The Power of Many
On the water, a fine example of what makes Massachusetts great.
This coming weekend, Boston and Cambridge will host a truly amazing demonstration of the incredible power of teamwork.
More than 8,500 athletes from 19 nations will compete in 57 different races as some 300,000 spectators line the banks of the Charles River. It’s the world’s largest two-day rowing event: the Head Of The Charles Regatta, now in its 44th year.
Teamwork will be most clearly on display as doubles, four- and eight-person crews glide up the river along the three-mile course, navigating past buoys, boats and bridges. Rowing epitomizes the essence of teamwork: a crew’s momentary lapse in coordination can make or break an entire race.
Even the individual scullers rely on teamwork. Behind them, and behind the crews as well, stand coaches and family members whose guidance and encouragement bolster any successful competitor.
Consider also the teamwork required to successfully mount such a complex event. The regatta is a year-round effort involving many boat clubs, colleges and universities, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and more than 1,400 hardworking volunteers.
All these different kinds of teamwork have made the Head Of The Charles a beloved yearly ritual whose traditions and stirring displays of excellence and determination reflect something unique, and uniquely admirable, in the character of New England.
We at Microsoft are proud to be a patron sponsor of the regatta. We’re proud too that several Microsoft employees are competing this year, and prouder still that many Microsoft people are helping as volunteers.
In this and a wide range of other local community activities, our growing involvement flows naturally from our growing presence in Massachusetts, where we now have nearly 1,000 employees. From our Groove Networks team in Beverly, to the Interoperability Laboratory that we opened with Novell last year in Cambridge, to the many Microsoft people working with customers throughout New England, our company has happily put down roots here.
And we’re still growing. Just last summer, we expanded into a new research and development campus in Cambridge, overlooking the Charles, where some of the sharpest minds anywhere are working together to explore new ideas and bring innovative products and services to life.
In Massachusetts we have found the talented workers and collaborative spirit we need to continue creating new technologies that empower people everywhere. We’ve benefited enormously from our collaboration with many local business partners. And we’ve had great cooperation from state and local government. Our success here shows what comes from terrific teamwork.
Which is why we’ll be out in force along the Charles. And we’ll be cheering.
