Rowing World Cup in Lucerne

On Saturday, I took a three-hour train ride northeast to the city of Lucerne, Switzerland, where the finals for the 2009 Rowing World Cup would be taking place that afternoon on Rotsee Lake. Fellow Harvard Varsity Lightweight Crew teammates and boatmates Martin and Moritz would be representing Germany as they competed in the pair against Great Britain, Japan, and Switzerland. Their main opponent, however, was the other German pair, against whom they were vying for a spot at the world championships in August.

Arriving in the early afternoon, I toured the city for a couple hours, snapping photos of the waterfront, ferry boats, European architecture, fortress walls, turrets, and distant mountains. Traveling alone for the first time, I decided to figure things out as I went, which meant finding my bearings, navigating the public transportation system, and more or less just soaking in the scenery. Obsessed with getting as high as possible ever since hiking the Matterhorn, I did manage to climb to the top of a castle tower and get a sweet bird's-eye-view of the city and lake.

Watching Martin and Moritz race on the Rotsee was awesome, as was their performance. They just barely missed first place and crossed the finish line 2.5 seconds before the other German boat, solidifying their spot as the superior German pair. With a front row seat on the shore, I got to cheer them on in the last 500m of the race and meet up with their families, whom I recognized immediately by their chanting. After the race, I hung out with Martin and Moritz, chatting and catching up as we de-rigged the boat and carried the oars. I must say, it was pretty amazing and humbling opportunity to be at a regatta with so many of the world's most elite rowers, and to have had the opportunity to row with some of them myself. It made me nostalgic for the past spring's racing season, for sure. But it also got me psyched to train again in the fall. So psyched, in fact, that I couldn't resist pulling 5k on the erg in the WHO fitness center after work on Monday. As coach Charley Butt says, "Hoo-rah!"

Walkways and restaurants peering over the river.


The waterfront downtown.


Aerial view from the hilltop tower.



Welcome to the 2009 Rowing World Cup.



Game faces. No pain. No mercy.

Families cheer them into the final 750 meters.

Germany inches ahead of Great Britain with 500 to go.


Martin and Moritz leaving the other Germans in their wake.




Teammates reunited in, of all places, Switzerland.