Winsor Races in 58th Head of the Charles Regatta
Over 100 Winsor fans stopped by the Winsor Belmont Hill Boat House for the 2023 Head of the Charles Regatta. Winsor Crew alums returned to the dock to see teammates and watch the races while current Winsor families turned out en masse to support the team.
“The excitement was palpable and the Winsor fans were incredible,” said Director of Rowing and Lisa Stone Chair for Crew Maura Flanagan, noting “the great support of the Winsor crew community” made up of parents, teachers, siblings, and friends. Even the non-racing rowers stepped up and helped with oars and cheering. “They were a huge help throughout the day,” added Coach Flanagan.
The Winsor 4+ raced at 10:43am with Bow Marker #8. They launched from the dock with a bit of excitement, but as soon as they crossed the river, it was clear they were determined. The crew consisted of 4-Gabby Kaluski ’25, 3-Emeline Daley ’24, 2-Sylvia Jenkins ’24, 1-Stella MacLean ’24, C-Audrey Copeman ’24. Kaluski, a junior, led the senior crew at a stroke rate of 33 spm onto the course. The first few minutes of the race were frantic as the boat battled the wind after the BU bridge, allowing for Saugatuck, an elite Connecticut club, to make up 5 boat lengths on the crew. After Copeman made the Magazine Turn in a magazine-worthy fashion, the crew settled into their power and decided that Saugatuck would take no more lengths. They held them to their stern and focused on Northfield Mount Hermon, Bow #7 in front of them. With each checkpoint, the Winsor crew pushed a faster split than the previous, showing incredible endurance as Saugatuck creeped up on them again. Copeman pulled out an amazing Weeks turn, “cutting off at least 2 boat lengths,” said Kaluski and Daley. They came through Eliot Bridge and heard a vibrant cheering squad, which invigorated them for the sprint of a lifetime, catching up to Northfield Mount Hermon through the finish line. This landed them at 12 out of 90 crews, beating all NEIRA 4+s save Noble and Greenough School. With Nobles just three seconds away, the team rivalry was reignited for the spring season.
The Varsity 8+ raced at 12:03 p.m. with Bow Marker #48. The crew, C-Zaara Mehra ’26, 8-Trisha Manda ’25, 7-Amber Renthal ’25, 6-Leila Ness ’26, 5-Abigail Stephenson ’24, 4-Leela Uppaluri ’26, 3-Leah Libman ’25, 2-Ondine Goedhuis ’26, 1-Youjin Choi ’26 competed in the toughest race at the regatta for Youth Women, so they were met with some exciting competition. After a battle with the wind in the basin, large gusts of wind picked up throughout the course adding another element of adversity. The crew held the stroke rate at 34 spm for the majority of the race. Coming out of the Eliot Bridge, they heard Winsor cheers coming from the boathouse and visibly sat up a little straighter and dug a little deeper to finish the course with negative splits. “While the boat was not able to reclaim the bid for next year—placing 79 out of 90 crews—they learned a lot about facing tough competition and fighting through to the end.
“Because we row on the Charles [River] every day,” said Coach Flanagan, “it is easy to forget the absolute spectacle that is the Head of the Charles [Regatta]… We learned a lot as a team about the work that needs to be done before the exciting spring season.”
