Oct. 22 and 23, boys crew placed 3rd and girls placed 8th, in the 52nd Head of the Charles regatta, the biggest regatta in the world.

The competition took place on the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. About 85 boats competed in each race.

The top boat of 8 rowers from each team competed in a three mile race that started at the Boston University boathouse and finished at Herter Park.

The conditions were not ideal during this year’s race for the girls team. Senior Katharine Phillips said, “The weather the morning of the race proved difficult, as we battled 25 mph winds.”

The team did its best to overcome the unfortunate circumstances. “The race was really wild,” said senior David Theiss, “but racing in those conditions was pretty fun.”

Senior captain Nicki Bukovac thought that the course brought out the best in some teammates, specifically their coxswain, Nicole Pofcher. “She had to steer a really difficult course, including obstacles such as 90 degree turns, winds at 20 mph or higher, and passing boats,” said Bukovac.

Theiss saw similar grit in senior rower Miles Knight. “He’s tough as nails,” he said.

Despite the challenges, both boats were very satisfied with their finishes. Phillips said, “Our goal was to finish in the top five this year, [but] we finished eighth, which we are still very proud of. We put forth a very good race considering the conditions.”

The boys’ performance exceeded their goals. “Realistically, the guys were shooting for top 10,” said senior captain Daniel Aiken. “Given our analysis of other crews and our knowledge of our own speed, this was a reasonable goal. With a decent race, it would be in grasp. With their best race, they could get top five.”

The team mentally prepared before the competition. Bukovac said, “We understood we would be up against some of the most competitive teams in the nation, so we all went into the regatta knowing it was going to be a really close and difficult race.”

In addition to assessing the obstacles, the team went into the regatta with ambition and determination. “We knew we had the potential to be a fast crew if we focused on technique, entered the race with a competitive mindset, and trusted in each other to pull as hard as we could,” said Phillips.

Although they were aware of the other teams’ strengths, they were confident in their potential.

“As the weekend went on,” said Theiss, “we got more and more hyped for the race and realized that medaling at an international competition might actually be possible.”

As both teams placed very well individually, their showing was collectively one of the strongest at the competition. “To put two boats in the top 10 is incredibly rare,” said Aiken. The only other schools this year to accomplish this feat were two elite teams from California.

This accomplishment was especially satisfying considering the caliber of many competing teams. “The crews we compete against are clubs that can recruit rowers and often train year-round,” said Phillips, “so it is very impressive that our program, as a school sport with limited water time, is succeeding on such a high level.”

The rest of the team agreed that their performance at this regatta would attest to the strength of the school’s program.

“Finishing in 3rd at an international regatta should really help New Trier gain some recognition from other teams,” said Theiss.

“People usually ignore Midwestern rowing, but now we’re sort of on everyone’s radar,” he said.

The captains credited the team’s strength to the hard work that the rowers put in during the time leading up to the race.

“Several guys on this boat put in a lot of work at 5 am before school to get even faster. I don’t think there had been that much of a desire to work until now,” said Aiken.

Bukovac saw this change as well. “The entire team has been working really hard this season to make our boats as fast as they can be,” she said.

They’re confident that this drive will continue and the team will continue to grow better.

“The New Trier Rowing Program was started only a bit more than a decade ago with just a few rowers,” said Phillips. “Our success at Head of the Charles reflects the growth of this program and the potential it has to improve even more, as we can only get stronger and faster.”