Hayden steers Holy Cross with inspiration

“I’m just grateful God gave me three fingers,’’ says the 5-foot-6-inch, 110-pound coxswain on the Holy Cross eight. “Because then I wouldn’t be able to do this,’’ goes the punch line as Hayden lofts his middle finger, usually to the rousing laughter of classmates.

Hayden, a senior at Holy Cross who is as energetic as he is diminutive, has made a lifelong habit of turning his handicap into a self-deprecating joke. As he says, it’s all about “making people comfortable with you.’’

Born without a right arm and with only three fingers on a truncated left, Hayden says the only real differencebetween him and someone with fully developed limbs is, “We may problem-solve in different ways. I approach almost everything in the boat a different way.

“Steering, for example: most coxes use both hands to steer the boat, and I had to learn to steer with one. And there are some other things that I just have to practice over and over again to prepare. And I find my own way.

“I’ve been doing this for eight years now [four in high school], so I’ve really had time to hone my skills.’’

For example, Hayden notes, most coxes perform the simple act of getting in and out of the boat without much planning.

“But I have to think about it and do these things in a different way, get a little more creative,’’ he says. “It’s all about making sure I’m prepared. That’s the most important thing.’’

Hayden will by coxing the varsity eight in the championship eight division today at the Head of the Charles, and though the races are timed events, there is a personal element to the competition, he says. Holy Cross teammates and coach Todd Pearson all describe Hayden as a true leader, a tireless dynamo who is able to inspire his rowers.

“You think of him as this happy-go-lucky kid,’’ Pearson says, “but in the heat of battle he is a fierce competitor, incredibly motivated, and he motivates everyone around him.’’

In a short time, says Pearson, Hayden makes people around him forget his disability.

“I remember once seeing a car in our parking lot with handicap plates, and wondering who could that belong to,’’ Pearson said. “Then it dawned on me that it was Chris’s car. I’d forgotten all about his handicap.”

Hayden’s boat will be placed behind Harvard and in front of Princeton today. So while he acknowledges the race is against the clock, he will be focused on Harvard.

“Always the goal in head racing is passing the boat ahead of you,’’ Hayden says. “You want to pass as many boats as you can and hold off the boat behind you.

“When you’re pushing through another boat and calling out the seats as you pass them, that’s the most exciting thing there is. Any boat right in front of us we’d be going after, but this year we’re going after Harvard.

“My favorite thing to do when you’re driving through another boat is yelling, ‘Bowball!’ when you get up there. It really demoralizes a boat and that’s what I want to do to Harvard.’’

Hayden was playing soccer as a high school freshman when the rowing coach approached him because of his athleticism and size. Once in the boat, Hayden never looked back.

“It’s just what I loved to do -- to compete and learn how to get more out of our boat,’’ Hayden says. “I just ate it up.’’

At Holy Cross, Hayden is studying political science and wants to head to Washington, D.C., possibly to work in a staff press office. And if some alumni rowing opportunity arises, he could imagine being back on the Charles in the future.

Hayden already has an internship with “Meet the Press’’ on his résumé, working on “The Truth Squad,’’ a group that compared candidates’ campaign promises to their current pledges. Hayden looks forward to a professional life in politics or journalism.

Hayden says the leadership skills he has developed as a coxswain will mark his approach to whatever he undertakes in life.

As Pearson says, “When Chris is here, there is no mistaking that he is the boat’s captain.’’