Head Of The Charles Regatta 2018 HOCR Program | Page 33

about it,” he added. Then he abruptly
hung up.
Great, I thought, now I’m in for it.
I busied myself with a boat repair
I’d been tending to, sanding down
the rough edges of a gunnel, while I
considered my options. There was no
good way to say “no,” to Parker; then
again, there was no good way to say
‘yes.’” If we did poorly in the double, I
was going to feel lousy about letting
him down; then again, if we did well,
there wouldn’t be any real kudos,
for success with Parker was pretty
much expected. In short, it was a no
win situation for me. But of course
I called him back the next day and
agreed to do it.
“Great,” he said. “I have a double
at Newell that we can use.”
“Okay. Do you want to practice at
all?” I asked.
“Sure, we can go over the course
a few times,” he said.
OPPOSITE PAGE
Harry Parker about to launch.
And so the deal was done. We’d
be competing in the championship
double event in a few weeks time. No
problem.
I WAS CURIOUS, OF COURSE, to be
in a boat with Mr. Parker, even though
I was 29 at the time, and I
considered anyone over 50 “over
the hill.” I knew that Parker had
never really gotten out of shape.
at age 54 he was a few decades past
his competitive heyday. It was difficult
to coach and compete at the same
time, so Parker had opted out of row-
ing his single for a while and teamed
up with his son. By moving into the
double, the pressure for him to per-
form well in the Head of the Charles
6 1 7. 5 7 6 . 1 1 1 1
PIZZA (FOR HUMANS)
At Cambridge, 1. we craft authentic
thin crust, charcoal-grilled pizzas along
with soups, salads and pasta for those
seeking a comfortable place to eat,
drink and relax in the heart of
Harvard Square.
2 7 C H U R C H S T R E E T, H A R VA R D S Q U A R E
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION
W W W. C A M B R I D G E 1 . U S
FIFTY-FOURTH HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA
33