Gunn Earns Guaranteed Entry for Second Consecutive Year at Head of the Charles

This was the ninth year that Gunn Girls Rowing finished in the top 50 percent at the Head of the Charles in the history of the program, and only the second time since 1977 that they’ve done so in consecutive years, noted Head Coach Tim Poole. “It’s not an easy thing to qualify at the Charles, and to do it back to back is huge,” Poole said.

Three of this year’s team members — Leonard, Kurtz, and Beckstrom — represented Gunn in the regatta last year. In addition to their experience, they brought to this year’s Head of the Charles a new shell, donated to Gunn Rowing by Michael Renkert ’59 and christened the Ed & Peg Small at Alumni Weekend in June. The boat is named for Ed Small, who taught math and served as the Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller Senior Master from 1977 until his retirement in June 2022, and his wife, Peg, who served as School Registrar for 43 years, retiring in 2021.

The Head of the Charles is the largest three-day regatta in the world, attracting more than 12,000 athletes from around the world who compete in 73 different race events. “It is the most prestigious event in the sport,” said Poole. “You have multiple Olympians racing this weekend and then you also have high school or club juniors programs, some that are incredibly good and some that are super terrible. The full gamut of the sport is there for three days.”

The team, along with Poole and Assistant Coach Elissa Popoff, arrived in Boston on Friday, October 18, which was their only day to practice on the river. “Friday is the only day you can practice if you're not from Boston, so everyone is trying to get on the water. It’s one of the most chaotic practice times in the world,” Poole said.

On Sunday, which was their race day, the Girls First Boat started as bow 34, having moved up two places from 2023. They were able to hold their seeding throughout the race, finishing with a time of 19:56.672. There was no headwind and overall, things ran more smoothly this year compared to 2023, when Leonard had to steer the Highlanders around two boats that had clashed oars at Eliot Bridge and stopped under the arch directly ahead of them.

“This year, they moved up on Blood Street Sculls, who started at bow 32, at Weeks,” Poole said, referring to Weeks Footbridge, which the regatta notes is “known to all rowers for its sharp, 90-degree turn, making it extremely difficult for crews to navigate, especially if multiple crews are attempting passage.”

The Highlanders jockeyed for position as they continued along the second half of the course. “They were about a bow to stern with them and then hung with them the entire time. They passed them just after Eliot, but there was no oar clashing. They went back and forth,” Poole said. 

Upon reaching the finish line at Herter Park, there was a sense of pride, but the moment was also bittersweet. Four of the five team members are seniors and only Beckstrom will return to Boston next year to claim the placement they earned together. The Head of the Charles was also the last race of the fall season, and the rowers came off the 4,702-meter race course tired and hungry. “They put everything into this race,” Popoff said. “We were there on Friday, we did practice. It all comes down to 20 minutes on Sunday where you have to put it all together. That’s a lot physically, emotionally, and nutritionally.”

“It’s also harder to come in with a bid and have to defend it,” Poole said. “If you get in with a lottery bid, you want to do well, but there’s not as much on the line. When you finished well the previous year, there is an expectation that you will try to maintain it.”

Six of the nine times that Girls Rowing finished in the top 50 percent at the regatta was in the aughts, and the last time the team finished in the top half of their field consecutively was in 2005, 2006, and 2007. They also maintained their bid in 2001, 2003, 2009, and 2015, which was the last year Girls Rowing competed at Head of the Charles before last year. In 2023, the team received a lottery bid to compete, setting a goal to maintain it for this year, which they did. “We held our position. We did exactly what we were supposed to do,” Poole.

“For some perspective, every crew aims to finish in the top half of their respective field in order to ensure they earn a spot in the regatta the following year — this in itself is no easy task, as competition is always very strong. Nevertheless, our girls more than succeeded in that regard,” said Chris Visentin, Interim Director of Rowing and Head Coach, Boys Rowing. “The Girls First Boat put in a lot of time and hard work this fall to achieve what they did, and we should all be very proud of them.”

Photo credit: Haig Leonard P'25 '25