Shaker on the Charles

In October, nineteen Raider Rowing athletes traveled to Boston to race the Head of the Charles, bringing back a Shaker tradition last raced in 2019.

Five days in Boston

The team drove to Boston on Thursday in two vans. On Friday, the athletes rigged their boats and took their practice run on the Charles.

On Saturday, Charlie and Becca Braun welcomed the team to Harvard's Newell Boathouse. They have both raced the Head of the Charles for many years. From the boathouse, our athletes watched Saturday's racing on the same water they would race the next day, and enjoyed an amazing experience touring the boathouse, speaking with Harvard’s head coach and witnessing some of the finest racing all weekend.

On Sunday, our women's youth four (4+) started 76th and crossed the line 50th, climbing 26 places in 20:29.80. See full results here.

Photos: AllMarkOne

Our men's youth eight (8+) is a young crew with more seasons ahead together. They finished in 17:30.94, two full minutes faster than their goal. See full results here.

All week long, our athletes were respectful on the road, at the hotel, and at the regatta, and they represented Shaker beautifully.

Photos: AllMarkOne

Thank you

To Coach X and Coach Elinor, who prepared our athletes to race at this level, and to Coach Lincoln for being there with them in Boston.

To Charlie and Becca Braun, who arranged our visit to Harvard's Newell Boathouse, and to the Newell Boathouse for welcoming us.

To our chaperones, Rean Davis, Joe Davis, Megan Holmes, and Linda Sternheimer, who handled the driving, room coordination, and everything else on the ground in Boston.

To Meg Testa, who booked our hotels. To Kelly Moody, who upgraded our travel vans. To Rich Mauch, who took care of our finances.

To every family who traveled to cheer along the river or followed from home.

Our supporters

This trip happened because of our families. You prepared your athletes all season and covered their travel to Boston, and every rower on the Charles carried that support with them.

Thank you to Shaker Heights High School for supporting our coaches and our program.

Thank you, especially, to the 34 supporters who gave $5,072 to Shaker on the Charles. Each of these wonderful and generous people is a neighbor, family member, or community member who cares about our athletes, this experience, and the program. Every gift went a long way toward scholarships, so families who needed help with the cost of the trip had it.

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