Oarsmen Turn the Charles Crimson

The Harvard lightweight crew teams see a lot of their opponents.

Facing backwards, looking over the part of the course they've already completed, the Crimson oarsmen have yet not to see the competition behind them--they've cranked past Dartsmouth, MIT, the Coast Guard Academy, and, as of this weekend, Navy.

But it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The 2000-meter Charles River races Saturday started out hellish and got better, but only by comparison, with gale-force winds and choppy water proving a test more of strength than of technique.

"The first half was very rough so they stayed close," senior Co-Captain Edd Fleming said. "We didn't move very well for the first thousand meters."

But move they did, quickly enough to have half a boatlength lead by the relatively, and only relatively, calmer water of the second thousand. There, the Crimson--despite a crosswind and a somewhat frantic 37 strokes per-minute cadence--sealed the victory by holding off a Midshipman sprint with 300 meters to go to claim a five-second victory.

"It was good practice for next weekend," Fleming said.

Next weekend is the fabled HYP matchup, where the Crimson will face. Yale and Princeton on the Charles. And if Harvard shows the grit they did against Navy, it may just walk off with the prize.

Second Eight

The second eight was even more impressive than its varsity counterpart, blowing away Navy by 11 seconds in spite of worsening water and wind. "This ominous cloud rolled over," said j.v. coxswain Simon Young.

But so did Young's boat, sparked by the reappearance in the lineup of junior Jim Atkinson, who missed the earlier contests with a pulled muscle. The Crimson earned the victory in the second half of the race, when, Young said, "It really came together for us."

"I think it was the contrast," he added. "The first half of the race was some of the nastiest conditions I've seen."

And while Yale and Princeton may prove some of the nastiest competition they'll see, Coach Bruce Beall's charges express cautious optimism.

"The real test," said varsity oarsman Paul Natterson, "is next weekend."