All four crews race in Boston at Head of the Charles

It should be a dazzling morning in Boston this Saturday when, on the banks of the Charles River, crews from all over the world will plunge their boats into the shimmering waters of the Northeast's most famous rowing venue and kickoff the 39th annual Head of the Charles Regatta.

The Princeton men and women's crews, both light and heavyweight (open weight for women), will be among those boats navigating the mighty Charles, battling the majestic river in much the same way that their aristocratic predecessors, distinguished members of the Cambridge Boat Club, had for close to a century before.

But the race itself has kept up with the times and is much more than just an elevated social event fit for garden parties and afternoon teas. Now it is a Mecca for crew teams all over the country and world.

"It's the beginning of the season; everybody's getting a good idea of what their squad looks like and how they match up with others," men's heavyweight coach Curtis Jordan said.

Especially for Princeton's men's heavyweight and women's open crews, looking to bounce back from spring seasons more disappointing than the economy, this race is a way to get a feel for how they compare to the staunch competition they will undoubtedly face come March.

"Last year was definitely a disappointing year," senior men's heavyweight captain Tyson White said. "We trained as hard as we ever had, but things didn't seem to mesh as well as in the past."

For this year's heavyweight crew, however, White thinks that "the atmosphere on the team has definitely changed a lot," due mainly to the skill that six sophomores, charging in off the momentum of an amazing freshman season last year, will add to this year's championship eight boat.

On a championship level, Princeton's eight-man heavyweight boat is less experienced than a 1940s version of Givenchy. Of the nine individuals in Princeton's championship eight boat, five of the eight rowers as well as the coxswain will be sophomores who have never before rowed in a championship level race. All of their experience was on a freshman team that dominated its competition most of the year.

This doesn't diminish White's confidence, however. "Their coming up and that brings a new dynamic to the group," White said. "We're looking to build on some of their success."

Last year these touted sophomores, then freshmen, were efficient at taking home trophies, winning the youth division of Eastern Sprints and Nationals as well as finishing first in the English Henley.

Even under these high expectations, however, the sophomore saviors of men's heavyweight crew don't seem too worried about the hype.

"We're just trying to make a contribution," sophomore Steve Coppola casually said as he headed down to the boathouse. "We're there to row."

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Women's open crew is also there to row, looking for some redemption from their less than stellar finish last year.

Led by senior captains Juliana Schmuke and Michelle Parris, women's open is, in the words of sophomore Kate Bertko, out to "give it a good try and see exactly what we've got."

With a championship eight boat that is as untested as the men's heavyweight, hopes are high that this race will be the brilliant dawn after the dismal twilight ushered in by its diappointing seventh-place finish at nationals last spring.

"Women's eight is a very untested boat. Three people rowed last year in the championship eight, but the rest are new," open weight coach Lori Dauphiny said. "Who knows? Women's open won the race in 2000, which is really outrageous for a collegiate crew since there are national teams competing."

Coach Dauphiny, however, brings up another interesting facet of this race — its list of competitors also includes national and club teams.

The presence of these teams makes it difficult for collegiate level teams to actually place in the race, as Dauphiny states above, but the Head of the Charles still can be a battle ground for establishing bragging rights and, as White says, "setting the tone for the rest of the year."

"To medal would be tough," Jordan said. "There are just too many national teams. We do, however, have high expectations of doing well relative to other universities."

The bottom line is that the Tigers want to use this race to prove that they are a crew to be taken seriously and a major competitor on the collegiate level. Men and women's lightweight will look for a continuation of the success they enjoyed last year and the heavyweight and open crews will be out for revenge and redemption.

"This is the first battle of the year," White confidently asserted. "It's a measuring stick with which we will approach the rest of our season. Princeton's back, and we're out to show everyone!"