The Power Of The Thames

“I have seen the Mississippi.  That is Muddy water.  

I have seen the St. Lawrence.  That is Crystal water.  

But The Thames is Liquid History.”  

~ John Burns, 1929

Henley-on-Thames, England — Liquid history.  That sums it up.  There exists a certain aura, an energy, even, that rises from the rippling waters of the River Thames.

An outsider can be entrapped by it.  The locals of Oxfordshire, County, though, don’t particularly seem to notice it anymore.  They come and go, bustling down the riverbanks, criss-crossing Henley Bridge.  Unfazed and indifferent.  It’s like being a member of Augusta National or a lifelong season-ticket holder at Fenway Park — the charm is easily overlooked.

Nonetheless, that aura is ever-present.  Cutting through the quaint town of Henley, the Thames is unlike any other rowing venue.  It speaks its own language.  Dances its own dance.  

“It’s a surreal experience,” said Emily Rhiver, a native of Fishers, Ind.  “Our first time down the river, everyone was just yelling, ‘Look at that!  Look at that!’”

Like the rest of the Purdue University women’s varsity eight, Rhiver is in the midst of her first visit to the Thames.  On Friday at 1:00 local time, she and her teammates will embark down the river against Tyne Rowing Club of Newcastle in the first round of the Henley Women’s Regatta.

Liquid history could potentially await.

“Sometimes you have to remind yourself that we’re here to row and compete,” Rhiver said.  “We’re trying to achieve something here.”

From the five-arced Henley Bridge to the lush green riverbanks to the stately, but homely, manors that look down upon the water, a journey down the Thames is a gentle tour of nobility.  It’s quiet, but active.  Elegant, but inviting.  

“It is just beautiful,” said Purdue sophomore Molly Powers, the five seat in the Boilermakers’ varsity eight.  “The first time down the river was special.  Every time we finished a drill or finished a piece, everyone would stop and grab a video recorder to pan the scenery or start taking pictures of everything.”

According to Powers, at some point during each of Purdue’s practice runs down the Thames, an acute moment of cognizance has set in amongst the crew.  That realization of we’re actually here.  It’s difficult to quantify. 

“We’re still in a boat,” said Rhiver, doing here best to explain.  “We have the same riggers, same everything — it’s still just water — but it feels completely different.  It’s just crazy to know that you are rowing where people have rowed their entire lives and all the tradition that exists here.”

No member of Purdue’s varsity eight has ever been abroad.  This is a new world and, indeed, Henley is its Holy Land.

“Rowing is intergraded into the town,” Rhiver said.  “Everyone knows something about rowing.  You don’t have to explain it to anyone.  Everyone gets it.  It’s pretty cool to be surrounded by your own.”

And ... surrounded by history.

STORY & PICTURE: Brendan F. Quinn