Winklevoss Twins Excel on Water

With eight nominations at the recently passed Academy Awards, The Social Network has the world thinking about two of Harvard’s finest alumni.

Not Mark Zuckerberg and his greasy haired friend, Eduardo Saverin–I’m talking about Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the twin 6’5”, 210-pound powerhouse rowers.

Before they rivaled Zuckerberg for the rights to Facebook, the Winklevosses rowed for the heavyweight men’s crew team. And while The Social Network portrays the Winklevoss twins as conniving, quasi-antagonists, at one point they were just ordinary Harvard student-athletes. Right?

Almost. The Winklevosses, both economics concentrators and members of the Porcellian Club, may have appeared normal on land, but in the water they were anything but.

As members of the class of 2004, the twins left their mark. The spring of 2004 is often regarded as the best men’s heavyweight crew season in school history, and the strength and depth of its graduating class played a large role in the Crimson's success.

Additionally, after Harvard, the Winklevosses have achieved incredible athletic success. They competed in men’s pair rowing for the United States in the 2008 Olympics and are currently training for the 2012 Games in London.

So even as the pair comes under scrutiny for their portrayals in The Social Network, remember: the twins win, and they could rack up one more victory on the world stage next year.