January 3, 2016
I first started to hear about this book in the summer of 2014. Someone was talking about it on the radio; I don't think it was Brown himself, but just a book reviewer or something. This person described the scene in New York, when the soon-to-be 1936 U.S. Olympic eight-man with coxswain rowing crew made an impromptu visit to Hyde Park. Having just read Mrs. Roosevelt's autobiography, this caught my interest. They didn't have the honor of meeting my hero or her husband FDR, but they did have drinks with one of their sons. Anyway, the guy on the radio went on about how good this book is, so when I saw it in the elibrary, I added it to my wish list. But it wasn't available until just recently.
I have always felt that the U.S. and its allies should have boycotted the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Brown describes how the games gave Nazi Germany a great opportunity to hoodwink the world, and to further their propaganda on the supposed superiority of the "Aryan race." But it doesn't diminish the success of the boys from the University of Washington, who individually and as a group overcame many obstacles to gain Olympic glory.
Brown mostly tells the story of one rower, Joe Rantz, who had it especially rough during his formative years. Depression-era troubles and family drama found him living in his own as a teenager. Working for his own survival, he became tough and strong. By the time he takes home his gold medal, his antagonistic stepmother is dead, he's reunited with his family, and his fiancée is thrilled for him. Rantz was one of the only surviving members of the boat left when Brown started his research, so it makes sense that we'd get so much of his story, but it really is very compelling.
Most of the boys in the boat had their own struggles, and if Brown was able to procure any of their personal documents, they were frequently quoted. Brown also describes George Pocock, the British shell maker set up at Washington, a master of the craft and a crew expert since his earliest years. Pocock is quoted at the beginning of each chapter. I've never known a whole lot about crew, but I get the feeling that Pocock is amongst the legends of the sport.
Albert Ulbrickson, the Washington crew coach, is obviously a central figure as well, but the book doesn't delve much into his life beyond his impact on the sport and the young men he coached. He's kind of a stereotypical stoical type, not even getting overexcited or emotional at the most triumphant of moments. His notes on his strategies are quoted frequently as well, and that's where you see how methodical and driven he was.
From the descriptions of the races (something I tend not to enjoy in sports literature ir nonfiction, but kept my interest here), that's what it takes to be successful in rowing, methodical and driven. The Washington/U.S. team used their strength intelligently, outsmarting their opponents before outrowing them. And in the final moments of the Olympic medal race, they were driven enough to push themselves beyond their limits, and do it in perfect sync. Fuck you, Hitler. USA! USA!
Prior to reading this book, one of the few things I knew about crew was its upper class British origins. Brown focuses on the fact that Washington, and the West Coast in general, was still considered pretty rustic at this time, though Seattle was a pretty well developed city. The Washington/U.S. gold medal crew were not boys from the upper classes. There's something so American about it. So while giving the middle finger to Hitler, they were also continuing what the previous winning crews from the University of California had started, and claiming something that was once so elitist. Pocock did the same thing in his youth, showing up (but also helping) the Eaton boys on the Thames.
I clearly was swept up in the story, because I cried when they won (even though I already knew they had). The only thing I didn't totally enjoy about this book was all the technical information about how Pocock constructed his shells. I see why it was necessary to include, it just bored me a little. Otherwise, I found this to be a solid, well-written work. I always like when I learn something new from non-fiction, and while I don't see myself putting my newfound knowledge of crew to much use, the personal stories of the winning boat and the key figures kept my interest.
No comments:
Post a Comment