Eight Olympic Rowers Have Lunch At Bartley's

Mr. Bartley said he got a call this morning informing him that eight Olympic rowers would be stopping by his joint for a quick bite later that day. He obliged, of course. What did they order? "Burgers." Why did we even bother to ask?

Eight renowned rowers from all over the world convened at Bartley's to grab lunch around 1 p.m. today. "The Great Eight," as the international set is known, will compete in the Championship Men's Eight race at the Head of the Charles this weekend. The lumbering athletes were spread out over two tables in the back corner of the critically acclaimed burger spot—and FlyBy got to join them for a bit as they chowed down.

"It's a great opportunity to have some fun and learn more about each other," said Alan Campbell, a British sculler who came in 5th in the men's 2000m individual scull at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. "We're friendly...sports should be like that. Competitors should be able to respect each other."

So where did the idea come from? Well, Fred Schoch, executive director for the Head Of The Charles, decided that he wanted to bring together the international rowing medalists from the Beijing Olympics, according to HOCR international liaison Bradway Widing, who lingered outside Bartley's to ensure that the rowers' lunch proceeded smoothly. The result: The Great Eight.

"We're the everyman's team," Campbell said, noting that the student population at Harvard—a "multi-national" institution—could be appropriate cheerleaders for the boat.

"They should get a burger made out of them," Widing said. "But I don't know what they would look like."

Indeed, a burger of such international scope may be far too complex to fit comfortably into the traditional two-bun model. Find out more about the illustrious Great Eight's sentiments about its forthcoming race, after the jump:

"The mental hardness of these guys is just incredible," said Phil Rowley, who is coaching the team alongside Bill Barry. "They're like gladiators."

The members of the team are as follows: Tim Maeyens (Belgium), Alan Campbell (Britain), Lassi Karonen (Sweden), Marcel Hacker (Germany), Mahe Drysdale (New Zealand), Warren Anderson (U.S.A.), Onderj Synek (Czech Republic), Iztok Cop (Slovenia). Ali Williams, a Harvard lecturer, heads up the boat as the coxswain.

The Great Eight collaborated with the Head Of The Charles in an outreach program this afternoon at Community Rowing, Inc. The team, which is staying at the Liberty Hotel in Boston, is sponsored by Concept2, a manufacturer of indoor rowers and racing oars.

"Everybody should come out and give us a shout," Campbell said. "They can shout, 'Go Scullers!'"

But according to Widing, the team is confident that it will win—and some of them have even been "talking smack."

Anderson put it quite simply: "We don't need luck."

Having seen these athletic geniuses pack down burgers in a matter of minutes, we just might have to agree.

Photo courtesy of Alan C. Chiu.