Princeton University Athletics
Feature Story: Princeton At Henley 2023
June 29, 2023 | Heavyweight Rowing, Women's Rowing - Open, Women's Rowing - Lightweight, Men's Rowing - Lightweight
TIGERBLOG BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE HENLEY ROYAL REGATTA
HENLEY-ON-THAMES, ENGLAND — Pretty much everywhere at the Henley Royal Regatta, on both sides of the River Thames, it’s one big party. There are tents, clubs, houses, hotels and food trucks for every taste, style and budget. Music blares almost continuously, either from the British military band that plays songs like “Rule Brittania," “In An English Country Garden” and “My Way” in the ultra-formal Steward’s Enclosure, or from the reggae and pop bands and DJs who entertain at the private clubs along the walkway, about 50 yards or so off the river.
In addition to the military band, the Stewards’ Enclosure is where you can get a small (very small) bottle of Dom Perignon for only £215. For £345 there is a three-course menu at Frawley Meadows; for twice that, you can watch the races from your own private island. At the other end of the price spectrum, there is the informal Regatta Enclosure, where you can get a pint of ale or, better yet, a Pimm’s, and maybe a sandwich to go with it.
Think Princeton Reunions, with its festivities, class jackets, dancing, rekindled friendships, story-telling and everything else that goes along with them, including the refreshments.
“We’ve had exposure to this at Princeton,” says Tiger men’s lightweight rower Nick Aronow, one of the many Princeton rowers here in England this week. “There is a lot of pageantry associated with Princeton Rowing. We’re familiar with it. We see so many faces we know here, all cheering us on.”
If you still need a reminder that this is one of the world’s oldest, and best, sporting events, you can head to those boat tents. Those tents are located about 200 meters or so beyond the finish line, which is at the very end of the Stewards’ Enclosure.
In the boat tents, you will see crews that are heading onto the water, with their tense faces and their all-business demeanor. You will also see them as they come back, two at a time, one winner, one loser, in this single-elimination format.
“For me, this is the most special part,” says Princeton’s Nick Aronow. “In our regular races, we get cheered off the water. Here, you get cheered onto the water. You have these lines of people who clap for you. It’s just incredible. We have so many alums who are here. Princeton rower, Princeton rower for life.”
Aronow had just helped the Princeton A boat here to its second win in as many days, after solid wins over Durham Tuesday and Cambridge Wednesday moved the Tigers into the quarterfinal round Friday against the Oxford Brookes B boat. And what is Oxford Brookes? Well, for starters, Oxford Brookes is a university, but it is not affiliated in any way with the more prestigious Oxford University. Second, it’s a rowing powerhouse, having won five of the last eight Temple Cups, including last year’s. Oxford Brookes A boat, which is a stepping-stone to the British Olympic program, defeated Princeton B by less than two lengths Wednesday after the B boat had won its first race a day earlier.
For Princeton’s lightweight rowers here at Henley, which is about 45 minutes outside of London, this trip is the chance to add on one more incredible experience to what has been a history-making spring to date. Princeton’s lightweights won the national championship to end the collegiate season, and now they’ve come here to row against some of the best in the world.
And some of the biggest, which creates something of an issue. There is no allowance for weight at Henley. Everyone, heavyweights and lightweights, compete in the same random draws for the same Cups. In this case, Princeton is competing with almost all lightweight rowers and is doing so in the Temple Cup, the highest collegiate bracket.
The average Oxford Brookes rower looks like an NFL tight end. The average lightweight rower from Princeton looks, well, bigger than usual.
“It’s tough, especially in these conditions,” Aronow says of the weight difference. “There’s a headwind, and that usually favors the heavier crews. We’re lucky though. We haven’t raced as lightweights in a month or so. Now we’ve put on at least a few pounds. Now we’re more of a heavyweight crew.”
Princeton is a Henley staple and has been for decades. The Tigers first sent boats here in 1930, when Henley was already 91 years old, by the way. Princeton has had nine champions since then, or 10, if you want to count George Dickinson. The recent Princeton grad was also in the national champion-men’s lightweight boat this spring, and he came to Princeton from London, which is about 45 minutes downriver from Henley.
“I remember when I first came here,” he said after the win over Cambridge. “When I started rowing, I looked up to the older kids in my school. First time I got here, I was in their shoes representing the school with university, club, national teams all here. It was scary.”
That was back when he was a student at St. Paul’s in London. While there, Dickinson was part of his school’s 2018 Henley championship in the Princess Elizabeth Cup, the top scholastic division.
“This was the be-all and end-all of my season at school,” he says. “We put a lot of energy into doing as well as we could here. To finish my college rowing career where I finished my high school career is very special to me.”
The Princeton women’s open team has two boats here. The B boat fell Wednesday in its first race to a strong Newcastle University A team. The A boat races Friday in the Remenham Challenge Cup against the Leander A team, which is also an Olympic feeder club. In fact, Leander alums have won 127 Olympic medals, dating to 1908.
Each one of the Cups and Trophies, all of which are on display in the Stewards’ Enclosure, determine their brackets by random draw. It’s not always a kind process.
Lori Dauphiny, the head coach of the Princeton open women, was making herself comfortable in the boat tents area Wednesday afternoon. The tents are set up alphabetically; Dauphiny was positioned on the grass between letters “O” and “P.”
Her face told the whole story after the B boat raced. They had lost. Her rowers were disappointed. They had done their best. She is grateful they all get to have this experience.
That really is the bottom line here. The goal on the water is to make it to the weekend, with Saturday’s semifinals and Sunday’s finals. That’s not easy to do. Princeton’s A men’s boat, and its 4s in the Visitors’ Cup, are one away from achieving that. So too is Dauphiny’s A boat.
“It’s amazing,” Aronow says. “These are world class competitors. You can into every race knowing nothing about your opponent. Back in the U.S., you know people on every team and in every boat. Here you have no idea what to expect. Here every race is a clean slate.”
That’s on the water.
Off the water? It’s the experience. It’s knowing you were part of something incredibly special. It’s doing your best, going as far as you can … and then enjoying the party the rest of the way.
“This is something unique to rowing,” Dickinson says. “This is more iconic than any other rowing event.”
He knows. He’s seen it all before. He’s tasted the very pinnacle of the event. He knows what the rest of Princeton’s time at Henley will be, win or lose, weekend or no weekend.
“This is the perfect way to end it,” he says.
— by Jerry Price
