. “Initially, I was worried that the hefty breeze and added pressure from the crowd would slow us down. However, the team gelled up and started working together, finishing strong,” Galli said.

The team worked tirelessly in the practices leading up to the regatta. Huang remarked, “As we get closer to the competition, we’ve been going harder and longer every day at practice, and through all of that work, a lot of the guys and girls have gotten a lot faster, breaking times and pushing boundaries. It’s really exciting to see the team get faster in general as well.” 

Athletes learned plenty from the regatta. “The entire race was a huge learning experience, and I feel like it was such an amazing opportunity to compete at a world stage, not just inside our boarding school competition bubble that we’re usually in for our spring season,” upper and 8+ rower Cindy Su said.

Others voiced their excitement for the spring season. “We're looking forward to a strong spring season, and coming back next year to try and medal at the Charles,” Kim said.

Luque expressed her hopes for the spring. “I am so excited to see the future of this boat. I think spring racing season is really going to show just how much improvement we have. I really think there's a big future for this boat. We represent Exeter out there on that water and we represent it proudly,” J. Luque said.

Athletes voiced their love for their teammates. “I couldn’t have asked for more supportive, fun, and loving teammates and I was honoured to race with them and represent Exeter!” lower and 8+ rower Vedika Amin said.

Galli explained the team’s winter conditioning routine. "The team will continue their efforts into the winter, erging consistently and gaining team confidence in their stamina and technique for next season,” Galli added.

As for the Crew Spring season, Pulkkinen said, “Spring season is going to be a movie.”