THE SPORT OF ROWING Olympic Gold Medal. Washington’s most successful rower ever! Nobody within three lengths of him. After the Olympics, the Clipper Too went back into storage at the Conibear Shellhouse until the 1952 Trials, when Westlund, Will and Morgan reunited for one last try at more Olympic glory. Stan Pocock “went out with them a few times to give them a few pointers.”2211 Bob Will: “I had two kids, but Westlund, myself, and Morgan got back to- gether to try again for the Olympics. Buvick and Rod Johnson replaced Martin and Gio- vanelli because Gus was married, and Bob was out of school. “We got the Washington Athletic Club to sponsor us. We used our same shell, which had already been twelve years old in 1948. “We rowed by ourselves all spring, and once in a while George or Stan would come out with us, and whenever they did, you could feel the difference. You think you’re rowing hard by yourself, but it’s really tough, so I’ve always maintained that if there had only been two shells, whichever had been better would have gone to the Olympics because we just didn’t have that extra incentive in training. “We made it to the final at the Trials, but Navy and the UW undergrads beat us. They were about eight inches apart, and we were about three-quarters of a length behind them.”2212 Stan: “The four had not trained nearly hard enough. They were going at it with enthusiasm, but it was too little too late.”2213 The Clipper Too, however, was not fin- ished. Loaned to Australia, it won the 1954 British Empire Games in Vancouver at the 2211 S. Pocock, p. 90 2212 Will, op.cit. 2213 S. Pocock, p. 90 age of 18! They called the boat “bloody marvelous.”2214 The following year, Stan Pocock bor- rowed it from the university to boat a group of guys who would eventually evolve into Lake Washington Rowing Club.2215 The Clipper Too may just be the most storied boat the Pococks ever built! Stan: “To follow up on the Clipper Too, the boat was then loaned to some kids from Lakeside School here in Seattle around 1960. They rammed it into a dock out on Lake Washington and knocked several feet of the bow off. “I took the time to rebuild the boat and gave some of the wreck to Bob Will, hoping he could resurrect the front end with the name and chevrons. It was really a mess, and I don’t think anything came of it. “The restored boat went on to be used for some years. The last I saw of it was after it was a total wreck on the floor in the UW shellhouse. “So much for sentimental relics. We weren’t much good at that sort of thing any- way. Too busy building new ones, I guess.”2216 Looking Back In 1966, George Pocock reminisced about their 1948 summer at Henley: “I was never a coach at the University of Washington. I built their shells from 1912 on, and the only time I ever coached was in 1948. Al wasn’t going to England, and he said, ‘George, will you look after this four-oared crew for me?’ “And I did, and that was the only time. “They were a well-rounded crew before I ever said a word to them, and they won quite readily. 2214 Ibid, p. 104 2215 See Chapter 83 ff. 2216 S. Pocock, personal correspondence, 2006 612
