Sports

New England state of mind

Several members of the Wisconsin men's rowing team will be traveling to New England for the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River in Boston, Mass. this Saturday and Sunday.

"They're fired up," Wisconsin men's rowing coach Chris Clark reported about his crew of eight men making the trip to Boston.

The rowers have good reason to be psyched about this weekend's regatta. In addition to being one of their first and only races in the fall, the Head of the Charles is one of the world's largest rowing events.

Every October for the past 42 years, more than 7,500 top-tier athletes from around the world congregate at the Charles River to participate in one of the 26 events on the three-mile course. This year, Wisconsin rowers will compete against 42 other eight-man boats in the men's division.

Wisconsin rowers can expect as many as 300,000 spectators to cheer them on during the weekend. The enthusiasm this regatta generates within the rowing world is comparable to, or perhaps surpasses, UW's recent homecoming football game. The event is so big that corporations sponsor tents, booths and performers to entertain the fans.

The Head of the Charles is something of a Mecca for rowers, especially for those from outside New England, where rowing is less popular.

"It's just an experience," Clark said. "When you're here in Wisconsin, you're isolated from the rest of the rowing community. There are some rowers on the lake but not a lot. You've got Mendota Rowing Club and you have Camp Randall … but you don't even see that much rowing day to day, so all of a sudden you go to this place with tens of thousands of people.

"It's like wow! I guess I'm not the only person that rows in the whole world," Clark joked.

This is an important regatta for the UW rowing team because it will give the Badgers a chance to see how they measure up to other crew programs that they will meet again later at the Eastern Sprints and the national championships. The winner of the Head of the Charles does not affect the outcome of the national championship, but as Clark says, "There's definitely a correlation there."

Coach Clark predicts a good finish for the team this weekend. "We won't do poorly. The only way we can do poorly is if we crash into something," he said with a laugh.

Clark recognized that, since this regatta comes early in the season, maintaining a high level of intensity throughout the entire three-mile race might be difficult. He is confident that later in the spring the team will be able to sustain high speed and intensity for long distances, but for now, it could be an issue.

Senior rowers have been improving their technique and reputation since their freshman year, and have really come into their own. Their hard work has paid off, according to Clark.

"The better people you have, the better results you have. It's that simple. That's what it comes down to."

Right now, Wisconsin has a high standing for the race, ranked 6th out of 43 boats in their event. Ranking may put some pressure on the team, but Clark is not worried.

"We've got a lot of good seniors," Clark said. "All three classes are pretty good, but the seniors are sort of leading the team."