2/22/22, otherwise known as “Two’s Day,” was more than just a lucky date—it marked the very first strokes back in the water for Harvard and Radcliffe rowers since the Charles River froze back in December. The states of the Charles River mark the seasons for rowing: icing over in winter and driving the oarsmen inside, and thawing in the spring, signaling the beginning of spring racing. The construction of Newell Boathouse, permanent home to Harvard’s men crew team, was first attempted in 1899. The site was nearly complete when a construction worker accidentally left a heater running over Christmas break and burned the entire building down. Newell was rebuilt in 1900, and now proudly stands overlooking the Charles river.
The previous Harvard men’s boathouse was located across the river where Weld Boathouse (home to Harvard’s women’s crew) now stands. Interestingly enough, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ’03 rowed out of this boathouse! Despite its Presidential heritage, the boathouse had significant architectural flaws, including the collapse of a balcony that injured several Harvard rowers before being torn down.
For more than a century, the Newell and Weld boathouses have been at the heart of the University’s tradition of rowing excellence and have helped produce 78 Ivy titles, 26 national titles, and 79 Olympians, making these boathouses among the most historically significant athletic facilities in the country and home to some of the finest rowing programs in all the world.
Newell, which houses the men’s heavyweight and lightweight crews, is a true Boston City Landmark. Weld, which houses the women’s heavyweight and lightweight crews, recreational sculling, and the Undergraduate House intramural program, was built in 1906 and occupies an iconic position as a gateway to Harvard University. Both facilities have received periodic and routine maintenance over the last 100 years, but each boat houses’ original appearance has been almost entirely preserved.
Joe Shea, the current boatman of Newell, builds and repairs boats while caring for the overall maintenance of the boathouse. Hailing from Wiscasset, Maine, Shea began working for Harvard in 1998 and took me on a full tour of Newell, starting with the boat building room that houses countless artifacts from Harvard’s rich rowing history.
Several wooden boats from years past hang from the ceiling, including two more recent models that were carefully crafted by Shea himself. His large workshop is the same size as the indoor rowing tanks directly adjacent to his office, built in 1900 as a means for oarsmen to practice indoors. The oar blades have wide holes in them, allowing water to pass through while giving the rower the sensation of pulling hard while sliding back and forth in the stationary boat. The tanks, no longer in use, have been filled in as Newell awaits its latest renovation.
Today much of Newell is constructed from wood, slate, stick and timber, and architects are working to preserve the boathouse’s historically significant facade. Inside, changes to plumbing, ceilings, boat racks, and the tanks will be undertaken. Shea attests that Newell is indeed in need of a fix-up on the inside, and the new utilities will be of great help. However, the Newell crew all agrees that they want the boat house to possess its same historic charm.
The Rad Women…
Cécile Ulbrich Tucker ’91, a rower on Radcliffe’s women’s Heavyweight team, returned to Radcliffe in 2000 to coach the lightweight team for 7 years. She shared some lighthearted stories of Newell boathouse with me: Tucker recounts that the original crew team at Radcliffe was particularly scrappy. She notes, “in an elaborately planned event, a naked Radcliffe crew, wearing only painted ‘R’s and balaclavas, hid in the downstairs bathroom at Newell. Meanwhile a separate Radcliffe crew, dressed as pirates, rowed over to Newell, left their boat on the dock, raced to the balcony, and hoisted the Radcliffe flag. Simultaneously, the naked eight streaked out onto the dock, shouted the Radcliffe cheer, hopped into their waiting chariot and sprinted to the Anderson bridge to put on their clothes. Lightweight coach Charley Butt, and heavyweight captain Didzis Voldins ’94 got an eye-full, but Newell was otherwise empty.”
Tucker explains that these pranks were fairly common, and that the men’s and women’s team enjoyed joking around with each other. She even recounts “the lightweight women releasing live lobsters into the lightweight men’s shower one night. These crustaceans, post-discovery, were then cooked and shared, I believe by both squads. The men retaliated with gold-fish in the Weld showers—not nearly as tasty.”
Evidently, Newell boathouse is not only a time capsule into the past, but a platform for future generations of Harvard Rowers to make history. The Boathouse currently sits across from Weld, which holds an analogous importance for Harvard’s Women’s Rowing Team, Radcliffe.
Radcliffe rowing at Harvard holds a rich history of female athletics. The most well known woman of Weld boathouse and its program is two-time Olympic competitor and three-time world medalist, Liz O’Leary. O’Leary began coaching at Radcliffe in 1986; 2022 marks her 36th year. She has also coached seven world championship teams, the 1988 US Olympic Team, and has helped lead 14 athletes to the Olympic Games and World Championships.
O’Leary began her competitive athletic career playing basketball and hockey, and only first tried rowing at University of New Hampshire through their club sculling program. At the time US rowing was only beginning to introduce women’s rowing as a competitive sport. She recounted the beginnings of her rowing success nonchalantly, stating, “I went out to California for my first National Championship in 1974, and the first trophy I ever won was for the Women’s Novice Wherry, and I thought, ‘I’m not sure if that’s something I want to be proud of…’” Wherries are wide beginners skulls that move quite slowly and are primarily reserved for beginners. From then on, she was hooked. O’Leary notes that at the time, there were no development camps like the ones today; but instead, she owes her success to those willing to teach her and give her opportunities to compete. In California, O’Leary met her future doubles partner Lisa Stone, whom she went on to compete in the 1976 Montreal Olympics with and earn two bronze medals at the ’77 and ’78 World Championships.
Reflecting on her time watching women’s rowing over the years, O’Leary states, “I love seeing the opportunity [Radcliffe rowing] provides to women here, everywhere—and not just how to put an oar in the water, but what you gain from being part of a team, by realizing how strong you can be, by realizing how fast you can be…” O’Leary recognizes the hurdles women’s athletics have overcome in order to be considered as seriously as mens, a great deal of progress to reach equal opportunity.
The sheer sight of any Radcliffe rower makes one thing clear—Radcliffe breeds strong women. Behind the sliding glass doors of the boatbays sit the key to this product; stronger women. Radcliffe boasts a four person, entirely female coaching staff, another unique factor compared to collegiate counterparts. O’Leary’s intention behind her female coaching staff reflects her own moral principles. “I think it’s really important that women are leaders and mentors, and set a standard of what [one is] capable of doing and try to bring that out of everybody,” she says. “I think it’s really cool, and really important to have an all female staff. To me, there is something very valuable in a staff of women.”
O’Leary’s love for coaching was most obvious when I asked what her greatest joy had been during her years at Radcliffe, stating, “The greatest joy is all the athletes that have been involved—they are just amazing women who have been a part of the program, who I think feel a pretty strong connection to each other and to the program itself… We’re a competitive bunch, for sure, but I think it’s that the heart and soul of this team are all of the amazing, remarkable women who have come through this program all these years—so to me that’s what means the most.”
… And (Not So) New Men
The mirroring side of the river accommodates Harvard’s male rowing program, and one that has traditionally received more viewership than that of the women. The Harvard University Boating Club (HUBC, the men’s heavyweight team) and Harvard Varsity Lights (HVL, the men’s lightweight team) constitute the second oldest collegiate crew in the United States, founded only a year after its predecessor, Yale.
The Harvard Men’s lightweight team is led by head coach Billy Boyce. Before HVL, Boyce rowed with the Cornell Lightweights, where as a senior he won gold at both the Eastern Sprints and the IRA national Championships as captain. After his personal rowing success, the current HVL coach began his career at Harvard as part of the staff of HUBC, spending five seasons as an assistant coach, and yielding considerable success. Boyce coached crews that posted multiple championships at the Eastern Sprints, as well as multiple appearances at the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the most prestigious regattas in the world. Boyce was named head coach of the lightweights in 201, and in his first season with the team, helped Harvard win Eastern sprints and the points title at the IRA National Championships. Boyce looks to continue the historic success of the Lightweights in their return to competition this season, a team that has won nine IRA national championships over the period of 1991-2013.
The Heavyweight squad is led by Charley Butt. Butt himself is part of the program’s history, in his 37th year in the program. One of only four coaches for the Crimson since 1946, Butt has coached in several divisions and levels, including four Olympic trips and nine national championships with Harvard’s lightweight program. Butt’s crew is one of the oldest in the world, first racing Yale in 1952. The heavyweights live in Newell boathouse, built in 1900 and standing stately on the banks of the Charles River. The heavies have enjoyed a history of success, winning 9 national championships, winning 95 of the 153 Harvard-Yale Regattas and producing many olympic rowers.
Ultimately the remodels of Weld and Newell will preserve most of their iconic, historic structures, although roofs, docks, and pilings can expect to see updates. The remodel between Weld and Newell will take about two years, but it is clear that the most important components of these boathouses can be attributed to the internal culture of the teams they hold. With regard to future goals, O’Leary expresses ““A national championship would be great. But I think this team continues …to bring in great people who get a lot out of it and put a lot into it and find great success, and sometimes that’s winning races, and sometimes that’s learning how you come away from a defeat.” Liz O’Leary has done nothing short of living up to her name as a local legend, even scoring a spot in the UNH hall of fame and being the inspiration for the “O’Leary Cup.” Her passion and love for Radcliffe, is best understood when she describes the impact that rowing at Radcliffe has on an individual, “It gives you confidence, pride, energy, enthusiasm, friendships, and all these qualities and characteristics that to me are life long. And if here is where you find that strength, grreat. And if we can win races in the process, even better.”
Lulu Patterson ’24 (lpatterson@college.harvard.edu) and Katrina Geiersbach ’25 (katrinageiersbach@college.harvard.edu) both row for Radcliffe.