The “Scullers Eight” made a great appearance last weekend at the Head of the Charles.  Some in our boat have raced at the Olympics with two oars and others of us have only been at it for a year, yet we came together to set one oar aside.  Our crew from bow: Lisa Schlenker (2004 LW2X), Hillary Gehman (2004 4X), Ruth Stilver (PTC), Jen Kaido (2005 X spare), Kelly Salchow (2004 4X), Laura Rauchfuss (2004 X spare), Kate MacKenzie (2004 2-, but a sculler first!), and myself (2005 4X).  Our coxswain, Vicki Lang from Cornell, was a welcome addition.  It was awesome to have someone else steer for a change! 

We didn’t have a chance to row together before the race, so we learned how to row together on the way up to the start.  We started off with a bang and held on for the ride.  We pushed for the line early (I decided to go after the last bridge… A long stretch I know, but we made it!)  With a nice burn in the legs and lungs, we crossed the line in fifth, and a guaranteed entry for next year.  I think we did a good job.  At least it felt better than last year when our whole boat had hardly rowed since the Olympics!  It’s amazing what a little bit of training will do.