THE SPORT OF ROWING represent us. Navy did in 1920, Yale in 1924 and California in 1928 and 1932. “To carry out the pattern further, Washington will have to win at Berlin, for no American eight has been beaten in the Olympics.”2084 Stan Pocock: “Interesting sidelight on the 1936 Trials. After the UW had won, Ulbrickson was told that they could go to Berlin, all right, but they would have to pay their own way. The USORC was out of money. “Al wired home, the Seattle papers got in the act, and two days later there was enough raised to pay the cost with plenty to spare.”2085 Coxed-Fours Trials On the same weekend that the Trials for the eights were being held in Princeton, the U.S. representatives for the other Olympic events were being determined at the U.S. National Championships in Philadelphia. Ulbrickson had entered the stern-four of his Poughkeepsie-Champion Jayvee in the coxed-fours event. They rowed in a Pocock shell named Clipper Too, sister to the Husky Clipper that the Varsity rowed to victory in Princeton. They were the favorites after they won their heat over Riverside Boat Club of Cambridge, Massachusetts, a crew of Harvard oarsmen guided by Lawrence “Monk” Terry,2086 coach at Noble and Greenough School. Stan Pocock: “The course in Philly has a dogleg in it, and the stakeboats at the start are staggered to take care of that. The UW crew, who went into the final as the favorite, drew the outside lane. In mid-race, they 2084 Robert F. Kelley, op. cit. 2085 S. Pocock, personal correspondence, 2005 2086 the father of the Monk Terry who rowed for Harvard in the 1960s and for the U.S. in 1968 and 1972. See Chapter 103. 2087 S. Pocock, p. 144 2088 Lincoln A. Werden, Coast Crews Lead in Olympic Trials, The New York Times, July 5, 1936 2089 S. Pocock, p. 144 2090 Dodd, World Rowing, p. 127 were surprised to find themselves well behind the leader, who had the lane on the inside of the turn. Gus Eriksen at stroke ran the rate up to the sky.”2087 The New York Times: “Sprinting for almost the entire last quarter-mile of the 2,000 meter course, the Riverside Boat Club gained the right to represent the United States in the Olympics. “Fighting gamely to hold their lead in the last hundred yards after keeping the stroke up to 38 and 40 in the last part of the race, the Harvard men not only beat Washington, who had beaten them in a trial heat yesterday, but California and Cornell as well in that order. “They were clocked in the fast time of 6:58.6 to 7:03 for Washington.”2088 Stan Pocock: “Later aboard the S.S. Manhattan, the ship carrying the Olympic Team to Germany, one of the hangers-on was overheard bragging of his having shifted the stakeboats the night before the race to give the inside crews the advantage. He thought it was a big joke. “Whether the story was true or not, I’ve seen Gus grow purple with rage at the mere mention of the affair. I suspect this remained the case until the day he died.”2089 Gosta “Gus” Eriksen later coached skiing and swimming at the University of Washington before becoming Freshman Crew Coach in 1948. In 1950 he became Head Coach at Syracuse and later the National Coach of Sweden.2090 576
