HEAD OF THE CHARLES '06: New Kid On The Block

Radliffe gives new meaning to the wisdom of the Beach Boys. With her skill on the river, golden-stater and sophomore Rebekah Kharrazi is making the Black and White wish they all could be California girls.

A native of Alameda, Kharrazi was a key contributor to the success of the women’s varsity lightweights a sesaon ago, as the varsity eight took home a silver medal at Eastern Sprints and grabbed a bronze at IRas in 2006.

And she did it in just one year.

Starting off her freshman season stroking for the varsity eight, Kharrazi rowed in the lead position throughout the spring—a tremendous feat for a first-year Radcliffe oarsman and only duplicated recently by last year’s co-captain, Sarah Bates ’06, who was the varsity stroke as a freshman in 2002.

But when she first headed down to Weld Boathouse, Kharrazi knew she had a big adjustment to make.

“The transition is very different in the fall,” Kharrazi says. “I was coming from a large team to a small team, and as a freshman, the biggest thing was feeling I had to prove myself.”

That she did quickly. Her drive to succeed sped her to the top, and she found her niche with her other teammates, bonding with them and sharing a drive to succeed.

“Everyone was very welcoming,” Kharrazi says. “Because we all have the same goal—go as fast as you can—and we all pushed each other in the same.”

Now one of two returning sophomores on the varsity eight along with Kayla Feld, Kharrazi will have to work hard once again to return to the varsity stroke seat in 2007.

But on the whole, Kharrazi thinks Radcliffe’s depth this season could help the squad capture the national title that has eluded the team in recent years.

“All of us racing now were varsity members last year,” Kharrazi says. “But there are walk-ons from last year that have made our varsity squad.”

Just as Kharrazi stepped up to the challenge of stroking the varsity eight, she anticipates that her teammates will be similarly driven, as new members to the varsity squad this year are in search of the national championship that slipped away from Kharrazi and Radcliffe a season ago.

“These previous novices have the steepest learning curves,” Kharrazi says. “So we expect them to maybe make the eight in the future—a huge step.”

With such a deep squad, the crew is aiming high once again this season. Just two seasons ago, Radcliffe had only seven varsity lightweights ready for fall competition. Greater numbers last year—when Radcliffe dominated the early part of the 2006 season, securing a No. 1 national ranking—and this fall bode well for more competitive practicing and better racing.

But what’s in store for Kharrazi is less certain. She will look to take the lead in the stroke seat of the varsity eight once again, and with her talent, it’s quite possible that Kharrazi could follow Bates to compete on the international level.

However, no matter how talented Kharrazi and Bates are, there are currently few avenues for lightweight women to compete internationally after college.

For lighweight women, there are just two slots open in the Olympic double event.

“Sarah [Bates] is in the process of going through the trials, and is continuing to do that,” says lightweight varsity coach Cecile Tucker. “[But] the opportunities for success are more limited than [those with] heavyweight crews.”

Freshman lightweight men’s coach Linda Muri—a former MIT standout—has encountered the same problem. Although she was a member of nine national teams, Muri never made it to the Olympics, simply because there were not enough seats available.

“Lightweight women get the short end of the stick in international realm,” Muri says. “People ask why I wasn’t in the Olympics — there are not enough opportunities for lightweight rowers.”

However, at the moment, Kharrazi is more focused on this season than a future in international rowing.

“I’m not looking to that future right now,” Kharrazi says. “But anything can happen.”

Because of her talent, Kharrazi will be one of the leaders of the crew this year, but she recognizes that it’s not just about her.

“Everything on the team is very driven and works very hard,” Kharrazi says. “We’re working on technique individually and as a team—we have to mold together.”

In a setting where everyone wins and loses together, crew is very different from most other sports, in which one person can stand above the rest.

“It’s less about All-Stars [and] more about team,” Tucker says. “She will continue to be an elite rower, and she can make a difference, but it’s about the team.”