Unveiling the Decision-Makers behind the Head of the Charles Regatta

By Alexa Back

Despite the pouring rain, the Head of the Charles Regatta persists, uniting the rowing community while also involving complexities in event setup and winner selection.

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In Cambridge, Massachusetts, the world's largest three-day regatta attracts over 400,000 spectators, 11,000 competitors, and 2,400 volunteers. Preparations are year-round, according to Race Director Brendan Mulvey.

A group of rowers along the Charles River beneath the Elliot Bridge. By Alexa Back. 

On Saturday, the scheduled races began at 7:45 a.m. and concluded at 4:02 p.m., featuring 37 boats on the Charles River. Two 15-year-old rowers from Lower Merion High, Kalina Rauer and Brooke Jackett, watched the event, awaiting their own race. "It's such a tough physical sport. And it looks so easy, you just want to quit but you fully have to push through all the pain you're feeling and just ignore it and keep going,” Rauer states. 

Kalina Rauer (left) and Brooke Jackett (right) from Lower Merion High School anticipate

their upcoming race as they watch the boats. Photo by Alexa Back.

Mulvey noted that this sense of camaraderie among rowers is distinctive to the regatta. “They often refer to the head of the Charles as a ‘Rowers' Christmas.’ And I think what that means is just the element of your family.”

Greg Krom and Richard Bates, volunteers for Results Verification & Race Eligibility, believe that the most challenging aspect of their job is vetting the winners.

“You don't want someone who's won an Olympic medal later going on to row in a club, because that's just not fair to everyone else,” Bates said. 

Typically, there are only one or two disqualifications a year, as stated by Krom. “For the club events, there’s a whole host of races that if you even participated in, like if you were in speed orders or Olympic team trials, or if you placed in or won an event at the Canadian Henley in those types of high end races, then you’re ineligible to row in a club boat.”

The duo regards the score as the race's most vital element.

Lead Umpire Kirsten Meisner supervises a team of 94 referees. Usually, 80 of them work round the clock each day of the race, with some stationed on the water and others at the boat house.

Lead Umpire Kirsten Meisner discusses race logistics. By Alexa Back.

After tallying the scores, Meisner and her team announce the results and remain for an appeals process, during which teams present their arguments against any perceived unfair penalties.

The most common one, Meisner noted, is a buoy penalty. “The first [buoy] they miss, it's a five second penalty. If they miss a second one, it's a 10 second penalty, and every subsequent one is another 10 seconds.”

Another common penalty is a 60-second penalty for nonyielding. "It's part of the rules for a head race that as soon as a boat comes within half a length of you, you need to move to the side, in the direction opposite that the faster crew wants to go," Meisner explained. 

If a boat collides with another or forces another off course into a potentially hazardous situation, an umpire will impose a safety penalty, which adds 60 seconds to the time and the possibility of losing guaranteed entry for the following year.

Last year, over the course of two and a half days, Meisner issued 219 penalties. Meisner only dealt with nine appeals last year, while she typically receives 20 to 25. 

Meisner has been a U.S. referee since 1999, serves on the Worldwide Events Commission, and is set to join the jury for the Olympic Games next year.

When asked to describe the regatta in one word, Meisner answered: “I don't want to diminish it by the word I'm choosing, but to me, it's a bit of a spectacle.”