On Winning: CUBC Coxswain Sammy Houdaigui (Fitzwilliam 2025)
Photo Credit: The Boat Race Company
The post-Boat Race glory came as a surprise to Light Blue Boat Coxswain Sammy Houdaigui. Immediately after Cambridge crossed the line to finish first against Oxford, marking the fourth consecutive win for Cambridge men, it seemed the whole world welcomed him and the team with smiles, applause, and offers of free meals and drinks.
“I haven’t paid for a beer or a meal for the last four days,’ said Houdaigui. “Even boarding the flight home with my mom, we were almost late. The British TSA and then people at the restaurants, saying ‘wait, you were the coxswain of the light blue boat.’ I mean, it was crazy.”
Pitching in post-race at the Houdaigui family's Brooklyn Bagel Bakery in Washington DC
Celebrity status followed Houdaigui home to Washington DC and the family business, The Brooklyn Bagel Bakery, where — he noted that despite his new-won celebrity — he was pitching in, taking a few shifts even during his short stay home.
Houdaigui and mom Dawn Lurie
Houdaigui shared an account of his thoughts and observations during the just under 18-minute men's race on Saturday, April 4. As the in-water coach, he needed to be attuned to everything all at once, the conditions, the Oxford boat, and the performance of every team member.
What was running through your mind as you prepared on race day?
We had a pre-paddle in the morning; in the three hours between our pre-paddle and then returning to the course, Putney became a different city. It went from this quaint little town to a stage. On the van ride over to the course people were banging on the bus, and suddenly, you round the corner to the embankment, and you realize right away that, oh, this is like a made for TV event.
What was it like to step into the race with all that fanfare around you?
We never let that media attention become a distraction. We did the walk out, and the photos, and the coin toss to see which station we'd be on. It was a unique experience. Because unlike other races, this was the Boat Race broadcast. And the race began before we had even touched the shell.
When you lost the coin toss, were you discouraged?
We prepared for that possibility, so, no, hope was not lost. We had a more concrete talk about the race plan. Credit to Rob [coach Rob Baker]. He made sure that we understood that we didn't need our best day, but we needed to have a performance worthy of winning the boat race from either station.
What were the conditions like on the racecourse?
It was biblical, meaning — 47 mile per hour headwinds, going against the stream. It was no longer The Tideway--it was the North Atlantic. The second half of the race was not rowing on the Tideway. It was like rowing on in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Did that change your strategy?
Our plan had always been to give these guys space. The Boat Race is famous for clashing blades and boats and steering tricks, but that's not the crew that we had. It was really important to Rob and to all nine of us that we had a clean run down the track. At the same time, we knew that we had to be firmly ahead by Hammersmith Bridge, because at that point, the conditions were going to open up, and it was going to be biblical. We needed to either move our boat into the stream, which would place us up against the choppy waters, or toward the corners of the Tideway, where we wouldn’t have the advantage of the stream, but would have a little more protection from the conditions. You can only have those options if you have a commanding lead.
Your lead held and you won. What did it feel like crossing the finish line?
Oh, my God. Relief. Relief. That is what we all felt like. This was a “don't screw it up” race. We owe Rob everything, and we could not screw this up for him. That's what it felt like. It felt like we owe everything to this club. It is our lives, and we cannot screw this up for the club and for Rob.
During the final days before the race, you found out you were accepted into the Cambridge MBA program, will you continue studies at Cambridge?
Yes. I am so excited that I'm coming back to Cambridge. I'll be a Dartmouth guy forever, but [Dartmouth and Cambridge alumnus] Steve Berger was right. Once you join the club and you get this experience with Cambridge, it's just your life.
