Call it a homecoming weekend
When he was a kid, there was one thing, actually two things, Sam Kenary always knew he wanted to do: attend Harvard and row for the Crimson. Longtime Harvard coach Harry Parker remembers Kenary helping out with the Eastern Sprints at Lake Quinsigamond as a high school student, pointing to a Crimson boat and telling the coxswain and stroke, "I'm going to be sitting in there someday."
Kenary, a St. John's High graduate from Worcester, is a junior at Harvard, the stroke on the Crimson's second varsity eight boat, and coming home today for the 63d Eastern Sprints.
"Sam's been a nice surprise for us," said Parker, in his 46th year. "He's quite a bit smaller than most of the rowers on this squad. We really didn't know what to expect, and he just continues to surprise us. He's a great stroke, and he is a great racer."
It was a Kenary family tradition, started by Sam's dad, Jim, a 1978 Harvard grad, to attend the Sprints every year, sit at Regatta Point, and cheer on the Harvard boats. Jim, who died last year, also rowed for Harvard, as did Sam's brother Jim (Class of 2006). Their grandfather played football at Harvard.
"It's been my goal to win Sprints in a Harvard boat ever since I can remember," said Kenary, who helped the second varsity eight to a second-place finish last year.
Harvard won five medals at the 2007 Eastern Sprints, including the gold in the varsity eight race, and captured the Rowe Cup as the overall points heavyweight champion for the fifth time in six years.
The Crimson again will be one of the favorites when this year's Sprints get under way this morning. Heats start at 8:24, finals at 1:40 p.m. The day's feature race, the varsity eight grand final, is at 6.
Harvard's varsity eight boat is seeded third behind No. 1 Brown and No. 2 Wisconsin.
Brown's heavyweights beat Harvard by 5.1 seconds April 12.
"Brown has been particularly impressive all season long," Parker said. "They deserve to be seeded No. 1." Harvard has the top-seeded second varsity and freshman eight boats.
"Being seeded first is nice, but it certainly puts the pressure on," Kenary said. "We just have to try and row our best race, like we've been doing all year." Wisconsin edged Harvard's second varsity by half a second last year, and those boats could be dueling again.
The Badgers are the second seed. Brown is third.
"It was brutal to lose because it was so close," Kenary said. "We're excited to get another crack at them. We haven't raced them yet this year, but they should be right on with us."
Kenary will not be the only Worcesterite coming home this weekend.
Navy sophomore Mike Hicks will be making his debut in the Midshipmen's top varsity boat, which is seeded eighth. He was moved up from the second varsity boat last week.
Hicks, who played soccer at St. Peter-Marian, is relatively new to rowing. He took it up last year and "I've hardly left the boathouse since," he said. "From a team aspect, from a physical aspect, it's great."
Navy is coming off a dual-meet sweep of Columbia on Lake Carnegie in Princeton, N.J. The Lions' varsity eight is seeded sixth.
