Alumni come through to help crew get to Head of the Ohio

What do you get when you mix a solid crew team, generous alumni and a regatta in Pittsburgh? The Head of the Ohio regatta last weekend, at which four all-senior Princeton teams competed and came away with one first-place and three second-place finishes.

The teams consisted of a mix of heavyweight and lightweight seniors of both the men's and women's teams. Princeton's victory came when the men's team won the open pairs with a time of 15 minutes, 36.8 seconds. Both teams finished second in the H.J. Heinz Exhibition Sprints, the men with a time of 1:25.4, and the women clocking in at 1:40.0. The men also finished second in the open eights with a time of 12:58.2. The women finished 11th at 15:26.8.

Jim Donnell '53 made the trip possible by transporting both the team members and the equipment to Pittsburgh for the event.

"[Donnell] was instrumental in helping to plan the trip," Heather Smith, the women's lightweight coach, said. "He is a former Princeton rower and has stayed in contact with the program since he left."

Once in Pittsburgh, the teams had the opportunity to meet several members of Princeton's large alumni base. The Alumni Association of Western Pennsylvania provided transportation, lodging and a dinner with several local alumni after Saturday's races.

"It was a privilege to get to spend a few hours talking with the alumni and hearing some of their stories about Princeton," senior Linda Loyd, the women's captain at the regatta, said.

In October 2000, the Bernard Shea Rowing Center opened on Carnegie Lake. Irene Shea, wife of the late Bernard Shea '16, donated four million dollars for the new Shea Rowing Center at Princeton.

Irene Shea and Princeton alumni from the Pittsburgh area felt that inviting the team to the regatta would be the perfect way to continue their support of Princeton rowing.

"No, we could not have gone to the regatta without their support," Smith said. "It was very important for the rowers to meet the area alumni and form a connection with other members of the Princeton community."

The Head of the Ohio is not one of the most competitive regattas of the year, Smith noted. She viewed the event as a chance to get the team back on the water. The most competitive regattas will come later in the season and in the spring.

One such race is the Head of the Charles, which will take place October 20-21 outside of Boston. The regatta is the largest two-day rowing event in the world. All four Princeton teams will send multiple boats to the race.

Last year, Princeton took home four first-place finishes at the Head of the Charles, including victories in the men's championship 4+ (with coxswain) and the women's championship 8+.

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This was Princeton's first time competing in the Head of the Ohio, which leaves open the possibility of competing in the regatta in future years.

"I wouldn't expect it to be an annual event," Smith said. "But it is certainly something that could happen once every couple years."

The alumni appeared to be pleased with the weekend as well.

"The alumni in Pittsburgh seemed to enjoy having us there," Loyd said. "I would think we'd go [to the regatta] again."

Sunday, May 11

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