At Kendal Riverfront Park in Hanover, if you walk down the hill to the waterfront, sometimes you will have the opportunity to encounter some of the most resilient athletes in the Upper Valley.
They are the members of CReW (Cancer Recovery Through Rowing), a program founded by a former member of the U.S. Lightweight Rowing Women’s National team and two nurses from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center under the umbrella of the Upper Valley Rowing Foundation.
“Even though we’re a group of cancer survivors, we don’t talk about cancer almost any of the time,” said And Morse, 53, of Barre, Vt., who is a captain of the CReW program and has been a participant since 2021. “And yet it’s the most supportive group that you could have.”
The program is a “free land and water-based rowing program open to all those who are living with cancer, whatever their stage of treatment or recovery,” per its website.
In addition to offering time on the water to participate in and learn the sport of rowing, CReW also holds indoor sessions on ERGs (rowing machines), where participants can reap the physical and mental benefits of rowing, but on land.
Recently, members of CReW were on the Connecticut River, enjoying a brisk Saturday morning workout in preparation for two regattas.
The first of those events, the New Hampshire Championships George Dirth Memorial Regatta, took place last Sunday, but the main event is scheduled for this weekend.
For the second year in a row, members of CReW are set to participate in the Head of the Charles Regatta’s Survivor Row Saturday afternoon in Cambridge, Mass.
This weekend marks 60 years of the Head of the Charles Regatta, a premier three-day rowing event that brings in more than 12,000 competitors and thousands of fans, according to its website.
“I mean, it’s the Super Bowl of rowing events — to be in that place after having gone through what I went through… Look what we can do, we’re not just like sitting in a rocking chair waiting for the next shoe to drop,” said Morse, who grew up sailing on the Charles River.
She got a taste of last year’s row, and now she is back for more.
Mary Merges, 58, of Norwich, who is in her fifth year with the program, is also among the participants returning to the Head of the Charles.
“I think there’s five of us in the boat this year that were in last year, and the boat just has a little different feel,” Merges said. “We’re going (at a) a little higher rate and it’s just really great.”
Liza Serenqua, 44, of Chesterfield, N.H., learned about CReW following a bilateral mastectomy she underwent in April 2023.
She had signed up for a learn-to-row program in Brattleboro, Vt., as part of her recovery, and her physical therapist mentioned CReW.
“When I learned to row in Brattleboro, I was learning to scull in a single, and I got up here, and it was an eight, and there was a coxswain, and they were like telling us what to do, and I thought, ‘wow, this is kind of great,’ ” Serenqua said.
“There were so many things in that cancer diagnosis and healing from surgery process that I kind of had to navigate and make decisions on my own. But when I got here, everyone was so supportive,” she added.
Serenqua was unable to participate in last year’s Head of the Charles due to work and training conflicts, but now she has her chance.
“I had never rowed before, so this is fairly new to me, and understanding what the Head of the Charles is and how significant it is makes it super exciting,” Serenqua said.
For rowers such as Katy Driscoll, who had watched the group on the Charles last year, participating this weekend carries a lot of meaning.
“You just feel like you’re representing a lot of other people who can’t do it,” she said.
Driscoll, a 66-year-old from East Thetford, heard about CReW through another exercise group for breast cancer survivors at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, and joined last June.
“I was looking for something because I think a common theme is you get diagnosed with cancer or any illness, you just feel powerless, and so you’re really looking for something that can make you feel strong,” Driscoll said.
Sara Dunbar, 50, of Saxtons River, Vt., first got her taste of CReW in 2021 when a friend invited her to participate. Dunbar, who is an alumna of Boston University, was drawn even more to the group with the chance to compete at an event in the Head of the Charles that she had been around so much.
“I’d had a relapse in my cancer this last spring, so I was also looking for more support, with more time with people who understand what it means to have had cancer or have cancer, and so I took the opportunity to come get involved and come up to practices,” Dunbar said.
“This is such a huge event. I grew up racing sailboats, but I’ve never raced in a crew shell, so this is pretty awesome,” she said.
CReW is a participating program in the Survivor Rowing Network (SRN), which bills itself as “a global community dedicated to helping cancer survivors find healing, strength, and connection through the sport of rowing.”
SRN, in collaboration with the Head of the Charles, was responsible for bringing the first Survivor Row to the regatta last year, and this year’s race will feature a total of 14 boats with athletes representing four countries, according to its website.
Those interested in learning more about CReW by visiting its website at https://www.uppervalleyrowingfoundation.org/?page_id=927.
Saturday’s event is set to begin at 3:43 p.m. and will also be livestreamed at https://hocr.org/the-regatta/livestreams/