THE SPORT OF ROWING East, they had to use tanks, and they rowed on machines. No weights, no ergometers back then. “The only time we ever rowed 2,000 meters was for the Olympics, and so every Monday that’s what we did. I remember because I hated it. It was a sprint but a damn long sprint, and we only did it when the Olympics were a year or two away.”2175 At the end of a few weeks of work with George Pocock, the athletes sensed no change in their technique, but film of the crew later in the summer discloses a subtle but significant evolution from the Ulbrick- son standard. Early in the pullthrough the legs were pressed down more aggressively, even though leg motion still extended right to the end of the stroke. The back swung from the entry, and the last few degrees of layback were exchanged for a more pronounced fer- ryman’s finish. The result was +5°, +30° to -15°, 0-10, 0-9, 0-10, in contrast to Ulbrick- son‘s +5°, +30° to -25°, 0-10, 0-9, 0-10, characterized by steadier leg drive, more layback and less ferryman’s finish. This change was a precursor to some of the evolution which will later be seen in the 1950s crews of Tom Bolles, Rusty Callow and Stork Sanford, to be described in later chapters. Coxed-Fours Trials In their opening heat three days after the Eights Trials, the Husky Jayvee recorded the fastest time of the eleven coxed-fours en- trants. The New York Times: Two days after that, “with fast conditions obtaining as a strong tailwind sped the shells on their way, the stern-four from the University of Wash- ington Junior Varsity Eight that won at 2175 Will, personal conversation, 2005 Poughkeepsie defeated Princeton in the con- cluding semi-final Olympic heat for fours- with-coxswain in the blistering time of 6:35.7. “The best time listed for Olympic com- petition is 6:47.8, made by Italy in 1928 at Amsterdam. “Princeton’s stern-four from their Varsi- ty Eight that had qualified for the final last week also exceeded Italy’s time in finishing almost a full length to the rear of the Husk- ies in 6:38.5. “Al Ulbrickson’s Four got the jump at a 43 beat, but for the first quarter mile there was little to choose between the crews. “Both crews were around 32 through the body of the race. Then the power of the rangy Washington oarsmen told, and the big Jayvee Four drew away from the Princeton Varsity quartet. “Princeton came on madly in the last quarter-mile to cut down Washington’s lead a bit, but the Huskies had it in their final twenty strokes and went away again to win by just short of a length.”2176 Rod Johnson: “The four had a really tough row against Princeton in the semis of the Trials, and they said that if we hadn’t lost our race, they wouldn’t have had the guts to hold on long enough to beat them, but being that we had lost, they figured they were that last chance for the school, and they just rowed their hearts out. The guys all passed out after the race.”2177 The final was held the following day. The New York Times, July 10, 1948: “Washington’s victory over Princeton in the semi-finals had stamped it as a strong favor- ite, and it led all the way today, though the race was close. 2176 Allison Danzig, Washington, Yale Fours Advance To Rowing Tryout Final, The New York Times, July 10, 1948 2177 Johnson, personal conversation, 2005 602
