On the penultimate weekend of every October, the Head of the Charles Regatta is held in Boston. People from across that nation and across the world are invited as competitors and spectators, and this year, the Rose City Rowers girls varsity team placed 25th out of 85 teams.

“It was very exciting being at the Charles,” senior Jocelyn Reahl said. “I got to see rowing celebrities and take in the world stage [for rowing].” Reahl, along with junior Molly Mastrorilli, was one of two Lincoln students who competed.

As the largest two day regatta in the world, the rowers agreed that going to the Charles was an incredible experience both to train for and to participate in. “To practice we did steady state,” Reahl said. Steady state is where the athlete rows at a moderate pace for an extended period of time and is used to build endurance.

The two girls also went to the American Lake Fall Classic Regatta in Seattle and competed in the 5,000-meter head race to prepare, beating six other high school teams for the championship in their division.

While at the Charles, the Rose City Rowers trained mostly using steady state to avoid fatigue. “Right before the race we also did what we call the Circle of Friends,”  Reahl said. “We get in a circle and talk about our goals for the piece as well as what we like about each other. It’s a nice tradition.”

Getting 25th place guarantees that the rowers will be invited next year, making the race even better. “We also beat the Green Lake Crew and Sammamish Rowing Association, two teams we frequently compete against [while at Charles],” Reahl said. The rowers also came in two seconds behind Holy Names, another Washington team they frequently compete against.